Ask and You Shall Receive
My first day as Program Director for the 'Y" was an eye opening experience.
Not only were the walls prison gray (some were in the old hospital green), but
the beautiful hard wood floors were warped and looked like a small
roller-coaster frame.
BUT GOD GAVE ME THIS GIFT and it was beautiful!
As gray and depressing as the walls were, the attitudes of the limited staff
matched.
OK God if I am to teach them all your glory, we will paint from sunrise to
sunset, from the mountains to the shore, throughout the entire building. And
going up the stairs we will paint murals of children running up a hill, carrying
balloons and kites, climbing up to where the hill meets the sky. The sky will
turn from the palest blue, with all the shades in between, all the way to
midnight blue, with stars, the moon and more. BEING IN THIS BUILDING WILL BE AN
UPLIFTING EXPERIENCE! A MIRACLE IN ACTION!
YES! YES! YES! IT WILL HAPPEN...
But first we must be realistic, of course!
(But not really.) With God on your side ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!
So we had to get lots of interior paint. God told me just ask and you will
receive. I went to a large paint store and asked if they could sell me any
mismatched paint they had at a really cheap price. They said I could have a much
as I needed for FREE!
I told them what I was doing, and that it was really going to take lot of paint
to cover years of neglect, and to bring this "Y" building back to its days of
glory. I also told them I had to get the building in shape before it got cold so
the kids would have a safe place to stay before and after school, and on the
weekends.
THEY GAVE ME EXTRA PAINT TRAYS, ROLLERS, PADS, BRUSHES, PLASTIC TO COVER THE
WOOD FLOORS… EVERYTHING I WOULD NEED TO HAVE PEOPLE HELP ME. ALL FOR FREE!!!!
When I got back to the "Y" I was told none of the staff would help me. They were
all too busy in this decrepit empty building. The only thing actually going on
in this old mansion were swimming classes for children, with one teacher for a
small group of kids in day care, (just one teacher!) There was also a small room
where senior men who smoked cigars and played cards for a few hours, unattended,
gathered frequently. There was a receptionist at the front desk who had to buzz
you in, opening an old iron gate, and two janitors (one daytime, the other in
the evening,) and now there was me.
Things were about to change, miraculously!
My answer to all the staff when they said they could not help me was, "That's OK
my friends will be glad to do it with me."
Who were my friends?
The kids that hung out on the street! The ones who weren't allowed in the
building because they weren't members! Well, not yet, anyway! They were now my
volunteers!
YES!
To be continued…
© Carole Devecka God Given Daisies Cdevecka@highstream.net
To see the first story in this series: These Are My Children
To see the next story in this series: A Brand New Day