You build, sometimes you tear down, and you build again

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun. A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill and a time to heal ... a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance ... a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to lose and a time to seek; a time to rend and a time to sew; a time to keep silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace. ecclesiastes 3:1-8

In my village, there is a group of people called the “Shack-dwellers.” This is a nation-wide organization, in which citizens organize themselves and gather together to form a cooperative, staking claim over a plot of land, and pooling their resources to buy larger quantities of building materials at lower prices. They are then able to build nice, cement and concrete houses.

I noticed a parallel between this project and the various struggles and challenges that life throws our way. As I was walking by the construction, I noticed that while some of the houses are right on track, and look great, others are crooked and askew, looking precarious. Others have holes where the cement bricks were not correctly laid, leaving holes and irregularities in the walls. Later, I heard that some of the “shack-dwellers” will have to tear down their first attempts and re-build. So frustrating to build something, put a lot of effort into your project, only to have it not work out, and for you to have to start again from the beginning.

But this is exactly how life is. How many times have you gone down one path, only to realize it is the wrong way? That you had to turn around, start over, and begin afresh. It is always daunting to start over, but sometimes it is the only way to build a straight and sturdy house, on a strong foundation.

I admire these shack-dwellers for having the tenacity and courage to rebuild when they need to, to ask friends and community members for advice when they don’t know how to do something. And I admire all of us who are not afraid to recalibrate, to start over when necessary, and to try again and again to get things back on course.

(Below, you can see the shack-dwellers work, and an example of some of the imperfections. You can also see how the bricks are made.)

And here is one of my best friends at site; she is with her new baby:

And an example of the recent “facelifts” that have taken place in our village. This beautiful café, butchery and general store is a wonderful gathering place for our community.. “Ohange” means peace, as you can see in the title – and I love the name of their café, “Look 4ward!” This positive outlook epitomizes the youth who run this butchery and café!

Below are some of the world’s cutest kids, who I met on the way to the post office today:

And finally, after the rain…there is sometimes a double rainbow…check it out!