- 'Pack Mule' Goes to Work -

By the grace of GOD, for me working is FUN!!- The harder the work the better. There is nothing more satisfying than to see or be a part of 'Hard Work' accomplished....Or, so I thought. Here on the Island of Mauritius, it's another level. Everything is done by hand, or you will without a doubt, end up doing everything by hand. You can get a machine for just about any function you wish, however the machine one thinks will make everything easier, actually breaks down quickly and is expensive to replace or fix. It is a good thing 'We walk by faith, not by sight' (2 Corinth. 5:7)- because when you see how things are done here, you have no choice but to trust GOD that whatever it is you are using is going to function properly.

Do not let me paint a picture for you that- 'The Mauritian people do not know what they are doing'- This is not the case. The people are primarily immigrants from India, China and Africa. Their products are of a lesser quality than what we are used to in The States. Which means whatever you purchase will fail at a certain period of time (usually soon after the job begins) causing you to purchase the same product again. This is how smart they are. You as a consumer, have no choice but to purchase another one...Good for business!

A function of mine here on the Island has been to... well, fix things. As I use products of poor quality, you learn a thing or two about "Appreciation". Especially the concern and care for us by our Almighty GOD who gives us nothing but the best (James 1:17). Let me show you the light duty work first, then...You Guessed It- The Hard Core, 'Oh GOD Why Have You Forsaken Me' work. In the end, the LORD shows HIMSELF to be just as good when things are tough as well as easy.

(This is a new faucet Pastor Ron installed for us- I am having to replace it one month later, water would not come out...Don't ask. My sidekick Andreanne, hands me tools)          

(Here also, a new faucet Pastor Ron installed personally. This one would not stop dripping water. Good thing we know the owner of the hardware store, he replaces all parts we purchase from him, no charge)

(This toilet head would not fill with water leaving it inoperable- A small family from the fellowship I was assigned to help, was going to pay big bucks to have a plumber come and check things out. So WE went to check things out)

(Instead of replacing the guts, I took them all completely apart and cleaned the screens from the inside and...'Voila'- that's French for YEAH UH-HUH !- We fixed it !) 

(This congregant was so happy to have her toilet back in working condition, she just had to let her hair down- You can see the toilet in the background. This family is one of many, here on the Island from India- Her mother, grand-mother, and great grand-mother taught her as a child, in the ways of the LORD)

                                                                                                  This next section will show some jobs I picked up here and there. This first one, by noticing a problem with the wheel bearing- when we were given a ride into town- The owners of the vehicle are Christian and were willing to give me a try and 'Pay Me', to see if I could...'Make that noise go away' !

(Wheel bearing hub assembly- The problem originates inside this component)

(If I damage any part of this hub assembly while attempting to remove the bearing assembly located inside...Game Over- Here on the Island, this sort of part is not readily available.
Time to pray...A lot)

                                (Local parts store- about a ten minute walk, one way. Thank GOD they had the bearing set that I needed)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

(After my planned job was done, it was time for 'extra credit' as I tighten the transmission pan bolts)        

(After fixing the wheel bearing from their van, they had me check out their second car, of course which I changed the motor oil. Nothing major was needed on this one.)                                                   
         

I pour fresh, new oil into the engine. After 20 years in the Automotive Repair Business- The LORD had other plans for me (Do not try this at home... I am a professional)  

(The owner of this 1987 Renault was actually my first car to work on- He broke down right in front of our house about two months ago)

(Alvin is a friend of the family- For months his gear shift lever would not stay secure to the transmission- He calls it a miracle that I fixed it. Alvin is a strong believer in CHRIST- He attends another fellowship. However, he loves to spend time with us- He Praises GOD for everything- What a good brother he is- We love him.)


NOW, what we have been waiting for, Hard Work- I was used on this project for about two months. Like I mentioned from the beginning- GOD will show HIMSELF to be just as good when things are tough as well as easy.

(The houses are made entirely of concrete. The job will be to have the materials brought into the house in order to make concrete floors, two inches thick, for 10 rooms. How large are the rooms? Large enough to use 3400 lbs. of concrete)

(17 bags of concrete which weigh 110 lbs a bag, have already been carried to the second floor. Now we have to get six tons of this crushed stone and seven tons of Rock Sand to mix with the concrete. The dangling rope to my left has a bucket attached to it, which was used to pulley all this to the second floor. Good thing I had help.)

Three subjects are mixed together to make the concrete suitable to build with: Rock Sand ; Gravel ; Concrete Mix.  All of which is mixed, You Guessed It !... By hand.

                                    Here I am putting together scaffolding, to get  to an opening for a second story window installation                        

                                           

                                                        

All of these block have to be taken to the roof. There are 360 of them, weighing about 25 lbs. a piece. We started to carry them by hand. Until a better idea came along.

 Roy is the owner of the house we are working on. He is a good Brother in Christ, and loves to engineer contraptions for the purpose of efficiency. He designed and made a crane for us not to have to carry all these block by hand.  

After the project was completed, Roy did take care of the 'Mule' That was given to him. Roy also made sure the help was taken care of with food, daily.

What GOD has done with this endeavor is HE took strangers and molded them to becoming good friends in CHRIST in a short amount of time. This has opened the door to pray for each other and to share what has GOD been doing with each others lives. This keeps our focus on CHRIST, and what HE did for us. Most importantly that HE is alive and ready to use us, provided we are willing to be used by HIM (Luke 22:42). This may sound like something you would expect to hear at all church services everywhere. This is not the case. See you on my next post- Bless you by HIS grace.

                 - Let's make a Deal -

You would think that whosoever would gladly sell us their vehicle, that I might fix up and sell. The unfortunate obstacle for me is that when the Mauritian people see my light skin they immediately, without fail think to themselves, "Ah hah!, White Skin, raise the price"!.

Of course we knew this would be a situation we would have to contend with. We came up with a plan- If we could set the price of what we want to spend for the vehicle we are interested in, this would set the stage for us to run the show. This sounds like a good idea, the only problem is WHO likes to be told what THEY will receive for an item THEY are selling? After much prayer, an opportunity came our way. I am told this happens only once or twice a year. I am very excited and am looking forward with anticipation- But what are we doing and where are we going ?

You guessed it !!- The Island's vehicle auction. We have a list of (34) cars and trucks to bid on. Ranging from beat up passenger cars, high end luxury cars, and heavy work trucks. 

   

 (this price of 129,769 Mauritian Rupees = $4325.00)

(this price of Rs.71,975 = $2400)







                                                

- It would seem that even the most damaged cars on this lot are out of our range to what we are looking to spend- What now?!?

- Good news- one of the six people we called is willing to meet us to show us his "Car for Sale". Let's check it out-

(uumm, WHAT ?!?- Wow !!- OK, I will not laugh in your face- But I am going to laugh like crazy when I get home-NO ENGINE!)
   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

- Well, our Mauritian friend was not able to sell us HIS car. However, the owner of the garage where his car was being worked on did have two other vehicles for us to look at-

(this 1992 Mercedes was an eye catcher and at a good price)

(the inside of this Mercedes was clean)

(this Mercedes did also come with an engine- Thank GOD)

(this 1989 Toyota Corolla is also at a good price of Rs.45,000 = $1500)

(this Corolla looked good inside)

(...and you guessed it- With an engine)





                                                                

                                         

                                       

 

 

                                                                                                                - Personally, I see potential with the 1989 Toyota Corolla- However I am thinking as an "American". Though the cost of registering and insuring a vehicle is primarily the same here on the Island as in the U.S.A.- Getting the funds is another task in itself...

Join me next post- "Pack Mule goes to work"- 

 

              - May the LORD bless you by HIS grace -

Life Begins in HIS Service

- Simply teaching the WORD Sim"PAUL"y. Here on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Keeping GOD's word as simply as living it day to day. The request to "Follow Me", as stated by our Lord Jesus, has been understood as a command and directive as I reflect how the LORD has a plan for all I come in contact with here on the island. Let's see what the LORD has for us....See you on my next post- 

                  - May The LORD Bless you by HIS grace -