I met a family this week, where, as you may guess, this was their situation. Family of five, relationally with all kinds of brokenness, living in a house about half the size of my bedroom. So how shall we be Christ to this family? One thing we are going to do is build them a bathroom. Spending about 20 dollars at the hardware store, we had all we needed. A bowl, hammer and nails, scrap wood, wire, and tin roofing. I learned more about primitive toilets than I ever have. They are pretty cool. The bowl fits directly on top of the septic tank, has this “S� shaped curve to it, and all you do is pour water into the bowl and the pressure pulls the water through, leaving enough water level to stop air from flowing back up. Then the septic tank has an air tube to release the pressure. Pretty basic. So we got the bowl cemented to the tank, erected four posts, made a frame, attached boards for walls, tied the tin roof on, and presto! About 6 hours later, we had blessed the family with a bathroom!
(9.22.10)
What would it be like if you couldn’t go to the bathroom in private? If every time you went there was a good chance someone would see you? What if you had to dig a hole every time you needed to go, and then cover it up? Not the kind of thing we may do if we go hiking… this would be a lifestyle. We would do this in our yard! Or maybe across the street where the goats and dogs do their business.
Let us be reminded that there is nothing too small to give thanks for! If we really knew how much the Lord has blessed us with. An ungrateful heart is a sick heart. Oh for more grace that we would be a thankful people!
“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of Your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High!” (Psalm 9:1-2)
Comical, yet fitting ending… We needed some sort of door. We called back to the ministry. They had an old tarp we could use. So we folded it up, the ministry logo fitting perfectly over the entrance. It gave us a good laugh. Ministry advertisement unlike I’ve ever seen! And every time they go, they will pass through the cross! May it also be true of their spiritual lives!
