Who's da Boss?

Who's da Boss?

It’s always important to know who the boss is.  Travis is mine.  He’s 28 and going home in January.  He is grooming Robert to take over his slot, so after he leaves Robert will become my boss.  Although, I suppose in the ‘pecking’ order, he already is.

Ken is the big boss.  He is in charge of everything that goes on in the construction field down here.  He is in his mid sixties and is undertaking the expansion project across the wall. So when Ken needs something it is best to help out.

Neil is in charge of the sanitary waste projects for the new extension.  Since they rely on our team for the excavation projects with the septic, building pads and stuff he kinda has some input into what we do with the equipment.  Travis has been working with Neil in getting a lot of stuff done over there, although they don’t always communicate real well….neither does Robert … or Ken for that matter.

So the question has arisen, ‘who's da boss?’  It is sometimes humorous to get different directions from different people.  Travis wanted me to fill in a low area where the housing projects are going before they were put in.  Neil wanted to leave the area open so water would flow in that direction for drainage under the wall.  I find that a compromise works fairly well.  Fill the hole in part way with a sloping grade, we’ll fill in the rest after Neil leaves.  I’ll have to update you later on how that works out.

Yesterday and today I moved a lot of building materials from the landing zone to the staging area.  Back and forth with the bobcat with fork attachment.  Funny how concrete blocks need to be taken over to the building site, o, but not those blocks, the other ones … but since they’re here just leave them.  Funny how they still get used before the others manage to arrive on site. 

I doesn’t really matter to me where stuff goes or who needs what, when.  As long as I stay busy it seems like all things work for the team; and that’s ok.

I did have one difficulty that I had to work through.  I was concerned that I wasn’t providing the quality of workmanship that was expected of me.  I knew I would have a learning curve on the equipment when I came down here.  I’ve picked up the basics relatively fast but found that I really needed fine skills in order to deliver what the need was.  Those skills would come only after many months of learning, trial and error; like an education.  Some of the contributions I had made doing tasks had to be redone by Travis or Robert.  I felt bad because my fine skill set was inadequate and they had to take the time to clean up my mess.  I was discouraged and disappointed that I couldn’t deliver.  I even felt that I was pulled off the larger equipment so someone else could do the job quicker and more effective.  It’s funny how the mind plays tricks when we are discouraged.

Michelle and I talked about how I felt.  She suggested I talk to Travis and try to understand how to develop my skills, how to understand his directions a little clearer and how to perform my tasks more effectively.  In addition, one suggestion seemed to rise to the surface.  Rest in where you are.

 In retrospect and in reality, I firmly believe that God is the one who opened the doors for me to go Haiti to work for SP.  I prayed about it, I asked God to open the doors if it was in his interests.  I didn’t place fleeces out for direction, but I saw numerous road signs that were simply to ‘in your face’ to be coincidence. Mom’s passing a few months earlier freed me up for out of town experiences.  Following her footsteps in supporting missions projects; not just in being someplace, but in being someplace that complements my particular skills and talents.  Quotes from great men of times past came unexpectedly across my path at critical junctures in my decision making process; in short, God presented me with an opportunity that was something I could do; and more than just that, he was opening the doors for me to do it.  And because I stepped out in faith believing that, then I could also rest in faith that God would make me fit in the perfect place for his perfect use.  The bottom line, God is the boss.  He is the one I have to please.  He placed me here and everything I do with Him in mind and to the best of my ability will be good enough. 

“There comes a time in every man’s life when, figuratively speaking, he is tapped on the shoulder and presented with an opportunity that is tailor made to his natural talents and desires.  It is a sad day for that man if he finds himself unprepared to undertake the task given to him.”   ------------------------Winston Churchill