HIdden Gem

We have the perfect jobsite this year. Without any real contractors on the team, our skill set is limited in the scope of work we can compentently complete. So when we arrived the first day and saw that the majority of the work would be painting, both inside and outside, I breathed a huge relief. In addition to the painting, we need to repair the soffit in the front of the house. The rest of the work was up to us and we have a couple of real go-getters on the team. The crew decided to create some gardens for Ms. Stephanie in her back yard, so a massive landscaping and clearing project took place. But what has become the most fun is watching our resident trash picker turn garbage into gold. I don't know what we would have done without Colleen on the trip the last three years. I remember my thoughts about her two years ago when she came for the first time, so ill-prepared for the work that was to be done. She seemed lost to me, just walking around the site in her clothes that were not mission work appropriate. She looked more like a tourist than a missionary. Last year we truly got to witness her gift of taking the objects lying around the village and turning then into beautiful pieces of art. She inspired the kids to paint an abondanded car with scripture, flowers, and wonderful colors. The team also collected glass bottles that were filled with paint and scritpure that were hung from a tree. So this year we all couldn't wait to see what type of creation she would come up with. After coming back with the lunches today, I saw the kids tearing apart an old mattress left for trash. They were taking the springs and using them as the hub of a windchime, with pieces of glass hanging down. But her creativity has inspired the rest of the team. Some girls are taking the drawers from a discarded dresser to make window boxes for flowers to hang from the front of the house. Others are going to make a bench out of the headboard from an old bed frame. Wood pallets are being painted with vibrant colors around the garden. As is stated in Romans 12:6, "We have many gifts, according to the grace given us..." Colleen is using the gifts that God gave her to not only beautify the homes we work in, but to inspire the kids that work with her. We don't know what we would do without her.