So, for this month, we are doing manual labor. Our host has property that she plans to use as an orphanage and we are doing things around the property to get it ready for the children to arrive. The paper work is being processed and the children could be cleared to come any day now so we are helping with tasks to make sure the kids have the best, safest, most beautiful environment possible so that they can thrive. The house itself is ready with rooms for the boys and girls, bathrooms, clinic area, living room, and kitchen. There’s even a swingset outside! We are living on the third floor in the attic area that will be used for psychological exams and treatment for the kids. It reminds us of the Swiss Family Robinson house and has an upstairs deck and looks like a giant treehouse. There are two tables outside where we congregate and eat meals. The backyard opens up to the lake with the mountains in the distance and is breathtaking. I remind myself of this gorgeous view when I’m hot, sweaty, dirty and frustrated during the days’ tasks.
So, most people on my team love construction and Manual labor and are so excited to finally get to do it since until last month, most of us didn’t do any so far. I, on the other hand, have no experience with it really (super spoiled and naive growing up) and have no interest in it. Honestly, I’d rather pay someone to do any task requiring manual labor than do it myself. Call me lazy if you want but my mindset was, “Why do it yourself when I could pay someone else to do it right and spend my free time doing something else?” That was back when I had a paycheck, haha. But, you get my drift. I just never had an interest in that stuff. Pretty ignorant. Ignorance is bliss, though, as they say. But, this is my ministry and my teammates spoke “thriving” and “motivator” over me so that’s who I will strive to be.
My previous teammate challenged me to carry the fruit of the Spirit JOY into my next team since sometimes I can lose it when my circumstances change or are difficult. It’s fitting; since I have a month of heavy lifting and manual labor. The temptation to give up or get frustrated or pity myself is definitely there but I’m taking my teammates’ challenges to heart and aiming to maintain a spirit of Joy no matter what I’m told to do.
The first week, we concentrated on building a retaining wall to keep water out. We stuffed tires with rocks and stacked them on top of each other. It’s very hard to fill the tires with rocks and you risk smushing your fingers as you shove them into dark crevices. We hauled small to very heavy rocks in wheelbarrows and by hand across the yard amidst bumpy, muddy terrain. Wheelbarrows fell over and got stuck in the mud on more than one occasion. Local children came over and helped us sometimes. We moved a hill of earth/ soil over to the retaining wall area to cover over the ground. Other projects included: building a large compost wooden box, trimming and planting hibiscus, staining tables, sanding decks and doors and wood beams,varnishing doors, making soil, creating planter boxes and a garden, framing a little house on the property, repairing rock paths, raking, and fixing up the yard.
My amazing teammate Kelly encouraged me to ask God His purpose in whatever I was doing whenever I started to get frustrated during a task. Because there is something He’s trying to do in us and things He’s teaching us in everything we do. Sometimes I feel like I’m wasting my time because a hired hand could do my job so much better and would be physically stronger than me. Honestly, we were doing “men’s work” oftentimes. But, I’m here to serve in whatever capacity is needed and it’s not about me. It’s about what my host needs and what the Lord places in front of me. So, I’ve prayed for people and talked to Him during the day and jammed out to music with teammates and swapped stories with the Canadian family serving alongside us. I’ve gotten more sweaty and disgusting than previous months, trucking through wet mud. I’ve jumped in the lake after a long work day a time or two. I’ve been so physically exhausted that I can barely walk up the stairs to go to our room.
I sometimes feel that my measly contribution to the cause doesn’t really make a difference. But, I’m learning the meaning of obedience and perseverance. The Lord is teaching me to obey what He asks of me and look for Him in the midst of it. He can teach us so much in the ordinary and the hard stuff. When I’m tempted to give up and throw in the towel, He asks me to keep going. To try one more time. To give it my all. And I do improve and do things I didn’t think I could. Yes, I might not be the strongest or most qualified for the task at hand. But I’m here and available and selected so I will choose to die to self and surrender my will for His. And, it is beautiful to see the Body in action, using each individual’s time and talents for the good of our amazing host and future orphans. We may never get to see the fruits of our labor: healthy, happy, loved orphans thriving at this orphanage. But we get to see how the Lord is working in each other and to dig in (literally) to the Kingdom work He’s prepared for us “for such a time as this.”
So, what is the Lord asking you to do that you’re hesitant about? What step of obedience is He asking you to take? What is He trying to teach you in the uncomfortable? What does He want you to surrender so that you can do the works He’s prepared for you? Your time, pride, plans, or comfort? How is He using this situation to refine you and mold you to be more like Him? What amazing things are you potentially missing out on because you’re not stepping out in obedience? He can use someone else; He has unlimited resources. But, don’t you want to do what He’s called you to? It may be hard and you may have to give some things up in the process. But it’s worth the cost, I promise. So, jump. Do the hard thing. Take the leap of faith. He will catch you if you fall and you just might “soar on wings like eagles” in the process.
