Matthew chapter 4. I will say placing ladders in dangerous situations is hereditary. So you might have seen one particular family have several different incidences of people on ladders, or in some cases people without ladders. So I won't tell you what family that was, but it was great to have all four of that family with us on the trip. So I do want to say the Lord gave us provision every step along the way. There were some moments that were hectic, as I think I was on the phone with someone, I said, hey, can I call you back? It's a little hectic right now. The Lord worked. And moments of time where I was like, ooh, how's this going to work out? The Lord already had that all in control. And learning just to trust and rely on the Lord, I think the Lord just said, hey, just rely on me. It's fine. As we got into some of the construction, sometimes you had to step back and rethink it, maybe do something different. Lord had it in control. You'd see some pictures there where we went to the beach, went to the coast maybe, that sounds a little bit more suffering. But no, we went to a little picnic area there and you would have seen some people fishing. And there was the Carmelo sign, and as Mariano was taking us there, he said, this is where the Lord called me to Carmelo. And he says, I was thinking and praying, I grew up in Argentina, near Buenos Aires, large city, very populated, and Scott's right, Carmelo's like the little Mayberry, if you will, of, One thing I will say about Scott is that I helped a little bit out there with them and someone would drive by or a horse and it's buggy or someone on a moto with two by fours hanging out and Scott would just laugh. He's like, I love this place. This place is great. This is awesome. It's out there. I mean, it's three and a half hours away from the Capitol. So before Mariana went there, he was there at the same kind of beach area where we were. And this passage, and once again, this is where we're at in our Matthew 4 journey, came to his mind as he looked out at the river and saw a fishing vessel. So let's pick up Matthew chapter 4 here, down in verse 18. Like I said, we're gonna touch on this, and then we're gonna be in this passage next week as well. Matthew 4 verse 18 says, And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brethren. Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. Verse 19 says, And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from hence, he saw two other brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called to them. And they immediately left the ship and their father and followed him. And as Mariano was out there, he saw a fishing vessel in the river and it came to his mind, I'll make you fishers of men. And that's why the protos are down there. That's why Bobby and Nadia are down there. And that's why we went down there. It was not though we did work on a building. It wasn't so we could go sightseeing, though we did a little bit of sightseeing. It was that the gospel might be furthered across the world. And I don't wanna take all the time, but it's very interesting that Jesus, when he called his disciples, was looking for people to do the work of the ministry." And you notice it doesn't say, you'll become fishers of men, it says, I will make you fishers of men. And the response is immediate, straight away, immediate. Part of the reason why I think it's important that we go on these mission trips is for the people to see, our people to see the mission field. I've mentioned it before, that I know of several people that have been called to the mission field through seeing the need. Of course, there's a great need here in Massachusetts as well. But I don't know what the impact of this trip is long-term in the nine people that went. There are two people that are in their teenage years. Ethan and Kale. I don't know the impact that that will make in their life, but I know it's a worthwhile investment. I know Mariano said to the guys, hey, you need to bring your family down here. Hey, when you get a chance, come back down. What an opportunity for an investment in the lives of somebody's family. But it was great to see everyone that went. It was great to see as Mariano was there, and they're seeking out the people of Carmelo to give them the gospel of Christ. And the Lord is working down there. I mean, I know we added a little bit to their auditorium there, but the auditorium Sunday seemed packed. I mean, it seemed pretty full. And so the Lord is working, and to see that sometimes we in our little bubble think, Well, the Lord doesn't really work anymore, or maybe we kind of get in our mind, well, it's Faith Baptist Church, and we're the last people preaching the gospel on the world. The gospel. permeating the world and the Lord is continuing to do a work in 2024 and will continue to do a work for years and years to come. And so next week I'm gonna be preaching on this passage and about how the Lord makes us fishers of men. I do want to thank each of these guys, Dane, Jordan, Caleb, Ethan, Kelly and Maya, Scott, Zach and Roy. They were I mean, we had great times. And I think the times, Dane's just smiling at me, so it makes me want to tell a story about him. But it was an amazing time. And I look forward to the opportunity where the Lord will bless us and be able to do it again. Let me encourage you. Think about visiting one of our missionaries. We have missionaries all over. We have missionaries here in the state. You don't have to go to a foreign country. You can fly to San Antonio, Texas and be with Dave Barba in a church plant down there. You can fly to Illinois and see Pastor Shoaff. You can fly to Canada and see the Arnolds. But I'll tell you this, there's very few things that encourages a missionary more than someone to go and visit them. And so I'm so thankful that Maya could go and be there with Becky. Though, you team Maya and Becky up, and let's just say that they made fun of somebody in particular. I won't tell you who, but that person's feelings were really hurt. And you know, they were pretty upset about it. No, but you know, we invest so much in the temporary, this right here, and this is what Matthew's all about, is what? Is the kingdom of God. You know, we built part of a building, but I truly feel that we built part of the kingdom of God. And so, let me encourage you, be praying and thinking, Lord, how can I get more involved in missions? Okay, week to week we give to missions. Two, Lord, would you ever lead me to go visit a missionary? Would you ever lead me to go visit a missionary? Maybe that means, hey, I'm a retired couple, and instead of going on vacation, we're gonna go visit somebody. Maybe, hey, Pastor Matt, when's the next missions trip? I'm gonna start saving now. Because it is expensive, right? But man, you know, if you save a few dollars now and you stop eating out at Wendy's and Starbucks, I guarantee you, if you stop eating out from right now until two years where we possibly might go to Zambia, I could almost guarantee that you'd save enough money to pay for that trip if you just don't go out again. So be thinking, be praying. I want to thank all these guys and Maya for going. It was a great time. If you want stories, come see me afterwards. Let's be praying for our missionaries. Let's be praying for Mariano, Becky, Enzo. Be praying for Bobby and Nadia, who labor there alongside them, be praying for their church. And as Kelly said, we know the names, we know the faces, and so when we pray, we're able to pray a little bit more. So thank you, church family, for allowing us to go down there. Let's go ahead and stand, and I'm gonna just go ahead and close in a word of prayer, and a great opportunity to go down there. Dear Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for the goodness that you gave us. Thank you for the testimonies we've heard. Lord, I feel that your name was honored and glorified throughout this trip. Thank you for our church family supporting us. Lord, we specifically pray for the produce this morning that you continue to bless their ministry down there. Lord, thank you for the provision on the trip. Lord, I am glad to say that we come away from this trip and all glory is due Your name. None of us are taking hold of the glory for ourselves, but Lord, we lay it back at Your feet. Lord, I pray that You would help us as we now walk with You. Lord, that we would understand that there's a mission field here right before our eyes. Lord, bless us and Lord, help us as we go throughout the week. Help us as we invite people to Easter Sunday. Lord, that once again, it's not so we can have a packed auditorium, Lord, but that the kingdom might be furthered for Your name. In Jesus' name, amen.