This week, my team and I had an amazing opportunity to
travel to Wellington and do some gardening work for an amazing family. Neil and
his wife, Olivia, are a beautiful couple just full of the Holy Spirit and they
radiate God’s love and mercy.
Their yard has been needing some work for a while now that
they just don’t have the time and resources to do themselves. They tried hiring
help but the gardener never showed up.
So six of us Americans and a couple of Kiwis got out our shovels,
pickaxes, and chisels and got to work.
We
had a great time laughing while pulling giant weed bushes
We
chiseled mortar off of old chimney blocks
We
carried brush after brush piles down a hill (imagine San Francisco style houses
on hills)
We
found mouse poop among sheets in a box in the garage
We
explored a New Zealand style basement
We
jumped on a trampoline
We
drank tea/coffee/hot chocolate and ate coconut bread
We
discovered what it meant to be a servant to God’s people
What you don’t know is that Neil is a man in his fifties and
has been battling Lou Gehrig’s disease for about three years now. He is slowly
dying and unable to do the things he used to do. You would never know that
though. This man rolls around in his wheelchair telling story after story. He
encourages. He smiles. He’s full of joy. Neil is a true testament to how the joy of the Lord is our strength. I
left his home that evening fully encouraged.
Then that night we had a party at our place with some of the
staff and volunteers here at the camp celebrating the camp’s 1000th like
on facebook. We played some music and as I sat on our deck looking at the stars
one line kept coming back to me… “You
might not get tomorrow“. And it reminded me of how precious life is. That we
don’t know God’s timeline for our life so we better make the best of it now.
Love others.Serve One
Another.Forgive.Choose Joy.
“The thief comes
only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and
have it to the full.” John 10:10
