Permanent Repairs
I recently returned from Orange Texas where our church had a UM ARMY experience. In that week we repaired several storm damaged houses. Our small team worked on one house for most of the week. In working on the house it took me a while to understand something about how we did some of the repairs. Here let me highlight what I was struggling with. We made several repairs but the two main repairs were to the wheelchair ramp, and the second was to the roof. Each repair had a different approach. One approach was to patch, the other approach was to remove and replace. My trouble dealt with the idea of patching.
The remove and replace approach dealt with a wheelchair ramp. We removed the old wheelchair ramp and we built a new ramp. We did not reuse any of the material from the old ramp. The new ramp was built to last—and will most likely last longer than the home. Yet, the roof repair was a patch approach. The goal was to stop the leaking, and have the repair last about 4 or 5 years. (The time line was never stated, but was my observation.) I must say that I dislike repairing roofs. I prefer to just replace a leaking roof. You see, when I repair something I like to fix it in a permanent way. But, after considering all of the alternatives I see wisdom in the patching of the roof. Some of the variables in the decision included cost, ability of the team, recourses, and condition of the house, but I must also say that the heat of July in Orange Texas also convinced me of the wisdom of not being on the roof long enough to replace it.
So, I was watching the discovery channel as I often do, and watched an interesting program. The program had something to do with “my” need for a long term roof. Did you know that well before the Hover dam was built there were several other dams in the Grand Canyon? In fact there were several lakes formed behind these dams. The dams were formed by lava flows. Lava flowed across the Colorado River and created lakes. The process seemed to have happened several times. The scientists seem to believe some of these dams lasted for quite a period of time. They seem to think one dam lasted as long as 40,000 years. But, even that was not a permanent structure. The Colorado River overcame it. So, these scientists seem to think that even Hover Dam will not last forever.
I think there is something in our character that makes us desire to build something permanent. We want to build something that will last. It says that I was here. I think the reason is that God has written eternity on our heart. The problem is that there is just no way to build anything of permanence, and then it occurred to me. In UM ARMY I was building something of permanence. It is a relationship with another human being. CS Lewis said “I have never met a mere mortal.” What he was saying is that we are meant and made for entity. So our UM ARMY investments are more about the people than the projects. DUH! The wheelchair ramps are our way of loving another person; it is our means of showing Gods grace and love in a tangible way. So as several of the UM ARMY leaders comment, “it has nothing to do with the wheelchair ramp, and it is all about the wheelchair ramp.” That is the project is not the purpose, but the project points to our purpose. Our purpose to be about one another, we are our brother’s keeper. When I think about the shepherd who left the 99 to seek out the one who was lost I understand this was an act with eternity on the shepherd’s mind, and love in his heart.
Rev. Patrick Evans
