Transformation

These last 2 days we were working hard at the Casa. We spent Thursday and Friday removing several years of garbage out of each room. The carpet was installed in the new office location for Carla (psychologist), Darren and Shenaigh Lyn and others scrubbed wooden chairs for the pre-kinder and kinder classes, Ken hung curtain rods for Sonia (Primaria I) and Cinda (kinder), many walls were washed, months of dust swept away. New posters were made by our talented artists (Lois and Shenaigh), desks were re-varnished and of course just for Brian an electrical problem or two. While the list is long it is not comprehensive as many other jobs were accomplished by a very dedicated group of loving people I call my friends. God has shown himself in so many ways, but for me, it’s practically in the way our group has given of themselves in each and every task they have done.

Friday morning as I sat in the kindergarten class scrubbing layers of filth off the little tables I began to weep in prayer for the children who would sit at that table. As I continued to pray and intercede for these precious children, while listening to a song called “Jesus feed Us” by Steve Bell, God showed me that we all are like these filthy tables, covered in grime and sin and it’s only by the redemptive blood of Jesus that we can be clean. The picture of his love and forgiveness was a very literal experience as I watched the transformation of the tables and indeed the whole building as we finished up Friday afternoon.

Late Friday morning we performed probably the greatest symbol of transformation. We had contracted a large truck to come and remove the many years of accumulated garbage that was strewn around the comedor (eating area). Brian’s face was beaming as we completed this year long dream for him of ridding the Casa of the few last things that prevented it from having the appearance of newness. The symbol was not lost on Brian and others who realized that often we miss the step of removing those last remaining things that linger in the corners of our lives. Once the garbage was removed we turned out attention to the comedor where we cleaned all the tables and benches made dirty but the construction next door, put all the furniture in place and swept and washed the floor. The physical transformation was complete.

With the physical transformation complete, the last thing we did Friday afternoon was to go through the Casa room by room and pray. The entire Casa team had taken Friday off as a day of prayer and fasting so now that we had completed the physical work we joined then in prayer. We entered each room with our eyes open and asked God to show us that for which we should pray. We prayed for the things that God brought before us and then worshipped together with a song as Brian played the guitar. Each song was a blessing we prayed for that particular room. Each room was powerful but, by far, the most powerful room was the newly painted and carpeted room of tia Carla the psychologist. The profound sense of the deep hurt and pain that was felt by the children who would visit the room was brought to light by the power of the Holy Spirit. We cried and prayed and asked for the physical transformation of the room to be a symbol of the transformation the children would find in that place.

We finished the day in celebration. We had planned to have a fun day with the entire Casa staff but for many reasons that was not possible. Our solution was to go to a nice restaurant and treat the whole staff and their spouses (some brought their children) to a celebration. Brian stood and thanked them in Spanish for their hard work and simply invited them to simply enjoy and then we did just that! Brian circulated and translated as we ate and laughed. Conversations happened, photos were discussed, dictionaries were used but in the end we all enjoyed ourselves. Brian commented to Rodrigo during the meal that this dinner was a glimpse into heaven. A group of believers from different languages and different cultures who share the same heavenly father, gathered around a table laughing and sharing and drinking deeply from the cup of His grace.

Blessing to all,

Norma