A Normal Day

#29 Do What Needs to be Done

Some days, you simply need to do what needs to be done. Sure, some of those things fit neatly into categories like literacy, translation, or community service. But sometimes (or most of the time?) when I wake up I have very little idea of what the day will hold and what will actually need to be done.

There are no plumbers here, so if we have a problem with that we have to deal with it. Thank goodness for coworkers smarter than I am on that front. Same goes for issues with our solar power, or lawn mower, or pump, or photocopier. We look things up online, write the experts, and attempt to get things back into working order. I am good at holding extra tools, lifting heavy things, and the “unplug-it-and-plug-it-back-in-and-see-if-that-fixes-it” trick.

Sometimes we need to deliver items to someone and so we zip around on our four-wheeler to do that. Sometimes a lady who sells vegetables shows up in the village, so we drop everything and buy fresh food. Sometimes we spend all afternoon making announcements house-to-house. Sometimes, sometimes, sometimes…you just never know.

I might get a question asking for advice about homeschooling, or to read a child’s essay and give suggestions. I might find out about a flight coming in to town and rush to do inventory and make a grocery list. Village kids might stop by for help with their homework. At dusk. That is due the next morning.

A few days ago Tony, one of the oldest men in town, stopped by for a visit with his grandson. He mentioned that money was scarce and there wasn’t much food at home. He suggested that it sure would be nice if someone could make them breakfast. We dropped our other plans for a little bit and did just that.

Many of the items that occupy our hours–and sometimes our days–were never on a to-do list, because we did not know we were going to need to do them. They simply pop up and demand to be handled. And in the meantime, we remind ourselves that the “how” of the handling, much more so than what actually gets handled, is the expression of the church in action before the eyes of many who are lost. God grant that our team live with love, and grace, and patience in how we do what needs to be done.