Hey everybody! Today I have a couple of pictures and some reflections from the summer. The first picture is of me in front of a house I didn't work on. I wore that pair of overalls almost every single building day this summer (92%, if we want to be really picky). I washed them every week, in case you were worried. Actually, wearing the same thing every day was really nice. I didn't have to devote any of myself and my energy to dealing with unnecessary possessions like extra clothes.The second picture is what a typical Amor house looks like, excepting the overhang above the door. The group felt like doing a little something extra for the family, so they did. I've been working on houses like that all summer. To us, tiny. But in reality, they are enormous gifts growing out of God's love for us. They are more than buildings - they are symbols of a cross-cultural connection, of hope for family, and they are manifestations of Christlike love.
This summer has meant an incredible variety of things to me. But the thing I'll take away most is the lesson of service I took from working with my group of 5. They came expecting to build a whole house but were not able to. Instead, we finished some houses with 2nd coats of stucco. They were willing to drop their own expectations and pride for what needed to be done. This is truly the attitude of a servant - one that I pray I might adopt more and more each day: not to be driven by my own selfish ambition, but to be useful to the one I serve.
It's been a great summer
Adios
