Surrendering in Delays and Waiting

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”  - Isaiah 40:31(ESV)

Rainbow out our front window

One of the highlights of my week is attending our church’s ladies gathering called “Table Talk.” This past session, we were learning from notable women in the Bible, many of whom I can easily identify with. Hannah is known for surrendering in waiting. In our everyday lives, at any given time, we are usually waiting for something, waiting to get “there” from “here,” not content to just sit where we are. We often hear reminders to focus on the here and now lest we miss out on the beauty of the moment we are in. “Stop and smell the flowers” or “It’s the journey, not the destination that’s important.” Even the Bible tells us to "Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land . . . " (Psalm 37:34).

Enjoying new species of wildflowers as they appear in succession on the mountain

Clearly, Rick and I have been in a waiting pattern for a long time, living in a state of transition, developing a plot of land from scratch, building a new home, integrating into a new community, anticipating a new life. To be honest, the waiting up to this point has been due to the fact that this is a long process, and we haven’t faced too many unexpected roadblocks or delays. I have appreciated the many opportunities to stop and examine the flowers and the beauty that surrounds me on this mountain. I have photographed at least 18 different wildflowers so far this spring!

The thing that has remained in a holding pattern the longest is waiting to get fingerprinted for a criminal record check (CRC) to complete the hiring process for me to work as a teacher-on-call in this school district. The request for a CRC went in from the school district office on February 6^th. It took 3 months to get all the identification documents I needed before the local RCMP would take my fingerprints. I finally got it done on May 5. I thought it was a great idea for me to do some teaching on call during this time while Rick was building and the kids weren’t here yet. I could fill my time and make some money to help pay for finishing off our house. It was not to be. However, I have managed to fill my time fairly well. Lots of hikes up the mountain, tons of painting (in our cottage and at a friend’s), volunteering time for church events, seeding and watering a plot of grass, helping Rick with work site clean-up, and of course, shopping, making meals and doing laundry have kept me busy.

However, the (predicted) delays in the building process have now begun.

We welcomed our carpenter on site on April 10, but instead of the crew of four we were expecting, there were only two of them plus a part-timer who would drive from Kelowna. Nevertheless, they got going without delay and it seemed like the excavation and forming/pouring of the footings for the lower level took no time at all. Next was the much bigger job of forming up the multi-level walls, the highest of which was 13.5 feet. Then it took a while for $10,000 worth of rebar to be formed into a steel grid jungle before five cement trucks came and filled those forms with concrete. There were a few hiccups such as a footing and support column being left out of the first pour and our carpenter’s first mate leaving on a pre-planned vacation.

But then we lost our carpenter on May 5 and he won’t be back until perhaps the third week of June. We had known he would have to go back home for a while, but not for that long, and a crew was supposed to continue on without him. This will set us back. On the positive side, he had finished installing the floor for our suite before he left, which is cool because we can walk around in our various rooms and see the view from where our windows will be.

Rick the owner/builder is now also the labourer. He and the one part-time worker started forming the footings for the upper level but ran into snags because the new footings weren’t aligning with the lower walls. They had to give up and call in a surveyor to pin the corners of the new foundation. The timing was okay because we were scheduled to return to SK to hand over our beloved cabin to its new owners and retrieve one last trailer load of belongings from the cabin, my dad’s basement, and the Roth garage. That trip has come and gone successfully and we are now genuine BC residents.

Lone labourer

One possible reason for further delay has been circumvented by the quick sale of Beth & Tim's house. Conditions have been removed, the SOLD sign tacked up, and possession date set for July 15^th, so leaving SK has become very real for them too. This was important because as long as they carry an existing mortgage, the bank will not release funds for a builder’s mortgage. Now we will have access to the next pot of money by the time the R&C supply runs out.

Loved having these characters here during Easter week

Moving into June, we are about 2 weeks behind where we’d hoped to be. Beth and Tim's family plan to arrive the first week in August, but the house will be nowhere near ready to move into. They will be looking for a place to rent until . . . November or December? There's no way to predict further delays - progress depends on our success in hiring good workers or doing it ourselves.

Good old Ridgeline faithful to the last cross-country mile

Funny thing about delays, once the waiting ends, life kicks back into gear and it doesn’t seem like the interim was so long. For instance, on my way back from Saskatchewan, I started getting calls  to respond to a school division request. Last week I subbed a day and a half and I have two more days booked. Sometimes the adjusted schedule turns out to be the better timeline and you humbly realize that God was in charge all the time. I have been hearing the message to surrender in the waiting. It is not honoring to God to live in a state of discontent and it keeps us from redeeming the time at hand.

“We should live our lives in a fluid dance of surrender with God. You have to surrender, and surrender often.” – Amena Brown

 The summer is now upon us and visitors have started arriving. We welcome all of our family and friends to swing around our way if you are coming out to BC. We do have a queen-sized sofa bed, so you can even stay with us in our little cottage. 

Until then, surrender to summer,

R & C