WEDNESDAY, OCT. 13, DAY THREE OF WORK: FLAT OUT, DINNER OUT, SHOPPING OUT

Well…

            …I’m not sure…

                                       …what to think.

FLAT OUT: Working all day at YWAM is a… butt killer; this is very tough physical work. Very hot today in the kitchen, but the morning was cool when things started, I was officially designated the maintenance man of the kitchen, in front of the team, by Chef Vern.  

I’m my own boss.

 I just wish I wasn’t such a heavy handed task master.

The door I fixed yesterday, Vern asked me to take it down today and shift all the work from that room to six feet over in next room, because some higher up didn’t like the positioning of a pallet full of paper Vern had asked me, and my strong men to move yesterday, he said “Dick is going to kill me.”

So, without any strong men, I tore down the permanent door, and moved all the paper, 20lbs per box, 32 boxes into the next room, and then I had to fix the door again and move another 30 boxes from that room into another room.

In all, I was in three enclosed, very hot, no fans, air conditioning, or breezy rooms, I was drenched in sweat within the first thirty minutes; unfortunately, it took two hours to complete the task. Once that was done, I fixed the seven foot, moveable, food trays, once that was done Vern wanted me to move a very large safe on a pallet that had been delivered two days ago, the wow factor came in when Vern told me it was to be moved into a classroom, down the steep ramp, and even steeper street.

Vern told me to get the biggest guys I could find to help me.  So I got a very big Samoan, a pretty big Dane, A big Korean (I didn’t know they came in that size), and a very large, very white American, who looked like chock that got defeated by a gaggle of orange hair.

I asked their ages, 24, 22, 20, 19, why do you want to know our ages they asked, I said you have two jobs when helping me move this barge of a safe, I will be steering the dolly, and you first job is to get in front of this behemoth and stop it from gaining so much momentum that we can’t stop it, your second job is to be young enough to leap out of the way if the speed renders it unstoppable.

All the giants made it safely down the hill.

Then, then, oh baby, then I had to fill in for the stockers. A stocker is one of three people who have to keep the food stocked for the 1100 people who are coming through the food lines, food goes really fast, the people can’t wait, no holding up the line, go really fast, look at the two lines, mashed potatoes, vegetables, chicken, gravy, forks and knifes, plates, salad dressing, breads, go really fast, locust are swarming all over the tables, food is gone is seconds. Run back to the kitchen, dive into hot stoves, no whimps here, just grab the hot stuff, the heavy food trays and hustle back to the line, watch your step, the tile floor is wet from the dish washers, be careful of the steam spray that comes out of the ovens, quick, quick. No bread, my baby wants a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, she is crying, where’s the bread?

Go, go, go, this will only last…an hour and a half, not much time really, when you’re watching TV.

Back and knees are gone, can’t stop.

It’s over, almost as fast as it started. Now what?  Clean and mop the whole place, the eating place is the size of Stonecreek. Me, Ute (a cute girl) and Mike (a tall, cute guy), two great Germans, they work really fast, are good partners, their 22 years of age, I’m, well, I’m not.

Done, finished, what? What did Luka (a Samoan dancer and head of the kitchen) say? Ute says we must sweep under all the tables outside; this is the size of Saddleback Church. A lot of bending.

Lying on the bed icing my knees, Ibuprofen, rest. What, we have to get up and walk town for dinner, just the two of us. Dinner and a sunset, great, but fast, hurry back up the steep hill, we must catch the Mission Builders van taking everyone shopping at Wal-Mart. Fast, fast, fast, and we are barely going to make it.

Shop for an hour, hurry, hurry, the van will leave us behind; the walk home is long and very steep.

I’m losing heart, but not weight. How can you go at this pace, sweat for hours, eat little and STILL GAIN WEIGHT? My dress shorts are snugger then before, we have both lost our elasticity.

What day is this? Wednesday, day three of a TWO MONTH commitment. I sleep like a baby, waking up every two hours, cramping up, crying and wanting some comfort, the mail lady gives me none, she’s perfectly asleep, she’s content because we bought her a high padded stool at Wal-Mart so her day would go easier.

Tomorrow is again.