Best Job

I am slowly beginning to get things back in order after two weeks of playing up on the roof. Today has been one meeting after another and tomorrow does not look much better. In fact yesterday looked a lot like this as well.

Weeks like this can get fairly  tense for me when I am juggling a lot of meetings and a lot of deadlines but I still have to say that I have the best job in the world. I feel very fortunate to do what I do. I am also blessed with a congregation who also believes that I need to be out in the community. That is a very healthy perspective and means that we are building bridges out in the community. It also means that my days are filled with many and varied things.

For instance this morning began with an early morning Chamber of Commerce meeting. From there I headed to the fire Hall where I was part of a webinar on community health initiatives and then part of a lively discussion about what we could do locally. From the Fire Hall I headed back to the church to meet with my associate pastor and eat a quick lunch, followed up for the search for the carnival Banner that needs to be hung. By the time that was wrapping up, I had gotten a call for a food box so I ran over to the food pantry and took care of that. Then I had a series of drop in visitors. Now it is time for me to head over to the west Valley Community Campus for the Board of Directors meeting. By the time that is finished it will be 6:30 and time for me to think about dinner and head home.

I love that my work day is never the same from one day to the next and it is full of life and people and usually plenty of laughter.

I really do have the best job in the world ....

Just Connie

Project Completed!

Finally after 31 hours of back breaking labor by 25 volunteers our part of the roof is done. I am sore, tired, dirty and feeling pretty satisfied with things at this point.

I have to admit that I really like these opportunities to serve the community in ways that get me out from behind my desk. I could not have asked for better weather or better company to make it all happen.

The biggest problem we faced was when I found myself suddenly falling through the rotten roof. I was very fortunate that one of my volunteers grabbed my arm and held on for dear life because I do not think anything would have stopped me until I hit the floor. The hard part was that the roof was so rotten that they could not get close enough to pull me out. I was afraid that we were all going to go plummeting through. But little by little they eased me out and we slowly crawled out of there.

I am grateful for others who are willing to work hard to help someone else. It blesses me and encourages me to continue to serve. I think it is always the right choice.

Let's see .... what will I do next.

Just Connie

My Roofing Crew

I looked around at my roofing crew. There was a pastor (me) a firefighter/paramedic and a logger. I have to admit that at that point my heart rate sped up and my stomach clenched in a knot. Some how we had a lot of roof to tear off and replace in just two days.

My crew was responsible for tearing the old roofing off and replacing any rotten boards that needed it. How hard could that be right? The tear off was pretty simple, it just took hard work. But the replacing boards was ... well downright scary. First of all, the roof was incredibly rotten. So rotten that we had trouble finding safe spots to stand where we would not fall through the roof. Then there were the skylights, the vents, the dormers ... well you begin to get the picture. The other complication was that we were way short on replacement sheathing. It was on realizing that when I wondered if I could find someone else to supervise this job.

However, I began tearing off the old roofing with my crew while I contemplated what I could do to fix some of our problems. I began to send out e-mails and posting pleading for help on the job and people began to trickle in. Then I came to the realization that my logger was incredibly good with a skill saw and figuring out all of those angles and special cuts. So he was put in charge of getting the sheathing back on while the fireman and I worked to tear things off.

The three of us worked for 10 hours that day trying to get as much done as we could. Then I went home and began making phone calls. The next morning I was blessed and encouraged as a steady stream of volunteers began to come in. The school even sent a crew of kids to help with the tear off. And by the end of day 2 we had half of the house done. It was ready for the roofer to come and begin to lay the felt and the new roof down.

Now this week, we will hit the roof again and begin the tear off on the back half on the house. I really think that this part will go faster than the first half did. I am praying for less rot and I know that it will be simpler in terms of angles and extras we have to cut around. And I have two more days to recruit as many people as I can.

Though the work is hard, dirty and makes you really sore, I have enjoyed the challenge. I have also enjoyed the break in normal routine to do something a bit out of the norm. I think it makes me a healthier pastor to get out from behind my desk and work side by side with members of the community.

Though for something healthy .... it sure hurts a lot the next day.

Just Connie

Tired and Sore

I am tired, sore and tired some more with an extra dose of sore. I have spent the last two days working on the roof of the house. That means I am taking off old roof, hauling debris, carrying 8 foot sheets of composite sheets and climbing up and down ladders.

I hobbled in to the house tonight saying, "Ouch, ouch, ouch!" While my dinner heated up I filled the tub with hot water and spent an hour just soaking my aches and pains away. Only when I got out I realized they were not gone ... just muted.

So now I have a week to lose those aches and pains before we head back on the roof to get sore all over again.

Huh ... I must be doing something wrong ....

Just Connie

Tired Puppy

I am a tired. tired puppy tonight. I just spent the last 9 hours tearing shingles off of a house and pulling up rotten boards and replacing them.

There are always things I learn when I am part of a big work project like this. Some of the things I learned today were:

• Roofs seem to grow square footage when you start tearing shingles off.
• Every piece  you try to remove will have at least 4 times the nails/staples that you expect
• Shingles give you slivers
• When you drop a rotten piece of wood though the open skylight, it explodes when it hits the ground
• My energy does not last as long as the work does.
• There will be more rot than you expect
• It is fun to work side by side with friends

So now I am sitting here with my feet on the coffee table trying to talk myself into getting up and doing something. My body says no ...

I think for tonight my body wins ... tomorrow it is back on the roof again.

Just Connie

Meetings and More Meetings

Meetings and more meetings ... one after the other today. Wednesdays are always filled with meetings but some days are just a little more packed than others.

My morning began at 7:30 and the Chamber of Commerce Meeting. Following that I ran down to the Fire Hall for the Board of Directors meeting. Immediately after that was a webinar exploring a new program we are looking at for the Fire District. I ducked out of that at 12:30 and headed to meet with one of my Associate Pastors. We wrapped that up, and I ran by the church and printed out some paperwork and then headed back to the Fire Hall for a short meeting. By the time that was completed  it was time to head down to the Old Willamina High School (now the West Valley Community Campus) for the Board of Directors meeting. Leaving there at 6:00 I headed back down to the Fire Department to drop off some paperwork.

By 7:00 I was pulling into my driveway ready for some dinner and rest. I would love to say that this was an unusual day, but it is a fairly typical Wednesday. Just a little more full than normal. However, in spite of the long day and busy schedule some really important things happened. And it reminds me that the meetings are important and keeps all the projects on track.

I guess being on track is a pretty good thing to be ...

Just Connie

Blessed and Happy

I am swamped in paperwork! Papers, papers everywhere .... I am beginning to think that someone snuck into my office and filled my desk with papers. However, I suspicion that it is all from me. I have been frantically trying to sort through some of this mess while fielding a long string of drop in visitors today. I am hoping to have at least some of it taken care of before my noon meeting.

I have been slowly working my way through the list of phone calls, the mail and other assorted problems from my two weeks off. it is a tough enough process that I always end up wondering if it is really worth it to be gone for two weeks in a row. I think in spite of it all, it truly is worth it.

I have a lot on my plate this week. Some of the irons in the fire are Fire Department Board Meeting, Kiwanis, West Valley Ministerial Association Meeting, West Valley Community Campus Board Meeting, Chamber of Commerce, volunteering at the school and I am supposed to be heading up a group to remove the old roof from a  house. Just a few small things to squeeze into a normal kind of week.

All of this reminds me that I am blessed to have a varied and eclectic schedule. I feel that it keeps me connected to people and keeps things fresh for me. I once told someone "that if it was not for meetings I would have no social life". That is actually pretty true for me, those meetings brings me into contact with a host of people who might never step foot into the church.

I am blessed and I am happy ... and I have things to do. That sounds pretty good to me ... I better get to it!

"I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live." Ecclesiastes 3:12

Just Connie

Oh No!

I had an "Oh no" moment yesterday. Like most "Oh no" moments it was too late by then to change anything.

The sun was shining bright as the men and I headed to Aldersgate Camp Ground to cut up some downed trees. This is a job that we do frequently and I thought the exercise and camaraderie would be perfect for my second to the last day of my vacation. We worked steadily for several hours when my leather work gloves ripped out across the palm and finger. One of the men gave me his extra glove to protect my hand as I loaded log rounds into the hydraulic splitter. The glove worked for protection but had about 3 inches too much finger which cut down a bit on functionality.

Everything was going perfectly until the moment the splitter grabbed ahold of the extra material on the glove and pulled my hand down between the log and the splitter. I was able to pull most of my hand away except for one finger. And that was my "Oh no" moment. By then the guy running the splitter was hollering and trying to slam the splitter into reverse as I kept trying to pull away.

As the splitter finally began to reverse, I pulled my hand free saying "I'm fine, I'm fine." But as they drew my glove off it was apparent that though I was very fortunate and blessed that it was not worse, I had not been quite fast enough. My finger was quickly swelling and turning purple with long scrapes down both the front and the back. Laughing I pointed out, "I did not think it was broken and it was completely my fault."

So today, I have a large, extremely sore purple finger. I also have plans to get some better work gloves that fit well for the next trip with the guys. I am also reflecting on how fast things can go wrong and how blessed I truly am.

"Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you." Psalm 84:4

And I am thinking that blessed is a pretty good way to start the day.

Just Connie

The Hunting Trip

After 8 miserable days of wind and rain, I packed up the car and headed home. I did not do any of the things I had planned to do. No hiking, no reading out in the gorgeous outdoors. It is beautiful country and I saw very little of it.  To further complicate the trip, there is no phone reception and I was trying to close on the house refinance. That meant I was driving to phone reception a couple of times every day.

I have to admit that the trip had its exciting moments. My son's tent blew into the meadow when he and his dog were in it. My nephews tent had two of its poles broken. But I was finding that I was tired of being wet and cold all the time. So I came back to finish the house loan and do some relaxing here.

So now I am mostly unpacked and trying to get all the loads and loads of laundry done. This was not how I was hoping my two weeks off would play out.

Oh well ... that is life ...

Just Connie