Fellow workers on Christmas Day

Back in October we filled in the walls with mud.

 Happy New Year everyone! I am sure you were able to make many memories with family members during the holiday season. It is definitely a special time of year having the regular weekly schedule come to a halt in order to share a meal or two with others and delight in the festivities that Christmas time holds. My good friend Blair came to visit (this was her 3rd time to do so). I ended up accidentally dropping a heavy pot onto my shin and then toe on Christmas Eve. Blair stepped up helping with the chores around the house, and everything else, as I hobbled around for the next few days. Blair and I also got to dive into 1 Corinthians while she was here, and so much of it is relevant to how our lives should look as believers serving God together. Several verses in chapter 3 really stand out to us as a family, especially since Jason is at the farm a lot of the time. Verse 5 says,

"What after all, is Apollo? And what is Paul? Only servants through whom you came to believe- as the Lord has assigned to each His task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. The man who plants and the man who waters has one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers, you are God's field God's building."

This reminds me that there will be many different individuals involved in God's work, each with a variety of gifts to offer. We are all members of God's team and ultimately it is Him who will change a person's heart.

Chapter 3 goes on to say in verse 10,
"By the grace God has given me, I laid the foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Christ Jesus. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; He himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."

Wow. As we are building in God's work there are several types of materials we can use. There are quality materials we can use OR we can try to take shortcuts and take the "cheaper" way out. I never really looked at my service to God this way but this revelation is quite true. I can be a follower of God and not give my all each day. I can give a percentage. I can give God an offering. But that is just not good enough. He deserves all. He gave His life and deserves mine. There will be a judgment day and my works will be tested in fire. I desire to come out as one who remained faithful through the ups and down, not as one who just made it by the "skin of my teeth". On a visual level we had different options when the farm workers started requesting us to build permanent homes for their families. There is an inexpensive way to complete the task but within a few years it will begin to get destroyed. We wanted a home that would last long, which of course means the pricier route. The cost of the houses weren't entirely on us, each farm worker brought their own money to the table which is being deducted from their salaries each month. The work load of building, was a shared effort of our team and the farm workers. On Christmas day the high school boys really got into painting. (We had 7 high school boys work the holiday month of December in order to recerive money to pay their school fees in January). It was very evident that they had never painted before as they dunk their brushes into the can of paint and then would splatter the excess paint on the side of the can which made a mess all over the ground. Later on we would return to do the detailed work and clean up the mistakes, but on this day it was all about working side by side. I never want to miss the opportunity to be with a person because I am too caught up on completing the task. Interruptions can be all apart of God's bigger plan. I am not sure of what this year will hold but I am ready to plants seeds and build with gold.

Lovely Nevaeh.

Cutie pie Samara.

Smiley Charis.

Hard working Righteous.

I am cheering everyone from the car due to my toe being cut open.

No ladder. No problem.

Before the green was added.

Jason carrying me around the farm.

Good ol rice and beans for lunch.

Icing my shin with frozen peas.

Saturday after Christmas.

Each worker picked the colors they wanted. How fitting of the red and green!