September 24 – “The Beast vs The Leak”

We got a phone call the other day from the guy who takes care of our landscaping at church.  He was out mowing when he noticed water dripping on his head.  Looking up he saw what was clearly a water leak coming from somewhere in the retreat center.  He thought someone should go by and check on it.  Great call there, there Silva. 

As it happened, Worship Pastor Jim was actually on site, eyes on the ground, when I got the call.  He was there to meet the bee guy.  Seems we have a major infestation of bees in the underside of the Retreat Center.  His estimate was up to 65,000 of the little critters.  It’s going to cost us $350 to have him remove them.  Ouch.  But we don’t want to just kill them.  And you have to be licensed now to do it legally.  Got to be above board.  He’s coming back next week to do the deed.

So with Jim already there, he went upstairs to check on the leak.  Sure enough, the kitchen was covered in an inch of water.  Seepage extended to the hall and one bunk room.  He opened the refrigerator and saw water pouring into the freezer section.  An inch or two of ice already covered the top shelf.  Water was dripping rapidly into the lower levels and out onto the floor.  What a mess.

He got the water turned off.  Good first move, Jim.  He called me to give me an update, and he headed home to get his wet vac.  We grabbed ours as well, and he and I and Chris and Charlette spent the afternoon on our hands and knees soaking up water.  Thankfully we had access to The Beast.  The very large wet vac that the church has was nothing short of amazing.  It sucked up more water than we could imagine.  Seriously, the suction was so powerful I had to get on my knees to even move it.  We emptied our little one three times.  Jim emptied his medium sized one a time or two as well.  The beast had to be emptied twice.  There was a lot of water in that room. 

With all three machines going and the fourth person doing whatever cleaning they could, we finally managed to get The Leak under control.  We left the windows open and fans going, and Jim turned them off when he returned for praise team rehearsal later on.  He also sprayed a few cans of Lysol to try to fight back the smell.  Bob is going to install a separate shut-off valve for that refrigerator so the water can get turned back on. 

It was hard work, but we really enjoyed the time spent with Jim and Charlette.  They are a great couple.  Lots of fun to be around.  Get to know them when you can. 

2 Corinthians 4:16 says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

Father, thanks for Jim and Charlette and Bob.  Oh, and thank you for The Beast.  Amen.