Friday December 18, 2009
Derek noted that in World War Two prison camp movies like “The Great Escape” they always need the most unlikely specialists to help them achieve their task. One man happens to be an expert forger who has accidentally memorized every watermark on Nazi credential papers. Another man had a previous job turning old newspapers into authentic-looking German officer uniforms. Yet another is an expert in engineering tunnels which happen to be dug with rusty teaspoons. Still another can make a two-seater airplane out of used pipe cleaners. Ridiculously unbelievable, said Derek. Or so he thought until he met our team.
An electrician, a heating specialist, a stage lighting engineer, a landscaping designer, a man who can unplug any drain, a fine woodworking craftsman, a sheetrock and plaster wizard, a physician-missionary-photographer, a skilled accountant, a journeyman writer, veteran tilers, skilled brick-layers, seasoned carpenters, a team of Young Turks flexible, eager, and strong who can go anywhere at anytime and do sinew-straining, spine-cracking labor with an endless supply of energy and pluck. A natural leader of a construction manager who knows them all, and places them in positions where they can shine the brightest. Unlikely? When you consider that they didn’t know each other before they began working on the project and that there was no comprehensive plan in selecting them for the task, one could say the odds were ridiculously unbelievable.
That’s how the Holy Spirit rolls.
Today was a day of Celebration. Troy Blankenship and Neil Phillips took a train down from Cardiff to tour the chapel and to rejoice with us in the good work. The tasks were relatively few in number, but each one added a surprisingly brilliant sheen and luster to all that had been done before. Outside, Steve and an increasing number of Outside Boys finished laying the bricks that walled in an Eden-like array of beautiful plants. The design which Becky Anderberg had crafted so meticulously back in Oklahoma finally arrived on a truck in the form of a twelve foot vinyl banner, and as the sun began to set, it was attached to a plywood backer and hoisted into place on the solemn gray-green stone wall under the front windows. Spotlights at the wall’s base set the scene ablaze as the night fell.
The copper plaque from the previous church, heavy with the dead weight of old tradition, was removed and a shiny gold-hued one was screwed into the wood in its place Derek even lost a little blood turning the screwdriver himself). This plaque was designed by Derek’s bosses, Peter and Mark, and praised God for the love and dedication of the 24 American workers sent by Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma in December 2009 as they remodeled the church for its new launch. We all took photos of the plaque and were moved by the sweetness of the kind gesture. Allen was grateful that Buddy wasn’t the only one who got a plaque this trip.
Inside, Ken and the Lighting Team placed stage lighting on the high copper bar suspended from the ceiling. Floodlights were set on the stage to illuminate the back wall. Lonnie put the finishing touches on the pulpit designed exactingly to fit Derek’s body specifications and placed it in its proper place. Scaffolding was dismantled, skips were removed, rental equipment was returned, floors were swept, and wood was polished.
For perhaps an hour, the team wandered around in a spirit of elation, hugging and congratulating each other on what they had all achieved, giving glory to God. Some stood or sat transfixed, staring in wonder at the total effect of the warm, intimate, and inviting mellow-bright earth tones of the Worship Center.
Eventually, the Okie-Welsh coalition broke up into clusters and grabbed the take-out food of their choice, meeting back at the Worship Center at 8:00 p.m. The Okies presented Derek with “Ignite” a Mission History of Henderson Hills, and each member of the team signed one of the tools they donated to the church. Then they settled back into the new chairs and enjoyed the first sermon preached by John Derek Rees in the Sanctuary of Capel Gomer. The service closed by Derek praying in Welsh and Allen praying in English. Everyone lingered for awhile, not wanting the spell of the entire week to be broken. Finally they slowly drifted out into the bitter night.
We knew deep within our chilled bones that what we had accomplished here was bigger than all of us. We were continually flowing in a spiritual synergy that was outside ourselves and yet radiant within us. We were uplifted by the prayers of the saints. We saw the Holy Spirit move in ways that we did not expect to see in our days.
All missions are special in their own ways, but this is one we will remember. This is one we will celebrate in our hearts for years to come.
Tomorrow, we have planned a day of relaxation and refreshment. Our Welsh friends will join us as we tour and shop the Swansea Market and as we visit the Mumbles – a touristy strip of stores that look out over a broad crescent of tidal oceanfront beach. Then at 4:00 p.m. we will depart the Dragon Hotel bound for the Bristol Airport Holiday Inn. Dinner and bed follow and then a Sunday morning shuttle to the airport bound for home.
Will the freak blizzards striking southern England and the Newark area disrupt our travels?
It doesn’t really matter. Wherever we are stranded, and whatever long delays we face, we have already bonded into a single unit. We are a family in the best and highest sense. And as a family, whatever comes our way, we will simply use it as an opportunity to spend time together and to reminisce about our time in Wales. And to celebrate.
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