Ta Fuerte

Ever had one of those moments where God just slaps you in the face? Well, He was so kind to do that to me today. First, lemme explain how we're building the houses we're building. The walls are made of concrete, set into different size slabs and held in position with sheet metal frames. The biggest slabs are 3x3 foot slabs that each weigh 190 pounds. You lift these slabs by hand in order to set them into place, sometimes 10 feet up. Needless to say, the work is tasking but watching the guys who build those houses every day is like watching a surgeon flawlessly maneuver his way around the operating table. 

Before we started working today, I prayed genuinely that God would make me strong for the task until it was completed.  Piece by piece, with the supervision and help of the experts, we helped each other build the house as best we could. 

Enter God. Preface: For as far back as when I was a 10 year-old ballerina, I remember hating the way I looked compared to all the other girls. I was bigger, but not necessarily fatter than them. I had no idea why my shoulders were so broad and I could flex my muscles like my cousin Kris. Okay, maybe that's a bit over the top but really, I learned from a very early age that something was wrong with my body. That struggle has since plagued my confidence and bound me in the chains of captivity that Jesus unshackled centuries ago. Thankfully I've grown, but that struggle still exists. 

I was doing my best to lift the slabs and guide them into the frames without royally screwing up, which I do so well. As I'm working, one of the supervisors, who doesn't speak a lick of English, says to me, "God has blessed you with incredible strength." 

Me? I'm just doing what Dad always told me: work hard, pay attention, get out of the way if you have to. Simple, right? But no, this guy turned the same thing I have hated about myself for so long into a gift from God. Woah. 

At the end of the day, I drove one final blow to a nail to finish a post for the front porch of the house. Antonio looked at me, smiled, and held out his hand for a shake.  "Thank you," he turned to his friend who had just arrived, "she worked a lot today."  He made me reflect on the hate I've showed myself for years. The same body I hate looking at has carried me through years of ranch work, multiple high school and college sports, Marine Corps OCS, and now building concrete houses in the middle of the beaming Domincan Republic heat. 

Whatever your struggle is, I encourage you to turn it into a blessing. It was so cool to witness various volunteers playing with the kiddos, chatting with the locals, and building alongside me. Just because you don't have her body, his looks, her wit, or his smarts doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. Don't get me wrong, we are all flawed and don't necessarily deserve grace, but it's been freely given to us anyway. What better way to work on those flaws than to give them up to Christ and turn around the struggle? 

Yeah, it might've seemed like a slap to me, but God gracefully showed me how precious and unique he makes his children. Blessings are apparent in any language. Love y'all...so much!

The site in its early stages: 

A finished home: 

Before...dirt floor, walls made of leaves, wood chips, mud, and animal manure, which easily washes away in a big storm.