One Life One Chance #2 - Orientation

Part 1 - The Trip

Part 2 - Orientation

After a good night sleep in our tent, b-fast was at 8am with orientation for the 3 groups at 10am.  Patti and I found out what we would be working on for the week.  It was a bit of a question for us and we didn't have any expectation since we primarily wanted to support Rob and Brenda.  Rob let us know that the cement pad was poured and the HMI house was ready to be built.  He wanted Patti and I (with James - our 10 yr old) to work with another team to do the build.   I was excited since not only would we see the HMI house but we would help build it.

Rob began his orientation by letting us know that one of his compelling goals was that everyone, once in their lifetime would be able to do short term missions.  When you walk through the door of missions, you will never be the same.  He doesn't want OL to be another ministry in San Quintin but to be a support to the local churches there.  He currently is working with 28 different churches.  San Quintin, location wise is the last stop for mission organizations.  There are plenty north but in the valley,  OL is the last one.  That means south of them, the forgotten area,  there are many people where poverty is their lifestyle - without much support.

The churches in the area don't have a unifying force so OL decided to invite as many pastors as they could to a hamburger lunch.  There were 120 people that came, some as far as 300 kms.  All local pastors who not only loved the hamburgers but also began to meet each other and network as a first step towards working together.  There is renewal in the air.

Rob's long term plan is to begin a Christian School to help educate the next generation - K through 12.  They want to start a school of theology to train pastors and build a multipurpose facility for churches to use as a resource.

Rob and Brenda have been working in this area for 20 years and it sound like they are just getting started.