We can make our plans, but God determines our steps  Proverbs 19:21

Tuesday, 2-19-13

Water pressure has been an issue at the property for some time…a storage tank sits at roof level and the system is gravity fed. Sinks and showers flow as though someone got carried away with water conservation devices. A pump lifts water from a cistern into the overhead storage tank…perhaps pressure can be improved by adding some connections and valves to the system. The construction plans provide for a new pump, but it will be some time before the new system is installed. Absent a simple or inexpensive solution, it appears that things will remain as they are until the new pump is installed during the construction project

A short walk through the neighborhood brings us to the house of Caesar and Olgita where we are to meet with Ramon, a retired electrical technician and instructor at Santa Clara University who is familiar with the area power structure. 

We hope to learn about the possibilities for an electrical service upgrade. We are invited inside and exchange the customary embrace as we are introduced. The teapot is filled and placed on the stove as we sit in the front room to inquire about family and friends and how they are doing. We are invited further into the home to the dinner table to discuss business matters with Ramon.  Cups of tea are brought to the table as the church construction project and electrical upgrade challenge are presented. 

After much description and diagrams drawn on paper have been exchanged, Ramon leans back, smiles and tells us that the needed upgrade can be done. Twenty minutes later we have the roadmap on how to get the upgrade accomplished. You could tell that God was in control just by the answers Ramon was giving to guide us. 

Feeling relieved on the walk back, I am also a bit disappointed for having any doubt in the first place. Whenever God has a plan, He has already worked out the details of how to get it accomplished. Our job is simply to find how we fit into the work that He has already begun.

In the afternoon we take a drive to the keys to visit a beach and relax a bit. The turquoise water is warm and surprisingly salty. Swimming, lounging, and eating are the only items on the agenda as we take in some much needed R&R. 

When we arrive back at the church in Remedios that evening, we find that several from the youth group have been thoughtfully waiting to wish us ‘buen viaje’ (good trip) and to say goodbye. Early tomorrow we will travel to Havana on the final leg of our journey before heading home. ~Rick