An Unhealthy Attachment

February 25, 2012

Lately on this blog I’ve been going through and highlighting thoughts on personal worship from the book Worship On Earth As It Is In Heaven: Exploring Worship as a Spiritual Discipline.  It’s been a very healthy call to really make worship beyond just a Sunday event that I attend, and discover what the pattern of a worshiper should look like beyond the community worship we experience Sunday by Sunday.  Honestly, we expect a lot from the church worship gathering.  We need it to be this refugee of holy peace, and an escape from the noise of everyday life; we expect to commune our hearts together and to hear the intimate voice of God, and it needs to all happens within the confines of a specifically allotted one hour time.  However, a worshiper lives a life of devotion beyond Sunday morning.  And this book thus far has challenged us to make worship a priority, and to schedule a regular routine of it in our lives.

This leads us to another challenge: surrender.  We need to let go of the idols that compete for our time and attention.  Idolatry is often easily dismissed as an antiquated image.  In our minds we imagine some ancient tribal people group dancing ecstatically around a fire, late at night, bowing down to some carved wooden face, or other kind of statue.  In the Bible we think of the golden calf, or of asherah poles, and idols like the baals of the ancient Canaanites.  We don’t participate in any overt ritual action like that and so we think idolatry is not an issue for us.  But idolatry as theologian A.W. Towzer said is simply “worship directed in any direction but God’s, which is the epitome of blasphemy.”

Worship is anything that is more important to you than God.  It can take the form of many things, whether possessions, relationships, a job, a social cause.  It can really be anything.  I actually have this picture in my mind of the character Linus from the cartoon Peanuts.  He’s a very mature, articulate, and well adjusted young kid, but for some reason he’s very attached to his blanket.  It causes him great anxiety to part with it.  It goes everywhere with him.   That’s kind of how we attach ourselves to idols, and it is an unhealthy kind of attachment.  Idols can be the things that set us off emotionally, that give us a sense of peace and security, and cause us great anxiety when they are taken away.

The thing is, as Christians, holding on to an idol is an insult to God.  In the first two of the Ten Commandments God says we are to have nothing above him, nor are we to worship anything else.  Exodus 20:3-5 says: “You shall have no other gods before me.“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.   You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…”  (NIV).   God tells us very clearly there is no room in our lives for anything above him.

And neither can anything replace the satisfaction of placing God first in our lives.  Only God can make our future secure and guide us to true lasting satisfaction.  The Psalmist understands this when he says:

You make known to me the path of life;
   you will fill me with joy in your presence,
   with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
 Psalm 16:9-11 (NIV)

And so worship in our personal lives needs to be expressed in full devotion to God.  We need to be careful to live our lives free of idolatry, and to spend our time enjoying the presence of our God.  If there is anything that hinders us or tempts us away from Christ, we need to examine ourselves, and flee from it.   This will continue to transform us as a congregation when we come together to worship.

Lorn Gieck

Associate Pastor of Music & Arts
lorncornerstone@sasktel.net

Lead Pastor’s Blog: The Tale of Two Men

Let me tell you about two men I know. Both men would profess to know Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Their independent journeys to find Christ are different but the destination is the same. The one man I know significantly better than the other man but let me tell you about them.

They were in a meeting together and the one man wore a button down collared shirt. The other man wore a faded tee shirt. One man wore jeans that had a hole in them by design. The other man wore jeans that had holes in them because they were worn. One man had well made shoes that matched his wardrobe. The other man had running shoes that had seen too many miles. When they were leaving to finish their respective days the one man put on his leather jacket and the other man slipped on a well-worn winter jacket.

One man walks to a lot of his destinations as he shares a vehicle with his wife. The other man drives in his newer model car and his wife drives in her own car. One man has a staff that works for him and the other man has a few co-workers working with him. One man has a curiosity about the inner city in which he lives. The other man has a passion for the people of the inner city in which he lives.

One man’s hands will touch drugs, puke, homeless people, weapons, dirt, empty bottles and backpacks in any given day. The other man’s hands will touch a laptop, iphone, ipad, books, bibles, office furniture and a personal coffee thermos on any given day.

One man’s hands will touch people in such a way as to be the hands and feet of Jesus. The other man will talk about the need to be the hands and feet of Jesus. One man will look into the face of one person at a time and tell them they are valuable and loved by God no matter what their circumstances might be. The other man will look at hundreds of people and remind them that because God loves them they need to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who don’t know that God loves them.

One man’s heart is broken by the brokenness he sees in the people he serves. The other man’s heart is broken by the hardness of the hearts of many of the people he serves. One man touches the poor day by day. The other man reads about the poor once in a while. One man knows the poor by name. The other man knows the rich by name. One man stops and has a conversation with the poorly dressed person on the street. The other man walks around and avoids the poorly dressed person on the street. One man fights for the welfare of the disadvantaged. The other man fights to keep what he already has.

One man read Matthew 25:40 and had no problems because he was doing good to the least of these. (“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”) The other man read those same words and shuddered wondering how he could explain the words in such a way so that they would not apply to him.

Two men living two lives in the same city serving the same God. Something has got to change. We must stop looking at the people who are actually serving the poor as the weird, oddballs who have a strange calling. We must come to recognize that God “calls” each and every one of us who dare to call ourselves followers of Christ to serve those less fortunate than ourselves.

These days as I look into my own spiritual mirror I do not like the image I see of myself. I do not like the image of the church I see. Something has got to change……in me. What about in you? I came across this prayer recently. Will you pray it with me? “Here we stand, Lord. Purify us. Here we kneel Lord, we lift you up. Here we lay, our faces down. Wreck us, Lord. And do a mighty work.”

May God do a mighty work in me…and in you.

New Sermon Series: Vision Begins With God

We are starting a new series of messages with the new year. The series, entitled Vision Begins with God, explores the topic of what the Church’s vision should be based on what God says through His scriptures.

Emmanuel

Post by Lynette Sawatsky:

One of my favourite advent songs is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”   The advent season is a wonderful time to anticipate the birth of our Saviour, whose name “Emmanuel” means “God is with us.”

What an extravagant sacrifice God made in sending His Son into a world that would ignore, mock, and ultimately kill Him.  People today are not so different from those who lived two thousand years ago.    In many ways Jesus continues to be openly ridiculed or rejected or overlooked in favour of an overweight man dressed up in a red suit.  Just open a newspaper or listen to a radio broadcast or eavesdrop on a conversation at the mall.  And yet, even though God knew that Jesus would not be welcomed by the very ones He had created, the Father still sent His Son as a helpless infant, in an effort to draw a lost world to Himself.  What an amazing gift!

God is with us.  For thirty some years as a human being, walking on the face of our planet.  And forever after  through the gift of the Holy Spirit.  He is with us.

Sometimes He whispers an idea into our hearts.  Sometimes He brings a person to mind, prompting us to pray.  Sometimes we hear His voice in a song of praise or in a verse of Scripture or in the pastor’s message.

God is with us.  I am not left to handle the details of my life unassisted.  He is not a magical genie who will answer my every request, but He is faithful to walk beside me through each circumstance of my life.

God is with me.  I have felt His presence in a new way this fall and winter as I’ve gone with a team of volunteers to sing with core neighbourhood children who do not have access to any music program.  We meet on Tuesdays at noon with an enthusiastic group of kids, singing silly songs as well as songs with meaningful lyrics, eager to communicate hope and value to children whose lives we would not otherwise be able to touch.  Some of these children struggle with learning issues.  Some of them come to school hungry.  Some of them face daunting challenges in their home environments.  All of them need to be touched by the presence of Christ in their lives.   Tuesday noon hours have become an anticipated highlight of my week as I look forward to singing with these small ones who are precious to me and to God.  Please pray for Jessica (who keeps us organized) and for Darrell and Shaelynne (the most amazing accompanists ever!) and for me as we seek to make Christ visible to the choir children.

A couple of weeks ago, when I brought a small treat for the kids, one of the girls suggested that I should bring a “big treat” to our last practice before Christmas.  I asked her what would be a “big treat” and braced myself for her reply.  Imagine my surprise when she asked for a banana.  I have a hard time imagining a life where a banana could be a big treat, and I am humbled to have the weekly opportunity to touch these kids’ lives in ways that will hopefully communicate love and value and hope for their future.  It feels like too much to hope for, but God is faithful and I am so glad He whispered this idea into my heart.

God is with us.  What more could I ask for?  This week I’m pretty sure I saw His pleasure in the eyes of a child who smiled at me as I handed her a banana.

 

 

Where Does Jesus Fit Into Your Life?

Christmas, it is such a great time of year. It’s a time for celebration. It’s a time for feasting. It’s a time for parties. It’s a time for concerts. It’s a time for family. It’s a time for giving. It’s a time for pageants. It almost seems like it’s a time for everything but …… Jesus. Don’t get me wrong I love Christmas. Seriously how can you not like the idea of giving or getting gifts.

I know for some people it is a painful time of year due to losses of a relational nature. I will not try to solve or even identify with those realities which I by the grace of God have not had to deal with. Depression is another real factor at this time of year. It seems that this season of “Good News of Great Joy” is not experienced right across the board. The calendar turns to December and some people slide into a funk which cannot be cured by mere words or a hug. I honestly feel for these people.

However, for countless others Christmas presents an annual challenge. For Christians it presents the challenge of celebrating the birth of our Saviour without losing our minds. These weeks leading up to Christmas can be among the busiest of the entire year. The shopping and baking and churching (we will just throw in a new verb here) and hosting and traveling and working, well you get the picture. There is a lot of stuff going on. This year it gets even more complicated because Christmas actually arrives on a Sunday. The nerve of Jesus to have His birthday celebration on a Sunday.

As a general rule we, the Christians, carve a few hours (one or two) out of our hectic weekly schedules to worship Jesus on a Sunday. Actually new statistics tell us that even the most regular and committed followers of Jesus have an average attendance rate of 1.8 Sundays per month. In light of that we are carving out of our month a few hours to worship Jesus but I don’t want to get sidetracked with these details. So, Sunday rolls around and we attend the church of our choice a couple of times a month. In other words we fit Jesus in a couple of times a month. Now I can hear some of us saying I don’t have to go to church to serve or worship Jesus. My answer is both yes and no to that statement. If church was the only place I could worship Jesus then that would leave me with a once a week at best opportunity. Obviously I can worship Jesus outside of church. In fact I better be worshipping Jesus when I’m not in church or else something is amiss. However I am clearly called in the scriptures to assemble myself with other believers for the express purpose of worshipping as well as serving God.  So yes I can worship without being in a church but I better be in a church regularly to worship as well.  It is not either/or situation.  It is a both/and situation.

Back to Christmas falling on December 25th.  Is it possible to honestly, strategically, intentionally and passionately worship Jesus on December 25th this year without attending a church service?  The answer is yes.  But what is the problem with bundling up the family and making the trek to church after you open the gifts?  What better day to explain to the children that not only do we say this is the birthday of Jesus but we actually make Him the focus of the day by attending church?  I know you have to get the kids ready and they want to play with their gifts and there are (big) meals to prepare and well the list could go on.  Honestly, what is Christmas about?  Is about the gifts?  Is it about the food?  Is it about your family?  Nothing wrong with any of those things/people but Christmas is about Jesus.

Here is where I think we can see what we do with Jesus throughout much of our year…we fit Him in where we can.  We fit Him in if we have time.  We fit Him in where we think He fits.  In the book of Luke we see Jesus chatting with a few people who wanted to follow Him but they had some questions.  In Luke 9:49ff we read, “He said to another man, ‘Follow me’.  But the man replied, ‘First let me go and bury my father.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’  Still another one said, ‘I will follow you Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.’  Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’”

Here is the deal with Jesus, He doesn’t fit into our lives.  Either He is the focus or He is nothing.  Either we serve Him or we don’t.  Either He is the center of our life or He isn’t.  Jesus does not accept second place.  Jesus does not accept a minor role in our lives.  Read the gospels and you find people deciding this was too much.  They walked away.  They decided that they would not follow Him because He was asking too much.  Jesus has not changed.

He doesn’t fit into our lives.  He must be our life…even at Christmas.

Christmas focus

As we get into Christmas season I start to see (on facebook, twitter,blogs) and hear what people are busy doing,  what they’re buying,  or when they’re decorating etc.   I can’t help but wonder where Christ fits into the picture.  I have also heard stories of people trying to make Christ an important part of what they are doing, especially with their kids.  Some people put up their nativity sets first and talk to their kids about why we celebrate Christmas.  Whatever you currently do to bring the true meaning of Christmas to the forefront is great!  However, why do we get frustrated when our kids act so selfish?  Why, after we tell them the meaning of Christmas and the importance of what Christ did, do our kids continue to focus on what they want.  Well, we are selfish beings.  Kids are just openly vocal about it.  Think about the amount of time you focus on the true meaning of Christmas and then how much time you spend decorating, shopping, visiting Santa, shopping online, more shopping…. it far outweighs the focus on Christ right?  Also, how much money do we spend on our kids at Christmas?  Are they getting what they want?  Are they getting the coolest newest toy?  That also sends a message.

I have heard two stories in the last week that encouraged me greatly.

The first one was of a friend of mine who was driving with her six year old.  Her daughter was talking about how badly she wanted a barbie for Christmas and how sad it would be if she didn’t get a barbie.  So her mom said to her ‘but what should we really be thinking about this Christmas?’ Her daughter got quiet… and said ‘ya mom, but I REALLY want a barbie.’  Her mom didn’t let up and the conversation went back and forth this way for awhile.  Eventually her daughter flat out admitted ‘I know that we celebrate Jesus’ birthday at Christmas and we should think about that but I don’t want to think about that right now, I just want a barbie!’  You have to give her credit for her honesty.

The other story was my own 4 year old nephew.  He was told as they were cleaning up toys before bed that he will have to give some toys away because he will probably get new ones for Christmas.  However, he didn’t really like this idea.  He said very firmly that he was not giving away any of his toys because he wanted to keep them all!  He liked all his toys!  He was then told that this was really not his decision, that he is very blessed to be given toys and so he can give toys to other children to make them happy too.  It still wasn’t a popular idea but there was ‘no further discussion’ about it.

Teaching kids not to be self-centered is near impossible depending on where they’re at developmentally.  However, if children this age are just given what they want and if parents cave to their selfish whims, this will affect them greatly as adults.  If they are never challenged to think of others before themselves they will create habits of selfishness that last a lifetime.  Naturally thinking about the least of these is tough.  Absolutely.  Our sinful nature says “but I want…”  But I get excited when I hear stories like these because as frustrating as it is for the parents, they are teaching extremely valuable lessons.  They are teaching that it isn’t about what I want, it’s about loving and caring for others.  It is about taking the focus off of ourselves.

Sure there are things that we want.  And we are blessed to be able to give gifts to our children.  But teach them to look beyond themselves. To give back.  To do something for others.  To actually give as God has given to us.

So here are a few ideas to help you guide your children’s thinking beyond themselves:

1. Talk about it.  If it’s not on your mind, it won’t be on theirs.  As much as we want our kids to be better than we are… they are following in your footsteps.

2. Encourage your kids to make gifts for others.  To really think about what someone would like and why.

3. Write letters to your sponsor children.  Make them a card.  Pray for them.  Discuss what their Christmas might be like.  If you packed a shoebox pray regularly for the child(ren) that will receive them.

4. Do an advent wreath or calendar.  (I’m not talking about the Disney chocolate ones… but something Christ focused)

5.  Limit the number of gifts, cut or limit your spending and/or buy gifts through the World Vision Catalogue (or Food for the Hungry etc)

6. Subscribe your kids to magazines such as Compassion Explorer (it’s free!) that get your kids thinking about other children around the world.  Compassion also has a great website for kids called Quest for Compassion.

7. Take some of the Christmas cookies you make with your kids to Hands On Ministries.

8. Attend the candlelight service, and the Sunday morning service on the 25th as a family.

9.  Encourage your kids to pick toys they have to give away.  Not just the run down broken ones, but quality toys.  Maybe even a favorite toy!

I have given you 9 ideas and I know it triggered more ideas in your own head!  Try it.  Depending on the age of your kids your new idea may not be overly popular.  However, think about the life lessons you are teaching your kids by doing these things.

First look at your own heart.  Where is your focus this Christmas?

HAITI TRIP DAY 8, 9, 10, 11: Done Like Dinner…

HAITI TRIP DAY 11: Done Like Dinner…

Internet snafu the last few days as Haiti Arise experiments with going off city power (which charges absurd rates for hit and miss service) and running off the generator and custom built inverter they have. Here’s the “Coles Notes” version of the past few days:

MONDAY: Work day! And work we did… Schwackload (its an official term) of work done today. New high’s for posts and panels completed. We’re flying…

TUESDAY: Work day again. It’s a tad repetitive, but we’re having fun, working well together, and by this time we are more than comfortable with the Haitian crews we are working with. Funny how there is no language barrier for guys to make fun of each other, and compete and wrestle…

WEDNESDAY: Bunch of guys went to market in the morning to experience a different part of Haiti. By far the highlight of the day was in the early afternoon. After working like crazy the last few days, we completed the entire wall length at the back of the property where Marc has been having so much opposition. What was once a two year struggle and fight, both physically and spiritually, was finally overcome. It was a blast to watch Marc bouncing around like a kid high on birthday cake as the last panel went in to place. That section of wall: 87 sections, 870 panels, 440ft. What was once nothing is now a 10ft wall, protecting the area which will eventually become the garden. We ended having an impromptu party – one of the team members went to the “corner store” and bought drinks for everyone, Roberto (one of the Haitian workers who spent the bulk of the week with my crew on panels) put on show climbing a 50ft coconut tree in all of 60 seconds (free hand and barefoot) to knock down a bunch of coconuts for everyone to share. We spent the next five minutes trying to convince Marshall to give it a try, but no luck. It was fun to just sit around as a group of guys and laugh, chat, and “translate” as best we could with each other. By this time in the week, Roberto had started wearing high school chemistry lab goggles to work on the panels so the cement dust didn’t get in his eyes as he slid down. He looked like a goof, so naturally, took some heat from all sides.

Wednesday night, Marc and Lisa joined us for our debrief and were both overcome with the relief and joy of getting that that piece done, so that was pretty cool to be a part of. It’s been a long, tough road for them, and it’s been a redeeming week to watch things come together… finally.

THURSDAY: Last work day! And work we did… to the point that we ran them completely out of panels, and got as far as we could possibly go with posts. All that remains are two sections of wall that couldn’t be completed this week anyway. One section, they need to build a home for the family they are moving off the property for first, and the other section Marc is still trying to negotiate for a few more feet (dude guards his territory like a pitbull ). We could go no further…
… so we hit the beach! One last soak in the warm bathtub they call the ocean down here, then a last church service, followed by goodbyes. The crew of guys we had been working with all week doing the panels don’t normally come to church—they are town guys that Marc hires to help give them work. When we said our goodbyes at the end of the day today, we invited them to come and they all declined… until about halfway through the service when they sauntered in. It was fun to be able to see them a last time, and also to send them off with a bunch of work and dress clothes, gloves, and other things we could give them. One of them was a bigger dude like me, so I was able to get him some stuff. Also had my heart wrecked by a young family, but I’ll get to that at another time. Marshall gave away his guitar, we all got to say our goodbyes…

… and now bed. One last “half” sleep, then up for the ride to the airport at 430AM to catch the long ride home.

One last time, here’s the trip, By The Numbers:

- 75+ Cokes drank
- 10 fresh lobsters eaten on the beach
- 1 Swiss Frenchman suckered into buying a painting  (but it is nice, and will look great in his kid’s room!)
- 129 Sections completed
- 1290 Panels set in place
- 103,200lbs of panels lifted (and we note here: that number is actually double, as all of these panels were first lifted to be stacked for the skid steer, and then lifted again to be placed into the wall. Over 200,000lbs worth. We should the JACKED. Sadly, we are not. Just really, really really sore.)
- 653ft of completed wall set in place
- 156 posts set at 250lbs each which means…
- 35,000lbs worth of posts, which give a total material weight of…
- 138,200lbs of concrete and rebar that was not there 10 days ago. Yikes. And that’s not including the dozen or boulders dropped into the hole of each post.
- 790ft of posts in place (once they build up the panel supply to fill to finish them)
- 1 Jelly fish infested swim
- 1 Jelly fish attack
- 2 Jelly fish victims
- 1 Jelly fish victim crazy enough to pee on himself
- 1 Jelly fish victim man enough to suck it up.
- 20 holes dug wrong, that had the be redone (it was after this that we really considered using the auger attachment a bit more…)
- 4 BIG tarantulas
- 2 tarantulas inexplicably let go (so it very well could of just been two after all…)
- 0 panels left

- 2 beyond blessed and encouraged missionaries.

Time to come home…

HAITI TRIP DAY 6 & 7: Watch Out For the Jellies, Maaaan!

No internet connection last night so here’s the recap for the last few days:

 

Recovery.  Ahhh…..

 

Saturday morning we rocked it.  The Haitian crews only work until 2 oclock, so “we” made the executive decision to work through till then as well to get as much done as possible.  This was not an overly popular decision, but everyone sucked it up and we powered through.

 

20 sections completed.

 

Running tally:

51 sections complete, 66 holes dug.

 

By early afternoon the panels we’re getting suuuuper heavy lifting them above our heads.  Each section takes 10 panels to fill.  That’s 10 80 lbs panels handed up the scaffolding and down.  The guys below lift them up, Jason and I grab ‘em, lift ‘em, and lower ‘em.  According to the math (and yes, I used a calculator) we’ve lifted 40,800lbs.

 

Ain’t nothin’ but a thang.

 

With 51 sections done, the goal this week is to match that before we leave.  This would mean we could finish the section of wall that has been giving Haiti Arise the most grief, and also cross another section that would enclose their area a little more in another direction.

 

It doesn’t look like it will get completely finished tho, so the word is going out officially tomorrow:  They are looking for another wall building team for November 20 – December 3 to finish it off, and start the homes for the people they are moving off of the children’s village property.  Anyone interested?  Marc figures he can convince Russ to send me back if we can get another crew

 

Saturday afternoon we we’re spent.  After lunch, we headed to the beach at Taino with the whole team, and Marc and Lisa as well.  Fresh lobster and cokes on a gorgeous calm ocean beach is a beautiful thing.  Was fun to spend some time with other team members from other places, and get to visit.

 

After a wonderful sleep Saturday night, we had church Sunday morning (always an experience).  Was able to share a warm “hug” from Cornerstone with them (and found out I will be preaching Tuesday night.).

 

Speaking of church – was thinking much of you at Cornerstone this morning, and wanted to share with you a simple way in which God has continued to care and guide us as a team, and a congregation in our relationship with Haiti Arise.  During our time here, a few issues came up supplies wise for the wall that needed to be purchased.  I had mentioned to Marc when I got here that if need be we could round up some funds.  When the call went out, family members of team people stepped up huge and covered a large chunk.  But when I contacted T&F back home at Cornerstone, they told me the cheque from when Marc and Lisa were at Cornerstone – the one designated for the wall and village – was on the way.  Those funds will help go a long way to finishing the wall off.

 

And so, I wanted to thank you as a church for your faithfulness and obedience in giving to make a difference.  It was neat answer to prayer, and affirmation of what we are doing.

 

Sunday afternoon after church, Marc and Lisa arranged to take us to another beach, and to a “restaurant” (I use the quotations simply to point out that “beachfront hotel restaurant” in Haiti isn’t even in the same stratosphere as a beachfront hotel back home, even if the beachfront hotel was in LaRonge) for supper.

 

We piled into the van and drove out to a beautiful black sand beach with a little island that was a sort swim away.  Just for fun we decided to swim to the island.

 

About halfway across, a few of us got aquainted with some jellyfish.  They are not nice, and I don’t recommend it.  On the bright side, an unnamed team member did get to experiment with the theory of peeing on yourself to relieve the sting (and yes, it worked).

 

We figured it was just one vengeful jellyfish, and thought nothing of it as we enjoyed our time on the island.  Then we decided to swim back.

 

And then we saw the jellies everywhere. Neeeeeeemo!!!!!

 

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For the record, Nemo’s dad is correct.  The tops do not hurt.  The bottoms do.  After a few attempts that were turned back we decided to brave it.  It’s scary business swimming hard knowing they are there.  Even more so when you are touching the tops of them repeatedly as you swim back.  This was no so relaxing.

 

Back on the beach we just hung out for the rest of the afternoon, with a perfect sunset.  Supper was fun – an experience to be sure!  After initially forgetting my lobster order, they rushed it – meaning it was still half frozen from coming out of the freezer – however the fried plantains and fresh passion fruit juice more than made up for it.

 

I got to sit with Marc and Lisa, and on the way home we actually stopped at their home and got a chance to see where they live.  By far one of my favorite parts of this trip has been the amount of relaxed time I have had to spend with them.  More shoulder to shoulder time, and it’s been fun.

 

Quick sleep tonight, then back at it 630am for devos, breakfast and out to work.  Just pray that all that wonderful local food (including the spaghetti and hot dogs one person ordered) stays where it should tomorrow as we’re working…

HAITI TRIP DAY 5: The Ups and Downs…

Busy day today! The morning started with good and bad news: On the good side, Marc’s conversation with the families last night went well, and we were back on track. On the not so good side, the lines marked out for us when we got here we’re measured from the wrong point. Meaning those 24 holes the one crew of guys dug over the past day? Good for decoration… not so useful for planting poles.

Super. Not back on track.

Mitchell was not overly happy. Nor Steve. Or Jeremy. Might have been something to do with the fact that they had dug those holes…

But one of Marc’s many gifts is his ability to dispel the stress and frustration of a situation with a friendly, loving, warm response. He sent the skid steer driver out during lunch break to redig the holes, and welcomed Mitchell back with a big hug and a laugh. It was pretty cool to watch the stress just get squeezed out.

And just like that, back on track! Made our goal for the day: Every sections ready for wall panels got filled (12) and we got 20 posts sunk and ready for tomorrow. The Haitian crews took finished their work day at 4, but our guys kept at it for another 90 minutes and got all set up for the morning. They we’re champs today. It’s been fun to watch the three work crews develop some systems and routines. Guys who just met a few days ago are working great together, and because we’re heading out to the same sites each morning, we are getting to work with the same Haitians each day. Which has been a blast. Marshall has lovingly become “Big Marcel”, and we’ve mocked one of them mercilessly for humming a few Justin Bieber lines. And apparently my Creole is terrible (I knew this already, but then enjoy reminding me… regularly.) I’m hanging in there with the shattered French tho… I refuse to revert to the “slower and louder” technique!

Prayer Requests: One of the team members from Medicine Hat, Bruce, was out for the day with some heat stroke. Rough afternoon for him, and it’s a bit disappointing for a guy who spent months and hours learning basic Creole so he could communicate. Also, for the aching bodies. The morning routine for everyone is getting a bit longer as they try and work out the kinks!

It is now 9PM and bedtime. Crazy. But sooooooo looking forward to it…

HAITI WALL TRIP DAY 4: Where’s The Pole?!?

There’s an old episode of “Wipeout!” where a young lady is flying through the course, across the big red balls, and nothing seems to be in her way… until she reaches the top of the platform and can’t find the pole she is supposed to jump, and if left standing there yelling “where’s the pole!?” while it stares her square in the face.

I thought of her a lot today. Everywhere I looked there was a pole going in somewhere. At one point in the afternoon, it was so hot and I was so tired other people started looking like poles. We’ve essentially formed three teams: 1 team doing the advance work: Digging holes (and dropping and cementing some posts as well). The second team spent the entire day dropping posts (got another 12 finished), while the third team is up on the scaffolding (yes Tyson, it’s real now! Not just 2x4s propped against the wall!) dropping the panels. We finished 17 full panels—at 5ft each, a now completed 135ft of wall, and it looks great.

For those of you having a hard time picturing how the wall works, or what all is involved:

Step 1: Hand dig a hole mimimum 3ft deep, roughly 2ft wide.
Step 2: Drop premade concrete pillar into said hole (it takes at least 4 grown men to move one of these pillars. 5 if I’m one of the men. These things are heavy.)
Step 3: Drop large rocks into said hole to brace and help level pillar (either hunt for rocks and carry them over, or hope the skid steer blesses you with a well timed load of rocks.)
Step 4: Make sure pillar is level, dump premade (by other team members) concrete into hole from pile left by the ever-gracious skid steer (or “bobcat” for the less mechanically inclined). Really make sure it is level.
Step 5: R Place 2×4 spacers in between the newly planted pillar (in the grooves—these grooves come in handy down the road) and the one on the end from the previous day (after the first one, they can go to each other), then ratchet-strap them together so that the pillars stay the right distance apart and unmoved while they set. Really really make sure it is level.
Step 6: Repeat 5ft down the line.

Once out of pillars, let stand and cool for 24 hours. “Sauce” should thicken, and voila! Pillars! But you are not done 

Step 7: Stack wall panels in stacks of 9(ish), 3 stacks wide for skid steer to pick up and bring (see why we love the skid steer so much?)
Step 8: Set up scaffolding by now unstrapped and firmly cured pillars. 2 dudes up on scaffolding, 2 dudes passing panels up the scaffolding.
Step 9: 5ft x 1ft Panel goes up (and it’s solid concrete) on scaffold, then slides down from top in the two grooves on the sides of the pillars on either side. 2 more dudes grab it from the scaffold dudes on the other side (while the second 2 dudes collect the next panel) and drop it to the ground (confused yet?) Level that first panel off at the bottom.
Step 10: Repeat 9-10 more times depending on height of wall in that spot.

Annnnnd, presto!

You have now completed one wall panel. 5ft. Rinse and repeat as necessary.

By the end of Saturday, the goal is to have, at minimum, another 100ft done there, and an additional 135ft (17 sections) done on the “problem” piece.

Which brings us to the problem piece: We are here on rush assignment to finish this wall as quickly as possible because of some issues Marc and Haiti Arise have been having with the placement of the wall (even though it is on their property). That hasn’t totally gone away. Marc was meeting with some people this evening, but it is pressing to get a specific piece done as much as possible. A lot harder to make a stink about a wall already in place than to meddle with markings and stringline! Pray for Marc as he meet with the families, and that we would be able to make good progress over the next few days to help them get past the hurdle that continues to be the burr in the shoe, so to speak.

Beyond that, we’re exhausted, sore, but having fun and enjoying working together. Bedtime is a welcome end to the day! Which is where I’m off to now…

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