Ephesians 4:2
With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.
My passion, my life work, has been dedicated to helping people with words, not actions. Today, this team helped through action. Our team of 11 grew to over 20 with the interns and interpreters from Mission of Hope to guide us. The MOH interpreters and helpers were amazing. They were fun, afraid of cockroaches, and willing to tease each other and us. The pastor from the parish that serves this community was there with us as well. I found their presence comforting.
Our job today was to empty and clean a home, including the area outside in the back of the home, to prepare for the construction that we will start tomorrow. The home was built on a concrete floor, with cinderblock walls and a tin roof. The family who is blessed to have a home had many belongings that a very skilled team member was able to help sort into a keep and discard pile. We asked the homeowners what items to keep and what they wanted to go using the talents of the interpreters as well.
Driving home on the slightly cool bus, I hear the conversations of my teammates. We are discussing how nice a shower will feel, and things that we enjoyed today. Cockroaches were killed with gusto! A human line was formed more than once to move their property out and then back in again. MOH Interns served us a lunch and helped us find water during our lunch break. Shovels and brooms moved dirt and debris. It was a work day!
When asked, what my favorite part of the day was, I responded that we did what I envisioned doing, hard physical work in hot humid weather. As island time works, the building materials were not delivered at 2:00 pm. Close to 3:00 pm we called it a day. We were promised that the delivery drivers will move the items into the home and the pastor will stay to assist.
Tomorrow, we rebuild. We will provide a stronger structure for the interior of the home. As we walked away from the tenement style home, a pile of debris bigger than a golf cart, lay to the right of the families front door. I took one last look thinking…. this family allowed us to enter their home, watching as we touched and moved their belongings.
When working today, every part of me wanted to stop and sit with the home owners. I wanted to speak creole to communicate directly to them with my words. I desperately wanted to tell them thank you for blessing me with your presence and allowing me to help you. Every time I caught the eye of the woman and man of the house I wanted to help with words but I was not able to. Often, an interpreter was not next to me to translate. I wish I could kneel with them, offer to hold their hand and listen. I want to know their story. I want to use those tools God gave me. Instead, I leave wondering if they could see in my eyes my love for them and gratitude for being here. Then that last look at all of their discarded possessions… I wonder, do they have a sense of relief that we were able to help them discard the unnecessary items? Or, animosity of lost possessions?
In my presence today, with my team members, I pray that God and Mary helped all of us display humility and gentleness to the homeowners. I pray that we were patient with each other and acted with love. I pray that each day we can all do slightly better than the last day.
I was indeed humbled. My heart is both heavy and open. Help me, help each team member, to use our skills to make life a little better for this family. Help us to be good to ourselves, each other and the people we are serving during our time here. Guide us to be open to all of the messages God intends for us to receive during this trip.
In God’s Peace,
Nancy Michels
