No Better Sacrifice

I cut myself with a razor sharp edge twice today. My back and shoulders are sore from lifting excessive weight. I am sleep deprived. An old -- but favorite -- shirt of mine is possibly ruined with blood stains. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Coal B (or army Coal) invited me out with some of his BYX brothers to help with a meat ministry called Pacto con Dios. This ministry takes deer that were killed at surrounding ranches (for population control) and grinds the meat into hamburger. They then go to inner-city areas, Mexico, or orphanages and provide much needed food. Pacto con Dios will also satisfy the people's spiritual need and share the Gospel.

Our job was to help butcher that meat so that it can be used to feed people. I learned how to cut along the bone to waste as little meat as possible (and lost a little of myself in the process), and I learned that deer are humongous creatures. I frequently had to lift up shoulders or hind quarters for rinsing, and they easily weighed over 45 lbs (explaining my physical exhaustion). When slicing and dicing and meat grinding became slightly monotonous, it was discovered that deer fat has similar qualities to gak and would stick to anything; is great for throwing at people (thus bloody clothing). The best is when you get it to stick in the middle of the person's back and they can't reach to remove it. What's the worst is when someone drops it down the back of your shirt .

It was grueling work, but not nearly as disgusting as people may think (it's like butchering a chicken, only slightly larger). The great thing about serving is that the difficulty of the task can be easily diminished with two factors: 1) the people you are with and 2) knowing the bigger picture.
We made 2000 lbs of grounded deer meat. Enough to feed about 2 orphanages for a year. The sacrifices we made were small in comparison to the blessings untold others will reap because of today.

Matthew 19:29
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.