October 2017

It was early morning on Friday August 10th, I was drinking my coffee while thinking and praying about the plans for the day when I felt sure that I was supposed to get my bible and read chapter 2 of the book of Ephesians. I could not stop crying as I read the last few verses over and over. That was the day we were finally supposed to start the concrete for the Lighthouse building. The construction process this summer has been full of delays, unexpected issues, and roadblocks. Weather and various other issues had caused us to delay the concrete pour multiple times; and honestly, I did not think my emotions on that day could take another hiccup. It constantly felt like we were doing something wrong, like we were trying to herd cats or push sand up hill, so much so that I regularly wanted to scream out loud at the top of my lungs. Even though I know we are doing what we’re supposed to be doing, this project, this mission, is still the hardest thing I have ever done. Thankfully, the Lord knows exactly what our hearts need, and he delivers it at just the right time.

Here is what I read that morning, from Ephesians 2:19-22, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

There is so much in those few verses that spoke deep into my soul that morning. I felt like I’d been given a second wind, like I found a new strength to continue to push forward. Thankfully, the concrete pour did happen that day and the following Monday. The end result being that we now have a completed shell of a building, and it is wonderful.

One of the issues we encountered was that our building site prep required a lot more fill than initially estimated. So much more that our budget for site prep was going to be short just a little over $2000. The week that we got the final bill for the material and trucking, a friend of the Lighthouse who had no idea about this overage brought us a check for $2000. So many of you have done this for us over the past four years as we have told the story of what God has asked us to do. Whether you gave your last $20 or $2000 does not matter, just that you were faithful to God’s spirit leading you to give. His promise was that if we keep telling the story and sharing the need, he would show us favor through people giving what we needed. Thank you for being a part of helping us get this far.

Sincerely,

Chris Edgington, Director