“But what good is painting the buildings going to do?”
The question that continually had been racing through my mind as we painted wall after wall here on Mission of Hope’s south campus.
Honestly irritated with the tedious painting tasks that we were given, God decided to speak to me. He was ready to show me that service isn’t about tasks.
In the midst of my bad attitude, God graciously presented me with a project. Rachel, mobilization staff, approached me with “a dream”.
We walked underneath the hot Haitian sun, up the slow and steady hill, which led to her backyard.
“Let’s dream,” she said.
Rachel was tired of looking at her “dead” backyard; she was longing for something new. She was in need of a space that she could come and just “be.” An aesthetically pleasing place of comfort, relaxation and enjoyment.
God sparked excitement in my heart. I was ready to transform this empty dry space into something alive and meaningful.
The staff here at Mission of Hope work so hard and deserve to be treated. Three of my squad mates and I were thankful for this opportunity to serve Rachel.
While hacking away all of the weeds and breaking up the hard soil, I realized this “project” was harder than I thought it would be. Lots of manual labor went into this creative dream. Moving multiple, treacherous rocks, painting cement walls (literally soaking up every bit of paint like a sponge), building tables and benches and raking out the ground to be leveled; this was more than a “fun design.” Bad-attitude alert.
Weekly, new teams come to Mission of Hope to serve. A group from Seattle arrived during the beginning of this project. They had this verse plastered on their t-shirts:
“Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more as ye see the day approaching”
-Hebrews 10:24-25
This verse hit me; I was able to grasp and consider love in a different way.
In this verse we are encouraged to be positive. We must not be just an observer of what is happening around us, but working to encourage and stimulate others to love through our actions. I was so focused on WHAT task I was doing, instead of the people around me.
If we want to provoke others to love, then we must display a loving spirit ourselves. Love is created to be more than just a verbal expression – we are to love in deed and in truth.
Love will move us with compassion for those who suffer, with patience towards those who are difficult and with generosity to those who are in need. Love can be an action – even if that does look like manual labor.
Through this project, I was able to use my creative gifts. God is teaching me confidence in what He has given me. He knew how much this task would impact me – the way I love, my attitude, and how I can give to others through my abilities to create.
I was able to converse with my friends and love on who I was working with while learning from them and their stories. The deep conversations that we had during this week-long project were necessary and much needed.
So, in the midst of tedious hard work, I am learning how to consider love. Stepping back and choosing to love those I am serving with. Jesus has taught me that our very presence in community can be a blessing to others and provides the opportunity to encourage them in their service of love.
It’s human nature to think about self and how we feel. God pulled me back to admire the bigger picture. I am thankful for all of the painting and the machete weed whacking this month, because it has taught me to “consider one another.”
We are here to serve God. Whatever task that may be, He will make beautiful. Learning to focus more on those I am around and considering loving them in new ways has been rewarding.
k | k
