A bruised reed He will not break… [Isaiah 42:3]

We spent 7 hours Friday working on the new church and hall buildings. They needed to be prepared for painting which was actually quite a large task. The floors also had to be prepped for replacement tile in the hall and new flooring in the church. The more work we do, the less we have to pay other people to do it. It is good and holy work, but it can be discouraging at times. We did have the very first service in the new church (a blessing when beginning work) and our first lunch in the hall. Blessings. Oh, and it didn’t rain.

We have had so much rain over the past few months. The ground is not only saturated, but underwater. A septic system cannot be installed until the ground dries out some, which might not be for months. We keep on, doing what we can. I believe God wants us to be doing this, but He’s not providing an easy path. When I think of our mission I do think of a “bruised reed.”

Friday was hard work. I myself feel a bit bruised! I came home from Pennsylvania and launched right into accumulated censer orders so they could be mailed before Thanksgiving. We celebrated Duchess’s birthday Wednesday because it was the first available opportunity.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and the cooking began on Wednesday. I spent some hours Thanksgiving afternoon working on priest dolls.

Friday we spent at the work site, and that evening I discovered what a horrible mess the shipping calculation system on my website had turned into. I struggled for hours and finally fell asleep at 1:20 when the tech person on live chat admitted he was stumped and would get back to me tomorrow (today).

This morning I woke at 6:30 and started trying things. It looked like I had miraculously fixed it, but it wasn’t until several snafus, fixes, and hours later that I (cautiously) declared it “fixed.”

This afternoon we had a panakhida at church followed by Vespers. I was so tired from the accumulation of fatigue and lack of sleep that I yawned through most of it. The youngest was clingy and I rashly let both hold lit candles during the panakhida. Probably the resulting vigilance is what kept me awake.

The important things are all getting done. I’m still on top of my Psalter kathismas and we’ve only missed one night of the Advent readings. We’re together and healthy. The shop is once again functional. God is in charge. He hasn’t broken the bruised reeds.