The second day in Abaco for the Kraal Michigan Team and Trinity Church Group was full of different activities and service opportunities. Jacob Tinholt & Megan Keeney shares their perspectives of the day.
We’ve learned a lot about ourselves while serving on the island today. One quote/metaphor we have from the day was about how we are like the unfinished houses here on the island. We have made ourselves to look good for everyone on the outside, but on the inside we are not the same and we are, in a way, unfinished.
Today we worked on multiple projects. The girls worked at a house that was destroyed by the storm over four years ago that has still not been finished, while the guys went to the community center and did some flooring work on the second story. While working on the house, the girls got to work alongside some local missionaries as well as some volunteers from North Carolina. After Hurricane Dorian, the house that Larry and Nicole own was completely gone except for the exterior walls. At the beginning of this year the project was started, and we now are working on painting the outside, while the North Carolina team was working on drywalling the interior.
At the community center, the guys worked on installing some carpet along with installing luxury vinyl flooring on the second floor. We picked up some trash around the community center as well.
Just as these buildings were completely broken, we also have fallen and are in desperate need of a Repairer. These structures may look whole on the outside, but on the inside they might not have walls or they might not have plumbing. We can be like these incomplete houses in our faith walk with God. We can put on a face and make it look like we are doing just fine and very well in our relationship with God, while we really are in desperate need of some repair on the inside.
Part of the group at the Farmer’s Market
Today we also had both teams experience some change of plans due to weather issues. The girls at the house were postponed on a few of the steps they needed to do before they started painting. They needed to power wash before putting primer on the building because there has been four years worth of mold and dust that has begun to overrun the walls on the outside of the house. While it was raining they got to hear some of Nicole’s story and how God has moved in her life after the hurricane. While the day did not go according to plan, God used the conversations and words said to make his presence known and he helped us learn and remember that He has a plan for us, although it might not be the plan that we have but it is the best plan.
Jeremiah 29:11 says: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” This verse is a great way to describe our day today and how if we had everything go as planned we might have not been able to hear Nicole’s words or had the joyful experiences we did while interacting with people in the community. We know that God always has a plan for us and even though it might not be the one we would have chosen, it is the best one for us in the long run. Always be open to seeing what God is doing in your lives.
