That’s the statement I heard from a teammate as he was in the process of breaking ground to build a new trench. My group was given instructions to build 4 trenches around the front of our property. We began the first one and it was pretty much a breeze. We started a second trench right outside the gate, and we saw this one was going to be a bit of a bigger project then the first one because this was had to be pretty deep! When we started we saw there was a water box in the area we were digging (you know where the city can come by and open that metal lid and turn off and on the water…I don’t know what they are really called). So we dug with caution. Andrew and I were going back and forth for a while breaking ground then pulling the dirt out. We knew this would be a pretty long process. I had stopped working with him for a few minutes and helped the two other girls empty the wheelbarrows of dirt. Suddenly we hear Andrew say “Houston, we have a problem”. He was totally calm, so we didn’t think much of it. We go out to where he’s digging and we start to see water fill up this hole. UH OH!!!! So two of us ran and got our ministry contact, Carli and the owner of the property, Hannah. When we came back water was quickly filling up the hole and the ground! (I’m not sure why but in this moment I couldn’t help but laugh, I definitely tried not to laugh out loud but inside I was truly weak!).
At this time, we got a bucket and started trying to drain the water out of the hole and stop it from flooding the whole ground. After about 10 minutes of trying to turn it off, the shut off handle was not moving. They tried to call the city but their office closed at 4pm and it was currently 4:15pm! OF COURSE!!!! So our contact tried to go to the office to see if anyone was there to get the key from so we could at least stop the flooding. So when Hannah drove off, we prayed that she would be able to get the key and that we would find a way to stop the leak. Wellllll she returned…NO KEY!!!
Also in this time, we learned that it wasn’t the pipe that was broken, it was the actual concrete that had been cracked and I guess digging up the dirt caused it to leak worse. Which in the long run is a blessing cause it was probably leaking this whole time.
So we go back to work trying to figure out how to turn the water off. Well, a few moments later this guy rides by on a bike and says “You trying to turn off the water?” And comes over and help us. Well, he can’t seem to get the water shut off to turn either. So he starts asking for all these different tools. We bring him all that we have. And he dives into fixing the leak. By this time we are now covered in mud and wet. He gets the pipe into a position where if you hold it at a certain angle it stops it from spraying everywhere. Hannah is now on her hands and knees holding this pipe so that the guy could continue to fix it. The rest of us are still scooping out buckets of water and trying to dig a trench to help the water drain. Hannah and I switch off back and forth holding the pipe in a position, sitting on my knees and elbow deep in water. And I’m pretty sure my hair had been slightly submerged in this water too. I just couldn’t help but laugh.
I remember talking to Hannah and just saying, “I’m so sorry!” And she continued to respond over and over again “It’s no problem! I’ve done worse, I’ve seen worse. We’ll get it figured out!” She continued to make jokes, she seemed at peace, and kept saying, “It’s okay, it’s no problem! We will get it worked out.”
The man who stopped and helped us was able to use a piece of spare pipe and stop the leak while we created a wood barrier that stopped the water from spreading. Yes it was a temporary fix, but it was fixed!!! No more broken pipe! AND WE DIDN’T HAVE TO TURN OFF THE WATER TO THE WHOLE PROPERTY!! Woohoo!!!
This was probably one of the most stressful moments because we created this issue. But yet one of my FAVORITE days! I walked away from that so full of joy. I learned SO MUCH GRACE from Hannah and this experience! And I still am chewing on what GRACE really looks like and how I can extend GRACE in that same way!
No matter how crazy or frustrating situations are….sometimes you have to take a deep breath, laugh a little bit and just pour out GRACE!
Praise and Prayer!!
I know I was a little late writing this post but month 1 is officially done! We have safely made it to month 2. We are starting with a few days of debrief (rest, processing, ext) and then we go off to our ministry site in a different city!!
Keep us in prayer as we start our new ministry. The whole squad of 46 will be living together this month! 🙂 I’m excited to see how the Lord moves during this month!!
