These are not good things.
So far this summer, all of the interns at my site joke around about our own "plagues." Although these plagues may not compare to Biblical wrath, they still are unpleasant to say the least.
Our site is in an old church building. I'm not exactly sure how old this building is, but some stained glass tells me that the "Young Married People's Class 1927" gave some financial support for the construction of the windows. This building is massive. This building has a main floor, a basement, a upper level, and a gymnasium. I am also fairly certain that there are hidden passages throughout the building that were once used in the underground railroad or for traveling to Narnia.
Simply put, this church is big and old. Big and old buildings have a problem. Most of them weren't created with any form of air conditioning. Even though this building has state-of-the-art windows that open 90ยบ, I'm sure the other interns and I could cook a full Thanksgiving turkey in the middle our classrooms on any given day. Needless to say, we have a constant problem keeping cool. Thankfully though, we do have some small air conditioning units that work most of the time - as long as the kids are not trying to put the bottom of their shirt over the part that shoots out cold air. I can't blame them though, it feels great.
Keeping cool isn't the only problem that can arise from a gargantuan piece of elderly religious architecture. What I mean by this is, "When it rains, it floods."
If anyone in the greater Indianapolis area would ever ask me, "Would you happen to know if it rained last night?" I would promptly respond by saying, "I'm not sure. Let me check the basement." Whenever there is any precipitation, there is soon to be a small lake in the basement of the church. My classroom is in the basement of the church. The cafeteria is also in the basement. Thankfully, someone decided to hold off on the plan to install carpet into the lower level of the church.
Some other "plagues" include very small living things. A lot of these critters like to come to our location and live in the carpets. Most of them like to live on the children. Many of our children have to be screened on almost a daily basis for lice. We literally have a room for children with lice to stay in throughout the day to prevent them from sharing their little friends with other students.
Many of the children come from homes that most would not consider clean. Along with lice, some children are covered with flea bites and ring worm. At least two workers have contracted ring worm and I have personally killed over a dozen fleas that I have found living in my socks by squishing them in between my thumb nails. Also, just today we heard that a few of our students have a problem with bed bugs.
By my count, we have four more "plagues" to experience over the next three weeks. Hopefully by the end of this summer I won't have to paint any door frames.
This may be a list of "plagues," but it is also the perfect definition of ministry. Most of me wants nothing more than to stay comfortable in an air conditioned room far away from parasites. Although part of me wants to be so close to these kids who are plagued by these on a daily basis. That part of me wants to hug a little girl who, literally, has ring worm all over her arm and lice living on her scalp.
To be honest, my mind has struggled. Part of me wants to hug this little girl. Part of me says, "You cannot do this. If you do, you *will* get ring worm and lice." I don't want ring worm. I don't want lice.
Jesus touched lepers. Perhaps I can hug a kid with lice. Ring worm isn't that bad after all… right?
--John D.
