Up, bright and early at 5:45 am. Gotta have food ready by 7 for the guys. A similar breakfast for most days: scrambled eggs, buttered oatmeal, toast, bacon, fruit juice, tea and coffee. Then, it’s off to work! For the guys, and for me!
First, it’s kitchen clean up, then shower time and a little bit of writing before fixing sandwiches to take to the guys for lunch. We make ham and cheese sandwiches along with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on bread fresh from the bakery, with Pringles, cookies and drinks for their midday meal.
We take them their lunch at noon and I see that the Bible school is coming right along! The library is nearing completion with finish work. The windows are in, painting is finished, and the light fixtures are up. It‘s going to be a beautiful building that serves the campus well.
Gayle and I visit with them for a few minutes and then it’s back to the house to begin prep for supper. We have lots of fresh green beans to string and break up, potatoes to wash and cut up, whole chickens to clean, soak, cut up, and season to grill, cabbage to chop for slaw and brownies to bake for dessert. It is going to be a busy afternoon of work!
Fresh produce is one of my very favorite things. I love all types of veggies and if they are fresh from the garden, all the better. We had the bounty of fresh produce that Gayle brought back from Moka on Sunday afternoon, some were gifts to her, some she purchased. One of the things she purchased was a big bag of green beans, a lot of them—a whole lot. I don’t mind prep work but what I really like to do is cook, so as I’m sitting at the table taking the ends off, stringing each one and then popping it into a couple of pieces, I start getting bored. “These are going to be good. They’re nice and fresh. I wish I could get beans like this at home.” I prep a bunch more and I think, “Man, there sure are a lot of beans. Four steps to each bean. I’ll never get done. What a bunch of beans!”
It escalated from there. Then, as I kept stringing and popping, I thought about working for the Lord. Some jobs are in the limelight. Some are not. I was working for the Lord, and I was prepping veggies. I realized that doing something for the Lord isn’t always the big job, isn’t always up front, isn’t always fun or always interesting. Working for the Lord at the task He’s set before you is about walking and not fainting. It’s the daily task that’s rarely even noticed. It’s being faithful in well doing, regardless.
So, as I was stringing and popping the Lord spoke to my heart gently. He said, “If I was sitting beside you in the flesh and I asked you to string beans, would you do it?” No answer was necessary on my part. Of course I would, and I’d be honored to do it! It was so simple. My task, for that very moment, was to string and pop beans.
Dinner turned out well, but I thought it probably would. With all those great ingredients, it had to be good. Grilled chicken was juicy, beans and buttered potatoes, tasty, brownies…yummolicious! I’ve cooked for my family for 41 years and as a kid since I was 12 yrs old and I still get nervous when preparing meals for others. I want everything to be perfect and, let’s face it, it won’t always be so! The Lord has helped me on this trip and I need Him to keep helping me. I’m always my harshest critic when it comes to cooking or baking but so far, even I think the food has turned out pretty well. Thank you, Lord!
Cleanup doesn’t take too long as everyone helps out some, even after laying block all day. I try to stay up and write then but I am exhausted so Byron and I go to bed at 8:30! Me? Before 2? Yep. And I slept all night, too! It was a busy, very busy day, but a good day. A very good day!
Father, thank you for lessons about the small things. It's not just the one in front who has a heart for the things of God. You use even the most minute tasks to show us what is important to You. Help me to walk and not faint. To do the job set before me with a content heart. I love you and thank you for the task at hand.
Suz
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