Sweat Equity

Our first day working at Link Business Park was long, hot, and most of all, rewarding. As the six of us walked to the job site, we were prepared to dig in and help wherever we could be a blessing, and there was much to be done. We finished the day filthy, and our muscles will be sore in the morning, but we met so many new men that were at the site and had the chance to work shoulder-to-shoulder with them. It was a great experience. As it turned out, we all split up and had a variety of duties. Scott Shepherd drove a tractor most of the day, moving stone, sand and dirt. He also began the work of clearing an area that will eventually be a concrete parking lot for the shops. Josh Hanji and Kyle Morrow worked up on the "crow's nest" on top of the three-story building, applying primer to some areas that will be painted tomorrow. Pastor Hack worked with Donovan Zachary and I on a plumbing project to start the morning. He had to step away to preach in chapel later on, and his message was not just delivered to the students at Central Africa Baptist College, it was broadcast over the school's radio station, reaching three million people daily. While he had other responsibilities, Donovan and I completed what we could on the plumbing project, laying, cutting and fitting plastic hose. We wrapped up the afternoon by cleaning the front of the Link Business Park structure, scraping off excess cement before applying primer. Just like with the crow's nest, tomorrow we will work on painting the front exterior. In less than a month this structure will be open for new tenants. Pray that this will be a successful venture for CABC and will help provide a needed revenue stream for the school. We were reminded today that we are at the tail end of the rainy season here, as a storm arrived and provided lightning and heavy rain. It brought cooler temps and breezes, but it made a bit of a mess of the job site. One of the great blessings of the day turned out to be the people we met and the stories shared. Each of us had a chance to interact with many during lunch on the grounds, as well as during Bible study at 9 p.m. We are rooming at the college, and get a chance to meet many of the students. They just returned to school in February, so they have much work to do. To see these men and women make a commitment to advancing the kingdom is truly amazing. Before that, we were invited to dinner at the home of Ben and Amy Straub and their three sons. Ben is a faculty member at CABC, and the testimony of this couple and their desire to serve in Zambia was a great reminder of those that answer God's call to the mission field. The food and fellowship were great as well. Pray that tomorrow (Friday) will be another profitable day and that we accomplish much in our last work day at CABC. There is much to be done, and our hope is to complete all that we can before visiting Faith Children's Village on Saturday.