I had a chance to watch the February 13th edition of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. It featured the Hurston family of Brevard County, Florida. For years, the Hurstons have been ministering the love of Jesus Christ to the world by distributing portable water filtration systems to the neediest places on earth. They were some of the first to arrive in Indonesia in 2004 after the tsunami, and they were among the first to arrive in Haiti after the earthquake of 2010.
They give themselves away without reserve. On one of their many mission trips a couple years back, a pipe burst in their home and flooded it. They got the water out but it never became liveable again. They worked on it a bit, but carrying relief to Haiti became a much larger priority. And then, they hit the jackpot with Extreme Makeover. Not only did they get a new house, Joe's plane got refurbished, and Bank of America made a $100,000 donation to their mission: Air Mobile Ministries.
So far, just a heart-warming story. When you dig behind the scenes, it's actually miraculous. About two years ago, Joe came to a pastors' prayer group I was helping to lead. He asked for help in negotiating with the city to allow him to use his building for banquets so that he could capture a stream of income to keep his ministry alive. The city was looking to shut down that part of the business and he was desperate. We managed to help him a bit, but I still remember how hard things were for him. And then the pipe burst. But he kept on giving.
I had a chance to talk with Joe after this week's show and reminded him of that time. We laughed together as we reflected on the truth that you can't out-give God. When the Hurston's were in a difficult spot, they kept on giving, even when it meant doing without themselves. They could scarcely get a hearing from their city. But in an amazing turn of events, God gave them a home beyond their wildest dreams and he gave them national exposure for their ministry. He did far more than they or I could have imagined at the time!
If you want to know more about Air Mobile Ministires, check them out at http://www.airmobile.org/. If you want to see the Extreme Makeover Show featuring them, go to http://abc.go.com/watch/extreme-makeover-home-edition/SH559052/VD55111809/hurston-family.
