Penitas, TX – March 9-15, 2025

The journey of “Life’s Railway to Heaven”, becoming a cherished hymn began when M. E. Abbey, a Baptist pastor in Atlanta, GA, gave his poem to Charles Tillmam.  Tillman put it to music and included it in his book of gospel hymns “The Revival” in 1891.  I first heard it in 1989, on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s second album of the “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” trilogy, featuring Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, and Mark O’Connor, in a classic four-beat bluegrass arrangement.

Life is like a mountain railroad,                         With an engineer that’s brave;
We must make the run successful                       From the cradle to the grave;
Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels,             Never falter, never quail;
Keep your hand upon the throttle,                     And your eye upon the rail.

The lyrics can be applied to many parts of life, including a week on an MDS Response project.  Weekly volunteers from Ontario, Alberta and Kentucky arrived after long journeys to join our long term volunteers from Manitoba, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Michigan.  With some portions of the US federal government placed on suspension, the typical clearances for Canadian volunteers to travel to US projects never arrived.  Travelers were advised of potential difficulties, and decided not to falter, but to present themselves at US immigration desks with the MDS border letter.  Prayers were answered for all of our volunteers and flights were made without problem.

Blessed Savior, Thou wilt guide us,       Till we reach that blissful shore,
Where the angels wait to join us            In Thy praise forevermore.

This week’s mix of volunteers was one of my favorites.  They came from three different locations, and included multiple generations, as well as a single traveler. Within a few hours after orientation the “family” stretched to include all of the volunteers as valued members.  It was great to witness.

Our first two houses were down to a few punch list items, so we sent crews to work on our third and fourth houses.  These are moving along well, and with this week of focused work, lots of tasks were completed.

House no. 3, for Sr. Juan and Sra. Ingrid saw a lot of tasks completed, from final touch-up of interior paint to installation of countertop, water heater, window screens and ceiling fans.  By the end of the week, this house was almost in “punch list” mode.  House no. 4 for Sr. Victor and Sra. Victoria, interior painting of walls was completed and flooring installation was begun.  Those are simple phrases that represent a lot of work. One of the things I noticed when stopping at the houses to deliver a missing piece or just check on progress, the sound of laughter and chatter was more noticeable than the noise of the generator or power tools.  These folks were having fun working together.

A third crew was assigned to building ramps at two homes for older men with mobility limitations.  None had ever built a ramp, so the learning curves were pretty steep.  Sr. Zacarias needed a somewhat complicated 40 foot long ramp, which was completed by mid-afternoon Wednesday.  The crew then sorted out the materials needed to assemble the models needed for Sr. Ventura.  By Thursday afternoon, much of that ramp was installed, under the watchful, pleased eye of our client.

This week we had our first new home dedication in Penitas.  The home was beautiful, with sparkling clean surfaces, all lights working, a functioning air-conditioner, and ample space for the family, visitors and MDS volunteers to gather.  The bilingual litany and presentation of gifts gave everyone the chance to hear and give thanks for a new phase of this family.  Many volunteers and family members shed a few tears of joy and even awe that this symbol of hope for the clients and community was completed.

As you roll across the trestle,                               Spanning Jordan’s swelling tide
You behold the Union Depot                               Into which your train will glide;
There you’ll meet the  Superintendent,            God the Father, God the Son,
With the hearty, joyous plaudit,                         “Weary pilgrim, welcome home.”

As the week began, we watched the weather forecast predict a high of 106 degrees for Friday.   As the first two days of work in the high 90’s, it was obvious that it could be harmful to expect volunteers to work in 100 degree plus temperatures without the time to acclimate.  So, on Friday morning, the crews did the typical vehicle cleaning and checkups, then headed out to South Padre Island where 80 degrees was predicted.

You will roll up grades of trial,               You will cross the bridge of strife;

See that Christ is your conductor                        On this lightning train of life;

Always mindful of obstruction,               Do your duty, never fail;

Keep your hand upon the throttle,         And your eye upon the rail.

Now, at the end of this week, despite the curves, tunnels and obstructions, we can see that Jesus was our conductor as we move toward completion.

From the MDS Penitas response, in Hidalgo County, Texas

Brian, Donna, Elvin, Joanne, Jonelle, Judy, Laura and Carl