Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: BEGIN (01/06/22)
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TITLE: The Big Inn | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jack Taylor
01/09/22 -
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It so happened that I was strolling by a vacant lot, looking to secure a place to pray for the neighborhood while sipping my latte at the start of my day. Without intention, I had spotted the pile of building material and had circumnavigated it to find a quiet place in the back, out of sight of the street. That’s when I came across Carlos.
At first, I pivoted to return to the main road but was prompted to at least greet the man. “Hola, amigo,” I said. “Como estas?” You have to begin a conversation somewhere.
One eye partially opened and then closed. He shook his head, no.
“Bonjour, comment vas-tu?” I tried. Again, a head shake. “Wie geht’s dir. Ciao, come stai?”
“Try English,” he said.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“My hearing, for one,” he said. “I’m Carlos. Look at all these bricks. I was hired by a Mexican foreman to do a project and this is what I end up with.”
“What happened?” I asked.
A big sigh escaped the man as he looked up. “He asked if I could dig. I said, yes. He handed me a shovel and said big inn.”
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Carlos,” he answered.
“So, what went wrong, Carlos?”
“I thought and thought about what was needed and realized that he wanted me to take the initiative in planning out a big inn. I ordered all the bricks.” He stood and surveyed the small mountain. “Yesterday, he came back again. I showed him my bricks and he said, No! Whole, big inn. He took my shovel and drew a big box in this lot.” Carlos pointed out the faint rut on the ground, picked up one of the kiln-dried red bricks and handed it to me. “I ordered another truckload and here I am.”
I nodded. “You’re realizing that you misunderstood the foreman,” I said. “You realize that he wanted you to dig a hole the size of the box he outlined and that you should begin to dig. Now, you’re wondering what to do with all the bricks.”
Carlos snatched the brick back. “What did you say?”
“I said that you realize now that the Mexican foreman wanted you to begin to dig a hole the size of the box he outlined.”
“Do you think so?” Carlos asked. “Now, I’ll have to return all these bricks.” He flopped down on the pile, pulled out his cell and made several calls. I left him, happy to have been of service.
The next morning, I passed by the lot just as the last truck pulled away with its load of bricks. A large backhoe had already dug into the earth and churned it over. A dump truck arrived and accepted the load of earth. Carlos happily waved one truck after another through the lot until I had to leave again. I had a sermon to prepare.
Two days later I returned to find Carlos leaning up against the mesh fence around the property. The bricks were gone, the hole sunk deep into the ground and all looked well. “What’s happening now?” I asked.
“I got an interpreter.”
“Great!” I said. “So, you and the foreman are now on the same page for whatever else he has going.”
“Yes, we are,” he said. “I realize now that I can’t assume I know what is going on and I can’t assume that anyone else does either. I need to ask questions before I begin a project and not after.”
“I’m glad to be of service,” I said.
“Oh, you weren’t,” he said. “Through the interpreter, I realized that I needed to do what I’d been called to do.”
“But you got your hole dug, just as the foreman wanted, right?”
He pointed toward a small table where a scroll of paper lay stretched out. “I should have told you but I’m not a builder or a foreman on this project.”
“You’re just a laborer who shouldn’t be thinking for himself. Is that it?”
“No! I’m the architect. The foreman wanted me to begin designing the big inn. Before I begin listening to anyone I have to realize who I am.”
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And I discoverer I am a wanna be rescuer.
Fun and a great message.
Thank you.