Steps of Blessing

On Saturday of our mission trip to La Libertad, El Salvador, we had the opportunity to help out a family in need from the church where we serve called Iglesia Gran Commision. We helped build concrete steps in order to allow the family to get in and our of their house. Another thing that we did was to evangelize the people in that community. There were two groups, the team that would help with the evangelism and the team that would help build the steps. The space was so small that the construction group could only consist of a translator and two other people. Luke Kristofferson and I were the two to help with the steps, while Miss Jones helped us as our translator. The rest of the team was divided into even smaller groups to go and evangelize. Luke, Miss Jones, and I were able to talk to the family we were helping. We found out that they made souvenirs to help pay for their teenage daughters' school supplies and books. When we started to help with the steps, Irvine, one of the sons in the family showed Luke and I how to make concrete. When he started to make it he put the ingredients in a pile in the road, where we mixed it up. Luke, Irvin and I had to take shovels and mix it manually until it became concrete. It was hard, strenuous labor and it was tiring. When we were mixing and I was thinking about the hard labor, I realized something: I have it so good in the US. Many people in La Libertad do not have the same amenities as I do in the US. The people of the community we went to put in the concrete street that leads to all of the houses in the neighborhood themselves. The Government gave them the ingredients and the people did the work. And it made me realize how much I take for granted each day. I feel like God was showing me that all the petty little chores I do at home do not even compare to what these people have to do. I feel like God was trying (and is continuing) to show me to be not only thankful for what I have and how well I have been blessed but to be willing to work also, especially if it is to praise God and help those around me. If you look in Genesis 1, the first chapter of the Bible, God gave Adam a task, a job to do. God made humans to work. Looking back on that day I am thankful that God showed me a lesson. It was a blessing to help some of my brothers and sisters in Christ with something they needed help with, and it is one of the best feelings in the world to know that even though work may not be the funnest thing ever but when used to help others it blesses those around me and brings glory to our Savior, Jesus Christ. (By the way, I'm on the far right in this picture.) -Noah Zaleski