Divinely Diverted...
Team member, Lance Cornell, from Summit Park Church in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, served on a Builders International trip this summer. It was not only his first missions trip, but also the church’s first missions trip as well!
The team was initially scheduled to travel to Haiti. However, the airport in Haiti closed down the day they were to arrive, due to civil unrest in the country.
Builders International had staff working throughout the weekend to resolve the issue. After numerous phone calls, making arrangements with another missionary in a different country, and getting help from Delta Airlines, the team was diverted to Costa Rica!
Lance shared about his favorite moment of the trip on the “My Story” link on our Builders International website:
“We ended up working on construction projects at a campground in Costa Rica, where a church camp for youth was being held. Five men from Nicaragua were there helping us with the construction process.
Our team quickly realized that these men had recently fled Nicaragua due to political unrest and were looking for work. The work just so happened to open up at the camp due to our team’s unexpected arrival. God’s hand is in everything!
During the four days we spent working beside them, we developed a connection. Even though we spoke different languages, we managed to watch and learn how to do the work. Due to the language barrier and our inexperience in construction, many laughs and smiles were shared between our team and the five Nicaraguan construction workers!
The best moment for me happened after three days of working side-by-side with them. They challenged us to a game of “futbol”…challenge accepted!
There we were, playing futbol on a basketball court in the middle of Costa Rica against some construction workers who had fled Nicaragua. We’ve all been there, right?! Ha!
It was evident from the start that these guys had excellent futbol skills and they didn’t hold anything back while playing us. Our guys had some futbol experience of their own, and we ended up giving them a good game. We lost, 3-2. After the game, we shook sweaty hands, shared hugs through soaked shirts, and exchanged high fives.
On our last night, several of us gathered shirts, hats, sunscreen, bug spray, and even the work shoes I bought for the trip and gave them to our new friends.
It’s amazing how God brought all of this together. It is my prayer that our new friends are able to find steady work and safety, to provide for themselves and their families.
I hope that during our game of futbol we were able to help them forget about their uncertain future for just a little while and brighten their day.”
God’s direction diverted this team, which will impact their lives forever. Special thanks to Lance for submitting his story on our website. We’d love to hear yours, too! Visit www.buildersintl.org/mystory and share your story with us today!
Tell us your story! Your experience may just be what someone else needs to hear, seeking purpose and opportunity to serve.