Last night we got two very pleasant surprises. We visited Gladys and found that she was living in her house! AND her son Slim was visiting! It was moving to see that house that we worked so hard on had become a home again.

For devotions this morning we reflected on the Magnificat. The phrase “the humble state of his servant” reminded me that genuine service is based on humility. I have so much that I rarely think of myself as being in a humble state. Even though it was cold this morning and our accommodations are much less than what we’re accustomed to, it’s still more than a great deal of the world survives on. We have heaters, running water, warm clothing and sleeping bags, and plenty of food. Being so far removed from a humble state, my serving can become self-serving, a way of congratulating myself instead of truly working for another’s benefit. But I’m also finding that I’m getting joy from doing things that, at home, would be a chore. And I’m doing them for people I don’t even know!

Speaking of servants, Ces is a great cook! I’m worried that I may actually gain weight on this trip. We found that there is a Super Wal-Mart very close by and we were able to buy fresh veggies last night. She’s doing a good job planning meals and coordinating her kitchen help.

We’re learning to be flexible (a lesson in humility?). We went to the Salvation Army for lunch and found that they weren’t expecting anyone and had only prepared food for their own group. Then we went to a house that we expected to paint and found that there was a lot of drywall work that needed to be re-done. We were expecting a group of 7 to join us on the ULM site tomorrow. 4 of them drove in at dinner today, but there’s only one more flying in tomorrow. And then another group (that we thought had cancelled) showed up! Both bunkhouses are completely full and we have to get additional sleeping quarters for tomorrow night because both of the other groups are expecting an additional person.

Traci and Mark still haven’t arrived, so the inmates are running the asylum. Our group has the keys to the office and all the vehicles. Clyde wasn’t around today. The newer Mark helped us tour the sites and figure out which ones we would work on. We split into 3 groups. Dean H and I did some minor finishing work and were done in about an hour. We joined Robin and Cecily and managed to do most of the electrical finishing work on a house (installing electrical outlets and light switches) until we ran out of supplies. The rest of the team was mudding and painting. We’re hoping to finish painting that house tomorrow and then we’ll start on a new house that needs popcorn ceilings in two rooms and a bunch of painting.

Mark is a character! His glib, light-hearted manner is the opposite of Kevin’s gruff, no-nonsense approach. But he is a very capable contractor who’s taught us a lot. But you have to be on your toes: you never know if he’s kidding around or giving you serious construction advice.

Even though the other two groups are unexpected, it’s great to be sharing the site with other people who have such a heart to serve. The second group even has an 11-year old girl with them (her parents have taken her on numerous mission trips already). It’s great that she’s learning to serve at a young age. But they also brought a college student, Justin, who claims he doesn’t believe in God. Pray for him.

With joy,

Steve (for the M2M2 team)