Moving Stones

Ted told us a story tonight about one of his cement laying trips here with my dad… The story started with a connection he and my dad made with the Catholic school next to the farm. Through that relationship, they ended up borrowing a cement mixer from the school to help make their job go faster. The following day, a gentleman from the school came under the fence to see what was happening with the mixer. He was looking at the cement project and was wondering why they weren’t’ using rebar. Ted pointed at my dad and said with a smile, “cause that guy says we don’t need it.” So the gentleman went to talk with my father. A few minutes later, he made his way back to the fence and as he passed Ted, he muttered under his breath, “It’s like moving a stone!”

We all laughed because those of us sitting at that table know what it’s like to work with my dad. He is a focused man who knows a lot about a lot of things. When he says, “it’ll be fine,” it usually is. And if everyone says “it can’t be done.” My dad won’t quit until he finds a way to get it done. He may be a stone that won’t move sometimes, but he is also the one to figure out a way to move some stones if that’s what is needed.

He is also a man who knows in his knower that the message of the Bible is meant to be lived out and shared. He is passionate about the church and its purpose. And he loves people. And his ability to “move stones” has brought him here to Uganda. And he has moved a lot of stones since Gulu Country Dairy began.

In fact, I think he finds himself moving stones every time he comes here. Some of it is simply because of cultural differences and I think some of it is because he has 75 years of farming under his belt and these people have 3. The biggest stone is probably that he can’t just drive down to Fleet Farm or Tractor Supply and pick up the things he needs to fix what needs fixing. Every setback encountered is a puzzle to solve. While I was at the farm today, it took them 45 minutes to cut 2 inches off the end of a board... The generator had broken down and the handsaw was MIA. They truck the generator from the school house down to the building site only to realize that the cord on the circular saw had been cut. Electrical tape is found and then the key for the generator has to be located… and my father just kept solving and moving stones…

I am so thankful for parents that aren’t afraid to dig in and move stones that stand in the way of the Gospel being shared and people being encouraged here in Gulu, Uganda. My dad has always had the attitude of anything is possible. But seeing it here, in this setting, is like watching the perfect game. This is why my dad learned the things he did. This is why he struggled through the hard times that he did. This is why God gave him the life he has lived. It seems to all culminate here, in this project, with these people, in this far-away place. All the hard days of practice and all the knowledge learned come together in a perfect moment of clarity and purpose.

I think we all move stones. Every day we move stones. I also think that sometimes we are the stones that need moving… I think my trip here is moving stones. Stones of prejudice. Stones of entitlement. Stones of a closed mind or maybe just a naïve mind. Either way, they are stones that needed to be moved and stones that I will continue to have to move, and they’re not easy stones to move…

But God never said life would be easy, but He does say He’ll go before us, walk beside us and carry us when we need it. With that in mind, let’s get to movin’ some stones!