Prep work may be boring, but it’s so very necessary.
Last week on our Salkehatchie mission trip, when it the time came to paint Miss Annie’s house, we had to do some prep work. Her front porch was screened and if we didn’t cover the screen with some sort of protection, the brand new paint would have dripped on it and ruined it.
Our best intentions would have caused damage.
Some of the teens got a little impatient with all of the taping and cutting and hanging. It took some time. They just wanted to paint, but those of us who were older and hopefully wiser, insisted that we get the porch covered before we painted. I am happy to report that not one drop of paint got on her screen.
Our painting prep project reminds me about the massive amount of prep work that went into the entire experience last week. I have thought about all of our lunches and dinners that our director Amy, set up for us through different churches, and one town hall. I have thought of the many hands that prepared each meal for complete strangers, simply because we were helping members of their community, members many of them didn’t even know.
I have thought about our breakfast angels who got up at the crack of dawn every morning to prepare and serve us breakfast with a smile. They had to plan for a week’s worth of breakfasts for a lot of people. We wouldn’t have been very productive if they hadn’t done all of the work way ahead of time. A pop tart wouldn’t have kept tummies full for very long. Those ladies did a bunch of prep work.
I have thought of the site leaders who had to plan in advance for the materials we needed to work on the homes. They had them delivered to the work site so we were ready to go on Monday morning. Because of the prep work, the teams were able to immediately get to work and bonds and relationships were quickly formed.
I have thought about the Holy Spirit at work and how each person there was either personally convicted to come or their parents had been convicted to send them. There were a few who didn’t come by choice and didn’t really want to be there. But, by Friday, each one of them said they would be back the next year.
God knew where they needed to be and He prepared their hearts along the way, for something magnificent. They didn’t miss it.
I have thought about my own family and our convoluted story of how we ended up there and how God was preparing three years ago, for my entire family to attend this year.
Our Salkehatchie trip literally takes my breath away when I think about all of the prep work God did through so many people, to make it happen.
Ephesians 2:10 keeps coming to mind. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
God is definitely the Master of preparation. He really does have a plan. I can’t wait to see what He will do next year.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂