|
|
Wilma Ivey and her children are now in a new home furnished and ready to live in. Just over a week ago they were living with relatives because the shack they occupied had been bulldozed to make ready for this new home.
She was sent a letter to warn her of the sudden appearance of over 100 people on Monday morning, July 5. I doubt if she was prepared to see a new home rise from the foundation to the roof in one day, however. By Thursday evening she, Jennifer and Andrew slept in their new home.
To an outsider this seems impossible. I can say that now since I have not been physically on the work site for two years. (As the church family knows, a grandbaby has claimed priority.) Without seeing it happen it is hard not to wonder, “How do they do that?”
I know how it happens, but it still approaches the miraculous. From the outside I can see more than just the construction of a house. We are blessed to have people with the right skills at the right time. That is essential, of course.
But there are some other ingredients which I believe are the real secret. They have to do with spirit and attitude. Everyone involved has a spirit of humility which reveals itself in doing what is necessary to get the job done without insisting on their way or seeking credit. Roger, Wes, and Barbie take the initiative, but they are very aware of the critical place of all the “sub contractors”, the construction team and support team which put it all together.
There is a genuine spirit of self-giving by the team members and by the church members who support the project financially, prepare good food, and pray diligently for the mission. The result in the joy and satisfaction that comes in helping others. A happy by-product is the feeling of community we share.
There is a paradox here. We find ourselves by giving ourselves away. Jesus put it this way, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39.
Mountain Outreach year by year
