Yakima? Is that IT?

Life is life.  Interesting how simple it can be.  Frustrating that it seldom is.
We want it simple when it's busy.  We want more of it when we compare.
It's never to busy, or too much, when we compete with the neighbors or co-workers.
Life really gets complicated when we debate service and service trips.
We compare.  To previous excursions.  To times when our life changed.
We want our students and children to go if they are going to work hard.
Last year OCS students went to Costa Rica.  Did they play or work?
When you do both be careful.  If play is fun the trip's value is questioned.
If work was fun then something is wrong.  Is this the way America thinks?
Is this the way we think?  Is this the way Christians think?  No question.
We met Shirley on Tuesday morning.  Her yard a mess-No fun will happen.
Words in my mind:  Hopeless.  Why.  To hard.  Will she keep it clean.
Oh!  Will this be deemed worthy by the folks back home?  I have an idea.
Why not take the folks back home?  Watch Sierra chop wood.  For two days.
Watch Kelly, Corrina, and Effie stack wood and clean the yard.  Marissa
picking up dirt piles, and sharing her positive smile.
Whoa Danny with the wild lawn mower-wait, where is Danny?  Kaylee attends
to the wounded. Graye chops and supplies me with snacks.  Will lunch come?
Liam lays tar paper, and does whatever is asked of him. Julia chops, prunes,
and climbs ladders.  Alex chops, sheds it, tends the fire.
Grant, Melia, Herb, and Doug, move broken appliances, wood, and unload
garbage. Sean is glued to the axe.  Brynna scrubs the yard and runs into flying wood.
Jonathan builds a shed.  Tom loves his chainsaw.  Dawn and Carmen cater food. 
The rain pours on the lunch.  Soaked and tasty.  Ron gathers the group. 
Near Preston we stand.  Ron prays.  The Meaning Of Life.
Thursday.  Finally finished.  We pile into cars and Doug says, "Shouldn't we
go and tell Shirley goodbye?  I'm in the car and I'm not getting out.  Doug runs to the house
and tells Shirley goodbye-for all of us!  May I never question the validity of service trips,
particularly the ones I don't plan or in which I don't participate.

I've got it!  You and I could organize a service trip.  We could come down
from the bleachers and plan the perfect trip.

We would come back with tons of pictures and stories of all work and no play.
Maybe we could go to an exotic place like Yakima.  Yakima?  Is that It?

MM