That Saturday, D worked his tail off trying to get all of the old remaining fiberglass out of the bottom of the boat, which was harder to do than he had anticipated, at least without the right tools.
So, he made a call to one of our neighbors, who has a huge shed full of cool tools. This person wishes to remain anonymous (Matthew 6:3). I'll call him Bob. The first thing I want to say about Bob is he served our country in Vietnam. I am proud to know him and his lovely wife. Anyway, Bob listened to D's story, and decided he'd come with what tools he had, to see if he could help. Bob took one look at that boat and told D he was in way over his head. He told him that there was a lot of work to be put into that boat, and it wouldn't just be a one day thing. D told him how serious he was about wanting a boat like this. Bob went on home. D had to quit work for the day, but all night long he dreamed of boat rides!!!
The next day, Sunday, we went to church like always, then we were sitting at the lunch table (I'd made spaghetti) when the phone rang. It was Bob. He told me to have D come over to his shed when we finished eating. So, D scarfed down and headed over.
When D came home, he was crying. I mean tears. He sat me down and said just this:
Bob just told me he is going to do all of the work on the floor of our boat, building it from scratch, and he's going to help me get it running too.......all for free!!! We buy the materials, and he is going to do every bit of the labor for us.
I bawled like a baby. The thought of someone doing something like this for us, and me knowing how much it meant to D, plus lets say pregnancy hormones as well, I was totally overwhelmed with emotion.
It reminded me, and still reminds me, of how Jesus did all of the labor, so that I can still go free.
Bob showed me such a great example of Jesus. Not just the comparison of what Jesus did for us. But he wanted to do something for us, he wanted no recognition, and nothing in return. And he did it just because. There would be no benefit in it for him. If anything, sacrifices. And he volunteered to do it for us. That's what being a Christian is. Being like Jesus. And that's just what Bob did.
Remember 1 Corinthians 13:13?
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
So, he told D to fill the boat up half way with water, and let it sit a few days to check for leaks, and in the meantime, he and his wife would be checking prices for us on the materials needed to get her started.
Well, that's what we did. We filled it up half way, and let it sit. We checked it lots to see if it was leaking, and it even rained some that Monday. No leaks. So, I think it was Tuesday when they gave D the itemized list of what to get, where to get it, and what it would cost. Boards, nails, screws, and fiberglass resin.
Check back soon for part 3!!!
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