Pastor Mark Hopper

By Pastor Mark Hopper

Recently I had the opportunity to travel with a team from our church to New Orleans. Many groups from around the country continue to send volunteers to help rebuild neighborhoods that were devastated by Hurricane Katrina ten years ago.

Our team worked on three different building projects.  One group put new exterior siding on a damaged home.  A second group put new shingles on the roof of another house in the neighborhood.  I was with the third group putting new flooring in another house.

The home my wife and I live in is built on a concrete foundation and cement floor.  The homes that we worked on in New Orleans are built up off the ground.  Pillars of wood or concrete blocks elevate these older houses two to three feet off the ground.  We actually saw some new homes in the area that were six to eight feet above ground!

Elevating homes off the ground probably helped prevent damage from minor flooding due to heavy rains and probably kept the bugs and critters out, too.  But the flood waters from Hurricane Katrina and the broken levies brought flood waters up ten to 15 feet, and higher, in some areas.  Even the newer homes were not able to withstand the devastation

I learned a lot about flooring during the week I was in New Orleans.  First we had to scrape and clean the original hard wood floor.  Then, we put down a cushioned, moisture barrier underlay before we put down the new wood laminate flooring.

One thing I learned about flooring work is that you spend a lot of time on your knees!  As volunteers, we wore cushioned knee pads. These gave us some protection and relief as we literally worked on our hands and knees all day long.

I have gained a lot of respect for men and women who work in the various building trades.  They work hard – very hard.  We worked hard in the hot, humid summer weather in New Orleans.  I can’t imagine what it would be like to do this kind of work day after day, week after week, year after year.

The Bible says a lot about work.  Everyone needs to be productive with their hands and mind.  God intended us to work while we live on the earth.  And He commands workers to do their jobs well.  In Ephesians 6:6, the Apostle Paul tells workers, “Don’t work just to please men, but do your work to please God.”

Whether you are a volunteer or an employee, each of us needs to do our work in a way that is pleasing to God.  Our goal should not be to simply pass “inspection” by the county building inspector, but to please God with the work of our hands and hearts.

If you are one of those in the construction trades, let me say, “Thanks,” for all your hard work.  And, if you have a worker fixing your plumbing or repairing your roof, I hope you will express your thanks to them for their hard work.

Pastor Mark Hopper is from the Evangelical Free Church of Diamond Bar, 3255 South Diamond Bar Ave. Sunday services are 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. For more information, call (909) 594-7604 or visit http://www.efreedb.org.