20 April 2014
Dear Phyllis,
Today is Resurrection Sunday. I detest the word Easter, and, as much as possible, refrain from using it. But even with this being Resurrection Sunday I am not is an “Easter” mood. It was only the other day that I learned that Friday was Good Friday and that reminded me that today is supposed to be special. Several years ago a speaker came down from Tokyo to speak at the Kobe Kichijoji Fellowship, Resurrection Sunday service. I asked him if he was going to speak on the resurrection. He answered plainly “no”. That surprised me, and I asked why. “Because every day is Resurrection Day.” I like that. And today I am going to take the liberty of sharing something other than the resurrection of Jesus.
At the moment I am faced with a situation very similar to what I had to deal with in the summer of 1989. Bill Reese was going on furlough for four months, and asked us to step in to take care of his place in Miyota. Bill and I had been close friends ever since their arrival in Japan; and I was the one who originally got things started in Miyota; so it was a no-brainer for us to say we would take over while they were gone.
At the same time, the Kansai Christian School had asked me to make a significant new addition to their school building in Ikoma. Being closely associated with the school, it was difficult for me to say no. At that time I was working for Architech Japan, which was a Christian construction company, ostentatiously dedicated to serving the Lord, and building a number of churches for a very low price. We had three top-flight carpenters, Wirt and Robby Edmonds and Bo, on the crew. I asked Wirt if they would work with me to build the Ikoma school, and got a positive response. Though the situation looked like a juggling act, it still looked doable. But then everything went south. Something came up where Wirt said they couldn't help me. We had planned to have a container of material sent out from the states for the job, making it considerably cheaper. For some reason the container deal flamed out, which made the cost of material almost out of sight. And with no carpenters to help me, it was virtually impossible to do that job in the time frame we had. I called Dick Albright, the chairman of the school committee, and explained that the job was impossible. But then added, “I don't work by what is possible, but by the will of God. I can't see how I can do it, but if it is the will of God I will try.” Dick replied, “We really feel that this is of the Lord to build at this time.” “Okay, the deal is on.” That put me in a terrible spot.
I went to Miyota to get things started up there and left Rosemary in charge. I got a Japanese construction outfit to put in the foundation, and ordered local lumber. I was pleasantly surprised that the lumber was cheaper than what I expected, and the other outfit got the foundation in on time. When things were ready to get rolling in Ikoma, I started commuting 500 km back and forth working on the school Monday through Saturday and returning to Miyota to preach on Sunday. About ten to twelve missionaries showed up to do the carpentry work, but none of them had had any experience swinging a hammer. I was the only carpenter on the job.
Things started off very well. We got the first floor put on in two days, and we were working on the second floor the first week. It was around 6:00 PM, quiting time, we had just finished making a wall for the second floor, and wanted to get it standing before quitting for the night. We had made the wall flat on the floor, and had to slid it in place to where we were going to locate it. The fellows tried to move the wall but couldn't. Quitting time is the most dangerous when you are careless and in a rush. I wanted to show the missionaries how a real man moves a wall, and hooked my claw hammer on the window sile. What I didn't know was that a nail had hit a knot making it come out the side, nailing the wall to the floor. There was no way anyone could move that wall. But I was showing off. I pulled on my hammer with all my might, and the wood tore out under the claw. I went hurtling backwards. Had I been on a flat floor I would have gone flying backwards ten feet landing on my back. But I was standing two feet from the edge of the building. When the hammer tore out and I went hurtling backward, it suddenly dawned on me where I was standing, and thought, “Mrs. Cook's little boy Billy has a serious problem.” I was airborne 5 meters (16 feet) in the air, over the edge of the building virtually inverted. By 95% of the laws of nature I was dead.
Somehow, miraculously, I got my feet headed south under me. The fellows watching me fall all said they were surprised how slowly I was going down. For myself, it felt like I had a parachute on. I too was surprised how slow the decent was. One of the major miracles of my life, I landed on my feet on soft sand in a 30 cm (one foot) space between a steel man hole cover and a concrete step uninjured. I didn't even sprain my ankle. Had I landed two inches in either direction, the minimum damage would have been a seriously broken leg. The fellows who saw me go over the edge of the building looked down expecting to see a dead man on the ground, and couldn't believe their eyes that I was standing there saying, “I'm okay”. When I saw my footprint in the soft sand in that narrow space I thought of the Scripture in Psalm 91:11, 12 that promises, “He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways; they shall bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foot against the stone”. I have had a few dealings with angels over the years but that was the most dramatic, and literal, how they held me up in their hands as I was falling and protected me from dashing my foot against the man hole cover or the concrete step.
I never figured out how it happened, but somehow, as I was coming down, I hit a wooden fence and damaged my rib. It had all the indication of a cracked rib and greatly restricted my movement. For the next several days it was impossible for me to swing a hammer. This put me in a real bind as I had a time limit as to when the job had to be done. I couldn't work, and yet couldn't rest. In desperation, I got a lawn chair and put it in the middle of the building so I could sit in one place and direct the constructin going on around. Amazingly, I found that when I sat in one place directing things, the work went faster than when I was working, running all over the place showing the men what to do. Instead of slowing construction down, my sore rib actually speeded everything up. At 11;00 o'clock on the last night I drove the last nail in the wall finishing the job right on time. That was a huge miracle.
I said I have a similar situation to what confronted me in 1989. At the moment I am facing a near impossible scenario. I have made a commitment to Gary that I would work with his program of teaching hill tribe boys how to do carpentry. The next project is a dresser drawers and a baby changing table for a customer. That isn't too difficult, but it is furniture to make that I am the only one who knows how to do that work. The doctor what owns Gary's house and the building we are using for our workshop/school asked us to make four bunk beds and two double beds for a ministry he has. In addition to that he is building a new building and asked me to put in a difficult spiral stairway. Having just completed one project of making ten bunk beds in a month for another organization, doing an additional four was too challenging but the stairway deal is a totally different subject.
The other day I went with the doctor to see his new building. To start with, I was surprised how far away it is. That would be a terribly long way to ride to and from work. I told him it was so far I would almost have to live there to do that job. When I saw the hole where he wants the stairs put in, it blew my mind. I thought, “Man howdy, this looks tough!”. All together there is a 24 foot rise going up two floors. A conventional stairway is out of the question. I told him I really didn't know whether or not I could do that job. But he is a dear brother sincerely serving the Lord, and I want to help him.
If that wasn't enough we have just had a request for 30 more bunk beds to be made before Sept. 1st. Then after that they want 150 more beds made. This radically changes everything. To do a huge job like that would require totally revamping the entire program and buy a great deal of new equipment. But it is a very good organization that has requested we make theses beds for them and – again – I want to help them. Along with the request, they asked if I could do that personally . I answered flat no.
But I don't operate by what is possible, but what is the will of God. If the Lord orders it I will do it. The first miracle was when I began to make sketches of stairs for the doctor. The Lord showed me a very easy design where I see the stairs wouldn't be that difficult. It is a combination conventional/spiral stairway. It looks very doable, but the time is killing. I must start the furniture project tomorrow and at the same time get rolling on the doctors stairways. That is what is on the dock for this week.
The biggest event is the order for 180 beds. Gary wisely has suggested that we don't want to sink ourselves in getting in over our heads with a project that would alter our purpose of teaching young men wood working. In the mean time Pastor Ed, of Abba House, has asked me to teach him carpentry and he wants to do the 180 bed project. I only have one body and the task looks totally out of sight. But then the Lord began to show me some amazing new ideas how to set up for mass production. The thoughts that have come to me are new ways that I have never done before, but I see no reason why they shouldn't work very easily. We are going to set up a shop in Abba Hose where Ed and the boys he is working with can do a great deal of non-skilled labor, but still produce a lot of beds in a short time. At first this will be a minimum investment for Abba House, but I can see where they could have a first-class shop there in the near future. Obviously, I will have to be running two crews simultaneously. My Lisu partner, John, is doing extremely well, and is in a position to run the school when I am not there. This will allow me to run back and forth to keep Ed busy. A very fine American brother showed up the other day who may be available to work with us, and I have asked him to help me with the stair project. I will do all the cutout work in our shop at Gary's which will allow me to do two things simultaneously there. Hopefully I won't have to spend that much time actually installing the stairs.
Tonikaku, it looks like I have a pretty full plate on front of me for the next few weeks. The next two weeks look extremely busy. Then when we get into May I will be back at the kindergarten teaching the children English in the mornings. In my spare time, Pammy has a number of things she wants me to make for our house here. At least boredom is not a problem.
Pastor Hanook just called me from Pakistan. He has a very clear call for me to come to Pakistan to help him in evangelism. I told him if the Lord would provide the money and a visa I would. Ironically, this is looking like more of a possibility. Before I leave I would have to get two crews set up to where they can do acceptable work by themselves. John is showing himself to be a first-class replacement for me at the school, but needs a little more training. Ed would have to be able to run things by himself without me being in town. But that too may be possible in a few months.
Jesus is risen! There is no question about Him being alive and He has sent His Spirit to be with us and be our guide today. Oh is is wonderful to know and serve Jesus;
bill
No comments:
Post a Comment