A Slight Change Of Plans
- Ethan Dyrli
- May 12, 2023
- 2 min read
About midway through our day, as our team was putting in the rebar for the three supporting walls, our local expert Benjamin gave us a concerned look. He explained to us that there was a law in Mexico that restricted the top of our bridge, and that it would have to be shortened.
Apparently, Mexican law restricts both sidewalks and streets from going a certain distance above the ground level, and our bridge surpassed that limit - a limit that was previously unknown to our designers. The catch is, if we lowered the bridge too much, we risked bringing the bridge below where the water level could potentially run, defeating the purpose of the project in the first place. We convened to problem solve, and managed to find a solution that kept us in line with the law and didn't require us to majorly redesign or compromise the safety of the bridge.
Coming back after lunch, we knew what we had to do and started working. While we lost a good amount of momentum and had to spend time readjusting, we still ended with some significant progress. Currently, we hope to finish laying out the rebar and formwork for the three walls of the bridge tomorrow, allowing us to pour Saturday morning.
Still, while there was much hard work today, God presented some awesome opportunities to learn about the people around us. While we were working, Benjamin shared that many in his line of work use drugs and alcohol to cope with their daily lives. But, once he came to Christ, he gave those things up, relying on his friends, family, and the love of God instead.
Benjamin's openness with us was encouraging for our team, especially since he shared that without being asked about it first. God is continually opening doors for us to build relationships with the community here at Trigo y Miel.
Here are some ways to pray for us today:
That we use our time effectively tomorrow and get back on schedule
That we continue to practice safety as the amount of rebar on site increases
That we are able to continue to connect with the community
Here are some areas of thanksgiving:
We're thankful for our local friends who continue to show us kindness
We're thankful for the support of MC3, the other church group on site who leaves tomorrow to return home
We're thankful for our leaders and advisors who are constantly encouraging us and working alongside us.
Thankful that Benjamin observed the developing issue prior to the point that demolition would have been required! Thankful for God’s gifts given to each of you. God designed each of YOU IN HIS IMAGE. I praise God that you collectively worked as one body and applied God’s creative design to the issue(s) before you. Praying that as His image bearers that you will continue to serve with grateful hearts, that you would reflect the glory of God to one another and a watching world, that health and safety would be protected, that God would continue to bless conditions for rapid productivity and that you would encourage and build up the saints and be light and salt to the lost…
Thank you God for bringing to light the issue with the height of the bridge. Thank you for giving the team wisdom to solve the problem. Please give them incredible strength to accomplish the tasks that lay before them today.
Praising God the issue was caught in time to make adjustments! Praying for you all to be back on schedule soon and to stay encouraged!
Great work!
Praying for you constantly.
You dealt with a major upset in plans but all worked together and came up with a solution- great job. Being flexible and teachable are both great traits and as you saw today - those moments come when we least expect them. Praying for good weather, safety and smooth sailing for tomorrow’s tasks. You’re doing great!!