The Boy In The Yellow Shirt (Joe Widick)

This afternoon, Joe speaks about a young man from Honduras.

I don’t know if I ever heard his name. But I was sure impressed with his determination to work. As I continue to reflect on lessons learned while I was in Honduras, I have to mention this boy. He came out of nowhere and set a standard of work that was unsurpassed by any of us. He was probably 10-12 years old. Job site number 1 was an adobe mud brick home for a family of nine. It was hot and dry and all the bricks were at the bottom of the hill and had to brought to the top of the hill where the new home was being built. Sounds simple enough. Carry a few bricks up the hill at a time and before long you will have all the bricks needed for the home. WRONG!! When I think of bricks, I think of the bricks we have here in the states. The bricks we were using in Honduras were 30 to 40 pounds apiece (just a guess—after carrying a few I thought they were 100 pounds apiece). One trip up the hill and I needed to rest and catch my breath. The boy in the yellow shirt had to have a “gringo” put a brick on his shoulder and then he would carry it up the hill, where another “gringo” would take the brick off his shoulder. He did this practically all day! When he wasn’t doing that he was carrying water in a bucket up the hill, or mixing the mud that was used in laying the bricks. He was in constant motion. While others rested, he kept working.

There is an interesting passage found in the book of Nehemiah. Under Nehemiah’s leadership, the people began to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. Nehemiah records; “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.” (Nehemiah 4:6). Building a wall around Jerusalem was important. Building an adobe brick home in Namasegue was needed to help a family living under a tarpaulin. It is that phrase “a mind to work,” that stands out. I need to ask myself do I have a mind to work? Not just carrying bricks up a hill, but carrying on with the work of the Lord. Do I have a mind to share the good news with others. Do I have a mind to visit the hurting? Do I have a mind to…..? You know as well as I that the list goes on and on. It took a little boy in a yellow shirt and flip flops to help me see that I need to have the proper mindset. I know it was not easy for him to do what he did, but he did what was needed. I know the load he carried on his shoulders was difficult to bear, but he did it. I know he had to have grown tired, but he kept on one brick at a time.