We all have expectations in certain things. Earlier this week, we felt confident that we would finish the room early in the week and have time to do other projects. But, today, those of us in the bricklayers union were stymied by the form and column building that the main project managers (Meiner and Jakko) were doing.
Last year we only built walls and poured the forms on the wall. This year we have been party to the building of the columns and apparently these take more time. See, in Guatemala, construction is just not as quick and easy as we have made it in the US. The guys use the materials laying around to build the forms and they have to build them to a certain spec so that windows and doors will fit the frames. To look at it is to wonder how that could happen, but with three rooms already built, we see that it works. Thus, we cannot question it, we simply have to wait.
So, while we wait, we paint. Painting is a never ending project here. We were able to paint the third room after a beautiful new ceiling was hung. The room is fully ready for a class, even though it might be a couple of years before it comes to fruition. Palencia is trying to add one grade per year. This will require teachers and once you gain fourth grade, you require a higher level of teacher. We are confident that God will provide this need when the time is right.
Once he forms were built, we mixed up three large batches of cement. These were then put into the loader (a bucket) and moved to the column (hand the bucket to your neighbor for him to hoist it on the scaffolding) for pouring (by hand). Fortunately, the concrete mixing was done in the heat of the day, so we had a chance to really work up a sweat. (Not like it was our first.) Once poured, everything had to dry, so the work on the room was complete.
Another team completed the stairs and another painted columns that had been completed but not painted. The team worked hard and long today, but the day was not over.
Tonight we had the men's meeting. The meeting was for the fathers of the church and the school. We never know the number that might come, but tonight we had about 20 guys come. Most were dads from school and only about four of the leaders from the church. We had discussed the topics with Beatriz and Hector and decided to discuss relationships and marriage. There are some serious issues here in marriages, so we hoped that we might plant some seeds of what it means to be a servant leader in the home and a man with a servant's heart.
We used a white board to make two columns. One said "things I do FOR my wife" and the other said "things I did TO my wife." The premise was that "FOR" is a positive thing and "TO" is not so positive. We then had the men share various things from both columns and focused on what they mean in building harmony in the home. Some of the men were forthcoming and that always helps as typically, Guatemalan men are pretty stone-faced. We shared a couple of examples on the topics, such as lying and impatience and not listening. Ultimately, as we came to a close we used the ultimate servant leader as our model for the way we should act. Jesus came to serve and not be served. As such, and because we are called to be the head of our families as Christ is head of the church, we need to develop the attitude of a servant leader, not only for our wives' sake, but also for the children so that they see what that means and how it looks and a cycle of disrespect and domestic violence might end. All we could do is plant the seeds. We pray God will water them for us.
Author's note: Today I lost a close friend, as well as my father in law. Skip Black was the ultimate model of a servant leader with a servant's heart. He left us far too early. But, as the title says, one door closes and another opens. For Skip, the door to life on earth closed and the door to heaven opened. I know in my heart that he heard the words we all ache to hear. "Well done, good and faithful servant." I love you, Papa.
