We found out a couple of days prior to arriving in Botswana that we would be doing construction. I wasn’t quite sure what that would even mean. But I definitely did not expect the outcome that happened.
We arrived to a small village called Kumakwane, just west of Gaborone. It was small and we didn’t have access to a lot of supplies unless we took the 45 min drive into Gaborone.
The first weekend we did construction, a couple of guys from the Bible College in South Africa helped out. We ended up having to mix concrete by ourselves because our mixer we rented did not have enough power. Sunday the boys left. And then on Monday we were blessed with concrete that was brought in from Gaborone. But that was even harder. The concrete was flowing out of the truck so fast there was no time to pause and relax. And it was just the seven of us girls. You can believe I was sore the next day.
After we laid the concrete we started building the foundations walls. It was three blocks high. It took us several weeks to complete it. We were now mixing our mortar by hand again. And laying each block one by one. Trying to get it as level as possible.
It felt like each day was getting hotter and hotter as we continued to build. And there were many times I just wanted to go to my hammock and take a nice long nap. But as I was laying each block I was only looking at part of the puzzle piece. And each block took a lot of work. And I got exhausted. The heat was beating down and I just wanted to give up. But then I just kept going and pushing through.
And after awhile I took a step back. And I was able to see the bigger picture. Our foundation was completed. And we were preparing for the next step.
I realized this is exactly what happens in our lives. We get caught up in the moment. And we get irritated, beaten down by every day life. And we don’t realize God is using us for the bigger picture. He is letting us struggle with each block, but He never gives us what we can’t handle. He allows us to make mistakes and then learn from it. And all the while he’s building something way bigger than what we can see.
God is good.
And His plan for us is majestic. We just have to keep going and pushing through, asking God to provide strength within every struggle. And in the end we will be able to see the bigger picture.
