A SOLID FOUNDATION

I have spent a lot of time lately rolling finish grade gravel with my roller packer (see picture of packer in last post). Finish grade gravel is the top surface where vehicles will drive so it has to be solid. I have encountered certain areas in my rolling adventures where my roller packer sinks down below the surrounding grade leaving a deep rut the width of the roller. When I try to roll out the rut by packing the surrounding grade a new rut forms. No matter how much I roller pack this area I can never get a hard even surface. When I try to eliminate one rut, a new one develops. I hope you get the picture.

What is the problem here? Is it the quality of the gravel in this area? NO. Is it the thickness of the gravel that causes these distortions? NO. The problem is that the clay under the gravel in these soft areas is wet and soft. No matter how hard the gravel is packed it will never provide a solid surface until the clay foundation below it dries to a hard pack.

We spent a great deal of time and effort achieving a dry hard clay base before we put gravel on it. This area is full of Muskeg which is a purple watery muck. To get a solid base the Muskeg must be dug out to a hard clay surface and then the hole filled with clay which must be allowed to dry hard before covering with more clay or gravel. In some places the Muskeg is quite deep. A hard surface is especially important since we are building an airstrip for planes to land. No soft patches allowed. A solid foundation is required to provide a solid surface. Today I rolled a short section of the airstrip to prepare it for final gravel and the whole area was solid as a rock. I know there will not be any soft spots when the gravel is applied and rolled.

Muskeg

I have been thinking about the need for a solid foundation all this week. Working with an unstable foundation is frustrating work. In the same way those without a solid foundation in Christ as their Savior and Christ as their life have no solid hope for eternity. My foundation is not in the fact that I know Jesus Christ as my Savior but in the fact that God knows that I belong to Him in Christ. "The firm foundation of God stands, having this seal. 'The Lord knows those who are His'" (2 Timothy 2.19). That is a solid foundation to rest an eternal destiny on. No soft spots here.

If we get the foundation solid that which is built upon it has the possibility of being solid as well. We have responsibility in this area of building on the solid foundation of Christ. (See 1 Corinthians 3.10-15). Make sure your foundation is solid and then carefully build on Jesus Christ in you.

LIMITED EXPERIENCE

I love to watch skilled people at work. Seeing and recognizing competence is refreshing.

Competence does not have to be directly related to education or smarts, but it is related to experience and attitude, and sometimes enhanced by inborn skills. Everyone can be competent with a determination to do the work right, persevere in learning, and an attitude that seeks to be the best before God.

That is why my eyes can tear up when I see a competent flag person directing traffic with a smile, standing upright, confident, not smoking or listening to music or texting, but consciously doing what they have been trained to do. You do not have to be a brain, doing a job that is highly respected by the world, making a lot of money, to be competent - just conscientious with a right attitude to please God in the task.

Around here I am severely malnourished in machine competence and oilfield knowledge because I lack experience. I have the right attitude and am willing to learn, but experience will take time. The way these men and women run their equipment fills me will humble amazement. If these people were brain surgeons I would have them do the operation, but they are "ho" operators, and "dozer" drivers, and "grader" drivers, and "heavy equipment mechanics", etc...

Reminds me of Hebrews 5.13-6.1, "For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Therefor ...let us press on to maturity".

We all need to train our senses to discern good and evil and to live in righteousness. I have a lot of spiritual experience to gain. I also have a lot of practical machine and oilfield experience to gain as well. Below are pictures of the three machines I am learning to drive. What are you learning spiritually and practically these days?

This is a Packer for making wet clay into a solid base for the next layer of soil.

John Deere tractor with disking unit to break up big pieces of clay before the Packer pounds it solid.

A roller Packer to finish and harden the final surface. This is the machine I am driving the most and am the most skilled in. I am also learning about  how to use this machine with various soils and how to get the best results.

DRAGONFLY

I am not a mystic. Nor do I put much confidence in visions, dreams and special signs. With that said let me tell you about dragonfly. I have been working up here for 10 days now. I have had to learn many things and have made a few stupid mistakes, like taking the wrong machine to another job location and being told on the radio by my boss (which everyone hears) when a short way down the road to turn around and come back and pick up the right machine. Anyway on my first day on the job while trying to run a machine I had absolutely no confidence in driving and maneuvering, I noticed a dragonfly hanging around my machine. Just one dragonfly. I have not seen any other dragonflies around nor have a seen more than one. He or she kept buzzing around my machine all day and brought peace and joy to my heart. Everyday since, dragonfly has shown up to keep me company. By the third day I saw the dragonfly as a reminder of God’s presence being ever with me. A few days back I was having a particular hard day learning how to drive a new piece of machinery. This was at a job site at another location many km away from where I was working the day before and where I usually work. I had the windows of my machine open and dragonfly flew in and gave me a little nudge on the cheek. That was God’s comfort to me. Needless to say I look for the dragonfly every day. Today dragonfly did not show up and I was wondering if it was my time to "fly solo". But after lunch there he or she was, a reminder that God is ever present with us.
Today at my afternoon coffee break as I sat in my machine with the door open, I threw a small piece of apple out the door and behold 5 Northern Shrike landed on my machine and two of them on my door within a couple of feet. When I finished my apple I threw out the core and they scooped it and where gone.
God will always give us special blessing each day as reminders of His ever present Fatherly love to us. "Father, thank you for creating dragonflies and for sending one to visit me each day as a reminder of your love to me and your presence with me. And thank you for the beautiful birds and your lovely creation that surrounds me. You are awesome."

AT CAMP

I am working 12 hours a day unless it rains. Add to that - devotions in the morning, travel to the work site and back, keeping up with emails, showering, and eating. Throw in 6 to 7 hours of sleep, and that does not leave much time for exercise (nothing yet), a study in Luke (which I have started), and this blog.

I want to tell you a little about the camp where I live. This is a beautiful, wide, blue-sky, evergreen wilderness of Muskeg with oil as thick as tar saturating the sand underneath it. Yesterday as I was driving into the camp I saw a little black bear scurrying across the road. We had a mother and two cubs visit us at the work site a few days ago. We have an electric fence around the camp to keep the bears out and a special bear proof garbage can.

Anyways, extracting oil from this tar is what all the effort is about, that and making money by selling the oil. Oil is big business. You can tell by the effort in setting up just this one small camp. This camp has three residences, A B C. Each residence has 47 rooms. There is also an exercise trailer, a recreation trailer, and about a dozen other trailers for bosses, offices, and kitchen staff. There is a large dining area made up of trailers as well. Each room has a bed, sink, toilet, and TV. Two adjoining rooms connect to a common shower. Each room is about 8 by 12 with a window, common A/C and individually controlled electric heater. No boots or shoes are allowed past the front door of each residence so the place is kept very clean. Rooms are cleaned daily, beds made and new towels. There is so much food and variety and variety at meals I am daily amazed.

Residences A and B

No boots beyond this point

What is happening up here  about 85 kms north of Lac La Biche Alberta is just a small picture of the amazing things man can do when he sets his mind to something. Under submission to God this world would be an amazing place, but man is sinful and rebellious against his Creator. This camp is a clear reflection of fallen man and women as well. As believers we have this world's resources and divine power to tear down lies and false religious systems. Let us use the amazing gifts that God has given us to accomplish HIS Purpose. We/You/I can make a difference for good. "So that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works". (Titus 3.8)

NOW GO NORTH

After three days of learning and earning certificates, of probing and testing, and of orientation, I am on my way to camp. I have been fully certificated, testicated and orientated, from my steel toed boots to the top of my hard hat. Today, Friday I started my new job. Here is a picture of all the certificates I earned and the standards I had to meet.

Yesterday they gave me a service truck to drive which is mine to use to fuel and service my vehicle and travel as needed. Notice the big red tank of diesel fuel at the back and the tool box. No diesel stations out in the woods.

What a beautiful 5 hour drive up to camp. I am about 1 1/2 hours North of Lac La Biche, Alberta, near Conklin. I saw a mama bear and her two cubs on the way up. A beautiful Blue prairie sky with fluffy clouds and bright sunshine. Just one of those perfect days for driving through an amazing wilderness country. Made it to camp by 4 and checked in. More about the camp next time. Ben will be my neighbor.

Another aspect of this area that excites me is all the various kinds of equipment and trucks that are zipping around. It is a whole different world up here. Below is the picture of a "remote wireless truck". You just park the truck in the middle of nowhere and "instant internet and phone access". The type of trucks and what they are hauling shows how creative and intelligent man can be and reflects on the wonder of our God in whose image we are made.

I have been reflecting on the wonderful grace of God as I have had to earn my certificates this week. I am so glad that eternal life is a free gift that God gives. And yet there is a focus to our faith and we do need to hear and know about Jesus Christ the Son of God who willingly sacrificed himself for our sins, so that we can make Jesus the focus of faith so that God can give us that wonderful gift of salvation and eternal life. Our task is to make Jesus the Savior and Lord known. I praise God for the opportunities so far. Now for my first camp meal. Talk to you soon.

Tired but in good humour

I am in Lloydminster, which is mostly in Alberta but also partly in Saskatchewan. Sunday I flew to Edmonton via Hamilton and Calgary. Good flights and connections. Had the great privilege of sharing about the gift of heaven with a woman from St Catharines who attends church where my grandkids school is located. Also met two Ontario men going back to the oilfields. There is an incredible amount of work out here.
Yvonne and Tony, friends from a number of Honduras trips, picked me up at the airport and took me to visit the West Edmonton Mall at my request. What an amazing place with ice rink, a massive water park with even more massive water slides, and an absolutely amazing amusement park with the most amazing of all roller coasters `The Mind Bender``. I have found my quest for my 65th birthday - ride the `Mind Bender``. After the mall we visited another couple I met in Honduras who are building a massive straw house in Ponoka. This was a structural experience of 9.000 square feet proportions. I stayed overnight at Tony and Yvonne`s in Ponoka. I went to bed at 11:30 pm and it was still light out, the long days of the northern Summer.
Today, I took the bus from Edmonton (thank you Tony and Yvonne for the ride to the bus depot) to Lloydminster. I am staying at Ashley`s (Ben`s wife) aunt while I do my training this week. She and her husband have three oilfield workers who board here at $790 a month for a room. I am boarding here for a week.
Tomorrow I begin four days of training, testing and orientation. Tired and going to bed early while it is still light out.