A New Day, Tuesday

Life as a missionary can take oneself out of a comfortable place and push the limits of everyday tasks and expectations.  To see this be idea be put into action – take a banker, pharmacist, lifeguard, as well as many others, and expect to see a house be not only put together, but painted as well, with the future residents fed, all in approximately 5 hours.  Tuesday, July 17th, 2018 we, Starfish Ministry representatives, accomplished this task with smiles on our faces.

Now, to describe the location of where we built this house is another story - imagine riding in a five-speed bus, with fellow gringos and others, an hour outside of the large city where you reside, and take the city life you grow accustomed to and trade that for single lane dirt roads, cows, and dirty water.  We dug a foundation of cinder blocks to set the floor on, and later would line up the walls, to eventually take a lunch break and finish up with painting, door and window installation, and the roof with a gutter system on the back.  I quickly explain this to let whomever may be interested in reading know, the house was a substantial upgrade to what was previously used, but the blessing didn’t entirely lie within the house – the blessing was in the family that introduced us into their gate from the start, let us gringos poorly communicate with their children, and the family within the community that was so interested in watching us they waited outside the entire time and was hesitant to take the water I offered, but the smiles on their faces let me know how grateful they truly were.

 It is apparent to many the bigger blessings in life, the ones that a blind man may be able to see, but I have found in my walk with Christ, to slow down and notice the small opportunities and blessings that God provides, and through the smaller blessings, one may find a peace in knowing God is present.  Tuesday, July 17, 2018 God was present.

 

Just another Gringo,

Chandler Bohannon