Monday, a Day of Wonder, Worship, and Pain

Today was filled.

Filled with Wonder.

Filled with Worship.

Filled with Pain: Body and mind types.

The Wonder: Waking up in Kona, and heading down the step street to McDonalds for coffee, I have to walk through the drive through, but alas, no can walk up to da window, cars only, insurance reasons they say. So, I wait; wait for a car, waiting for nice people in a car because I have to go up to their window. You think you’re none threatening type until you see yourself in the reflection of the cars windows as you approach two Wahines.

Coffee in hand, I triage back up the steep little street, every street in Kona is steep, the blessed place is built on the sea shore of a giantly steep volcano. I look back and see the sun rising and the palm tree silhouettes as a churches steeple strains for preeminence.

I get back in time to get loaded into the Mission Builder vans like we’re holocaust victims, down the steep street, bad breaks straining at our weight and street. We exit the vans like delicacies bursting out of broken bags of candy; we find our places to our devotions under the flags of the nation’s reflection pool. The Bible and prayer set us up for worship. Breakfast, quick.

The Worship: 1100 people worshiping in their own tongues, their own skin, their own style, beautiful cannot explain the open air worship, standing room only, only standing will do for the worshipful, the moment’s too important to sit, the mind takes in the worship of the nations as if it’s too important even for eighty year olds to sit, everyone is standing, no one asked us to, we are, becaue we are singing to one. The Iron Man and the man of wonder, Loren Cunningham speak, they don’t say much, don’t stir us by their words, don't rattle our soul gages, but then again, they didn’t need to, their lives did.

The Pain: Carol is assigned to the mail room, Ruth, to the Library, Ron and Sharon to the kitchen, I’m assigned to construction. Carol has gotten mail at home, Ruth has read books, Ron and Sharon have done dishes, me, well, I, I don’t know what to say about me being assigned to construction, except that someone misunderstood my profile, it said Pastor, not Plaster, it said I saw many things in ministry, not, I’ve sawn many things.

Larry (you can see Larry below) and I are building a building, yes, a whole building (you can see it to), Larry has never been given someone to work with like me, he’s not an organized person he says, and he has to figure out how to use my giftedness. Larry goes up on a high scaffolding, and hands down measurements for me to cut, Larry does not instruct me how to use the world’s biggest table say, just to make sure I don’t cut the wrong end, the beveled end needs to stay beveled, angled, slopped, or slanted. I cut two to long; one to short, short is really bad, but really bad is breaking the saw, I look for "Duct Tape," once mended, Larry and I dance, we repeat the mis cutting quit a few times, yet, the dance of the high and low goes on, the high person stays high, I’m not sure why, I go even lower.

Larry is finished and asks me to break down the scaffolding while he goes up to the second story, join me when you’re done he beckens. Me being done takes time, scaffolding is high, wide and heavy, every nail must be banged back out, every board placed on top of one another, ever so neatly, a lot of kneeling, this also becomes a dance, get high, get low, duck right, bob left, falling things, big heavy things, tennis shoes wish they were steal.

I run, err, hobble, through the long building to find the stairs to join Larry, my knees ache, pain makes me think of scripture, but none that minister. I can’t find Larry, I look outside and see the only way up, a big, tilted against the building, two story ladder, it's my elevator, and two stories are one mocking story too much. Fear resides in my pocket, the back, low one. It’s almost funny to me that a strong, steel ladder seems reluctant to stay stiff. Larry!

Larry and I spend the rest of the day in silence, each for his own reason. 3:00 P.M. and the whistle blows, I leave the way I came, but more so, down is harder, harder on my legs and heart, I trip going down, my feet don’t work, they slip, I fall, luckily it’s the last rung, I look to see if there are any folly watchers, alone and relieved, I ample homeward.  As I hobble down the steep hill back to the mail and library people, Larry says something, I think he says “you’ve been really bitchen (an old persons hip compliment) to work with,” but my knees and ears aren’t sure anymore, so I ask the Korean girl passing by what Larry said, she said, he said “I think you need to work in the kitchen.”

I’m resting now, back at home, laying on the bed, ice on both knees, “I wonder if I’ll do better tomorrow…in the kitchen, two months is long time, today was…day one, a day of wonder and worship.

It's bed time, I'm tired, so would you please feed my fish for me?



 



Loren & Darlene Cunningham & the Korean Interpreter (YWAM is full of Korean Christians)



This is Larry, my construction supervisor




This is the building Larry and I built Monday





This is what 1100 on fire Christians look like Worshiping the Lord, many, many different nationalities, very, very, moving. Wow!





This is Iron Man Chris Lieto and his wife, he came in 6th place, a very strong Christian. This was a very emotional testimonial time for them and us, we all raised our hands as if we were  laying them on them, 1100 of us prayed, each in their our own language over them. Wow!