Not All Sunshine & Roses.

All in all, a good day with a good amount of work done, however like the title states, not all sunshine & roses. We had a really sluggish start to the day, no delco=no power tools (generator). At least not a generator that was working. We waited for some of the guys to try and fix it, until it was apparent they were having no success. So, "A" type personalities to the rescue, Dan & I started working on it. After going through the basics; Air, fuel & spark. We figured out it didn't have an air filter so....at least we know it's got air. Fuel to the carb, check. Spark is where we determined we had a problem.  Cracked spark plug, so off I go with the 76 year old Pastor to find the proper plug. While I went to do that, the rest of the team did a great job improvising with no power tools. Things took longer, but they got allot accomplished. Forms built, treated and in place, for the horizontal lentils, another section in the front of the church received the proper amount of blocks to prepare it for the lentil. They also prepared the batches of concrete we would need, minus glo (water). Meanwhile I am off looking for a spark plug, Haitian style. The vehicles were already in use so the Pastor secures us a Moto (Motorcycle taxi). So away we go to the local shops to find a plug; driver, pastor and I on the Moto. First stop no success, second shop nothing, the third shop we finally succeeded. These shops looked like improvised lemonade stands at best. Literally on display; Candy, sunglasses, cinderblocks, hair products and spark plugs. All three of us back on the bike and back to the church we go. We got the generator started right away, just to discover that the power was not getting to the plugs. 🙄 Luckily we have a power lineman with us, so Tim to the rescue now. We worked on it awhile longer, sorting a few things out, figured out how we would try and make it work, only just to find someone has come and changed things so we can't fix it. In the end by the time we got the generator working, we didn't need it any more. 

Afternoon had us adding water to our batches, and making concrete with shovels. Pouring the concrete into the forms with buckets. Final step, smoothing out the tops of the lentils. We got over half the lentils done that we need, so we should have more than enough work for everyone tomorrow. 

What I heard, and felt myself, was a frustration of being told we're doing something wrong constantly. Even when their way is the most backward, inefficient method we've ever seen. This is where the rubber meets the road though, we see the way they do things here, and want to fix them. Well they don't want fixing. They see the way we do tasks that they have "expertise" with, and they want to fix us. We don't want fixing. No one wants to be fixed.  It's in our very human nature to assume we're right, I am something of significance. Romans 1:21-22; "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools "

God alone is good and when we love others we reflect the image of God. I cannot choose to love people that I struggle with, especially if it's a person trying to learn me on the proper techniques of a shovel. It's easy to love the cute kids that come to say hi to us at the end of each day, but it's impossible for us to love someone who makes my life difficult. However when I submit my life to Jesus, who loves so perfectly that he died for the World while we were still sinners, then I can love others the way God designed me. The youth group here was studying the following scripture on Sunday, her is an opportunity for you to read it and reflect on what does it mean. 

Ephesians 2:1-10; As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.