By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through” (Eccl. 10:18).

We came back from furlough with cautious hope of seeing a roof on our new church. When we left on furlough, all the framing was done, and various friends were making thatch for the roof. All that remained was for the thatch to dry and then be hoisted up and lashed into place. It was close enough to being finished that we decided to have a church dedication service before we left.

But what we found when we returned only confirmed what I had feared. The thatched roof had never been put on. The framing was rotting and falling down. Grass and weeds had overgrown the site. It was a bit of a downer, to say the least. Behind this black cloud, however, there was a silver lining.
In our yard was a stack of lumber with metal roofing over it. Thinking that perhaps a church ought to have a more durable metal roof, I inventoried my supply. We had just enough material to build a simple wood-floored structure, open on the sides for cooling breezes. In less than two months, with the help of church members and friends, we had a beautiful new church that could seat up to 120 people. Tears of joy on the faces of church members told just how glad they felt to finally have a church. God is merciful!

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