After our first day we had somebody Quit. Finally, after more than a year, we have our first job—and then somebody who I had assumed needed work—apparently didn’t. I know that these things will happen. The faster we learn to deal with them the more successful we’ll be.
So I made some calls looking for a replacement. Candidate #1 wanted to work Tuesday but not Monday. Candidate #2’s “old lady” said he would have loved to work if he hadn’t been arrested for not paying child support. Candidate #3 didn’t pick up but #4 claimed he would meet me at the Dream Center at 7:30 sharp. The next morning he didn’t pick up his phone and by 7:28 Albert was saying, “You better call somebody else, ‘cause that boy aint coming.” We picked up candidate #5, Shelton, at 7:36 and barely made it to the Exchange Park on time.
I’ve been learning a lot:
People are undependable. They are mortal and die, and won’t show up on time or at all. I think that God lets these sorts of things happen to bring awareness of Him. God is on time. He’s dependable. He uses these inconvenient moments to teach me. Either I will learn to trust Him or be miserable.
The homeless and near-homeless create perspective for my own life. Sometimes you think you know what somebody needs, but you don’t, and they don’t want it. God knows what I need, and I still don’t want it. He weaves opportunity after opportunity for me to say, “Ah, I think I’ll pass,” and I’m sure he’d like to whap me a good one. But He doesn’t. He keeps weaving.
I’m learning by attempt and sometimes failure how to do a lot of other things; how to deal with customers, how to pay the guys, how to avoid unneeded confrontations and company mutinies, and how to not paint yourself into a corner (Albert was helpful with that one). Our customer says we’re doing “Okay.” He says he’ll be bringing us back in a week to work for 10 nights as janitors at the Coastal Carolina Fair. I’m hoping some of you will come and see.
It’s exciting to be here. Praise the Lord! And it’s exciting to know that if it’s God’s will then He must be moving. I only have one seat left in my car, capping our current capacity for growth. And as long as I’m on the job sites working (which has been a good learning experience), we can’t compete with other for profit agencies to secure future contracts. And we need to compete with for profit agencies. It’s probable I’ll need a little help from other people. And they'll come. But until then, and after, I’ll be counting on God.
