In the grand scheme of God's creation we are not very old, but in the smaller scheme of our immediate sphere of influence and the things we use in our daily life, we are pretty old. The Passion Play has been around for less than 50 years and Source of Light Ministries has been here for just over 60. Some of the stuff we use and some of the people we work with are getting on in years, have been with these ministries most of their life, and after many repairs, replaced parts, operations and body parts no longer functioning as they were originally designed to, we are more and more realizing that old stuff needs old, experienced people to keep functioning properly.
Today I was going to start the leaf gathering operation using a rebuilt tractor-style mower with a gas-operated leaf-rake attached. The mower needed to be jump started, the leaf rake with a pull-cord needed a few shots of starter fluid and on the first pass of the area, a pulley holding a belt broke and the mower ground to a quick halt. Upon further investigation, Marvin, a 40+ year maintenance man here at SOL discovered a host of problems which will need to be addressed before the leaf gathering can proceed. But Marvin, nearly 80 years old and a machinist and "fixer" most of his life is confident he will be able to fix the pulley, replace the worn belt, repair the mower blade shaft, key way and spindle, repair the leaky fuel filter, reattach the mower deck and be up and running early next week.
Marvin, like many of the "old timers" we worked with at the Passion Play and here in Madison, have "been there and done that" before and in his quiet way keeps the old stuff, and himself, running to do the work The Lord has put before him. I did not grow up in an environment where we fixed what broke. We found someone else to do that and paid them for their expertise and willingness to help. It's eye opening to me as we travel and volunteer our non-technical skills, to see how people have lived off the land, raised the animals or hunted for what they will eat, are able to fix things which break, build their own houses and barns and keep the old stuff, and themselves, running. We have been blessed to know such people and hear about the lives they have led and The Lord they give all the glory to. We hope to be able to continue to serve as we have, acquire new skills and hopefully pass on our experience and experiences to those who come after us. Discipled, so we can disciple others. Thank You, Lord.
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