So it's hot here! We were told that inside Rahab's House today was 34 degrees C. Along with a humidity of about 500% we were certainly in a humidex of 40 + degrees. Did I mention that it was hot? The work we are doing is very physically demanding - much more than most of us are used to - and the heat makes it really difficult to keep going.
Yesterday was such a great day and we accomplish a lot but we had changed our estimate
for the demolition from 2 to 3 days. We worked on so much adgrenaline yesterday and we knew that would be gone today as we got down to work. But we are almost entirely finished. All but one of the cubicals no longer exist. ARC wants to keep one room intact as a museum of sorts. We got so much gone because we are working really well together. There are so many things to do from swinging the big hammers to hauling the bits and pieces to chipping out the remains of the walls from the floor to scraping the walls to prepare them for repair and painting (and a bunch of other things I am likely forgeting because of exhaustion. Did I mention that it was hot?
I am even more tired today than yesterday - of course that's because yesterday was pretty exhausting too. But with today almost all of the really heavy work is done. Even with the exhaustion today we couldn't help but know the joy of the Lord upon this place and even upon
us. We got more done that we should have been able - God's grace is at work in so many ways. With the emotion of yesterday behind us I asked everyone today if they still saw our work as spiritual work and every hand went up.
Did I mention that it was hot - I mean really hot?
Today was the day for some of the girls from ARC (NewSong) to come and do ministry with the little kids in the village. We were all looking forward to the visit with a mixture of excitement and fear - how would we respond to these girls who have been through so much but are now doing so well. Clay told us that we were not to respond with an outpouring of emotion - no tears - because the girls would think they'd done something wrong to make us cry. It was also concerned that we not look at them like wounded animals we feel sorry for - rather he wanted us to greet them with pride in how well they are doing.
We were preparing for their arrival by getting all the debris cleared up and sweeping the floor. I even had the opportunity to scrape some of the pictures from magazines that adorned the walls. In Canada they would have been appropriate but here it is just one more sign of how pathetic their situations had been. I scraped those walls with real joy. I wondered why I found such joy in taking those pictures down. I finally realized it was an expression of love for these girls. I wanted to make the place as perfect as it could be - just for them. It was something i think we were all feeling.
Of course real life arrived again when we were told that the girls decided not to come because they thought the construction would be in their way. We didn't get to meet them but that doesn't diminish the act of love. Much to our suprise and humble joy we have all been invited to go to ARC on Friday. We feel so honoured by this.
We are going to be having supper with Marie Ens on Wednesday evening and are looking forward to that.
It was hot (did I mention that?), we are exhausted and we truly know the joy of the Lord.
Peace in Christ,
Grant
Yesterday was such a great day and we accomplish a lot but we had changed our estimate
for the demolition from 2 to 3 days. We worked on so much adgrenaline yesterday and we knew that would be gone today as we got down to work. But we are almost entirely finished. All but one of the cubicals no longer exist. ARC wants to keep one room intact as a museum of sorts. We got so much gone because we are working really well together. There are so many things to do from swinging the big hammers to hauling the bits and pieces to chipping out the remains of the walls from the floor to scraping the walls to prepare them for repair and painting (and a bunch of other things I am likely forgeting because of exhaustion. Did I mention that it was hot?I am even more tired today than yesterday - of course that's because yesterday was pretty exhausting too. But with today almost all of the really heavy work is done. Even with the exhaustion today we couldn't help but know the joy of the Lord upon this place and even upon
us. We got more done that we should have been able - God's grace is at work in so many ways. With the emotion of yesterday behind us I asked everyone today if they still saw our work as spiritual work and every hand went up.Did I mention that it was hot - I mean really hot?
Today was the day for some of the girls from ARC (NewSong) to come and do ministry with the little kids in the village. We were all looking forward to the visit with a mixture of excitement and fear - how would we respond to these girls who have been through so much but are now doing so well. Clay told us that we were not to respond with an outpouring of emotion - no tears - because the girls would think they'd done something wrong to make us cry. It was also concerned that we not look at them like wounded animals we feel sorry for - rather he wanted us to greet them with pride in how well they are doing.
We were preparing for their arrival by getting all the debris cleared up and sweeping the floor. I even had the opportunity to scrape some of the pictures from magazines that adorned the walls. In Canada they would have been appropriate but here it is just one more sign of how pathetic their situations had been. I scraped those walls with real joy. I wondered why I found such joy in taking those pictures down. I finally realized it was an expression of love for these girls. I wanted to make the place as perfect as it could be - just for them. It was something i think we were all feeling.
Of course real life arrived again when we were told that the girls decided not to come because they thought the construction would be in their way. We didn't get to meet them but that doesn't diminish the act of love. Much to our suprise and humble joy we have all been invited to go to ARC on Friday. We feel so honoured by this.
We are going to be having supper with Marie Ens on Wednesday evening and are looking forward to that.
It was hot (did I mention that?), we are exhausted and we truly know the joy of the Lord.
Peace in Christ,
Grant
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