Slow and Steady

The day started off wet. Torrential downpour wet while the leaders were having their morning coffee. As the skies opened up, we just shook our heads in disbelief and thought, "Not again!" But the rain stopped and we were blessed with a dry (except for a short afternoon pop up storm) day. The plan was to work as long as we could to make up for the lost time of the last two days. We were fired up to jump in and get moving. Until we got there. The place was a quagmire. Puddles everywhere. Mud all over. And the smell. Indescribable. The combination of the trash, septic tanks, and wet dirty dogs was enough to make someone sick. But we were there for a purpose and we weren't going to let Mr. Leo down. Quickly the team tried to break into their groups - porch, kids, and landscaping. But the kids weren't coming outside yet. The "yard" (I use that term loosely) was a soggy mess. That only left some remaining work on getting the roof on the porch. So the working was slow, which was very frustrating for a group like ours who typically gets a lot accomplished on these trips. Now each day before we leave for the site, I tell them that today is perfect because God made it. Whatever his plan is will come to be. But it's hard after three days to sell that to the kids when YOU are even having frustrations. We know that there has been a lot of progress growing closer to God this week. Our small group time, morning devotion, and beach service have all helped us strengthen our relationships with Jesus, so we know that Satan is getting mad. He's trying everything in his power to create that wedge between us and Him. All week we've talked about how we need to seek the light of Jesus so that we will remain out of the darkness. These down times are perfect opportunities for evil to step in. And to be honest, there were times today when you could see a few fractures in the group. Some not seeking work, but waiting to be told. Some falling back into selfish behaviors. Some anger and resentment about who's doing what. So after we finished what we could, it was decided it would be best if we left the rest of the work for tomorrow. Even though we're not satisfied with how far we've gotten on the worksite, the group needs to be reminded of how far they've come in their walk with Jesus. So the team decided that instead of the Friday God in Nature Day, we will head back to Mr. Leo's house to finish the work we had planned. We think that's a pretty good choice.