If you have to work, at least you can enjoy the scenery.

Remember when I told you Elijah was going on a mission trip to Switzerland? And remember how I said it wasn't going to be easy? And they were going to live in tents and wash their laundry in buckets and work like rented mules all summer? Well that's all true. They are at the YWAM base in Einigen, Switzerland, where they have several work projects lined up for their 6-week stay. The first one involves painting a house. When we first heard that, we were excited, because if there's one thing my kids know how to do, it's sling some paint.

Nothing—but nothing—could have prepared him for this:



Welcome to Schlossli Le Rudli on the scenic shores of Lake Thun in Einigen. That's what they're painting.





But first the whole house has to be scraped. With scrapers. Why they're not sand-blasting it is beyond me. According to the lastest report from their leaders, the house is covered with little tile-like shingles, each of which has to be individually scraped. When I read that, I thought, "Oh, big deal. Scrape a few shingles." Then we read the second, more in-depth report.

Each square foot contains 96 shingles.

Do the math. Each shingle is one inch wide and one-and-a-half inches tall. My cell phone covers four shingles.

Dang. That's a lot of scraping.

They expect this to take them a week and a half. Then they paint it.

I have no idea what their other work projects are. I'm not sure I want to know.

I'm thankful that Teen Missions doesn't sell teenagers short. I'm glad they know just how much kids are capable of, and that they're not afraid to push the them—sometimes hard. The team will come out of this with the knowledge that they can attempt huge things for God, and that God will go with them.

Be thankful ~

Karen

PS. Photos courtesy of YWAM.