From the moment that Limina was a tiny seed of an idea, Bill and I have been awed to see it has broken through the soil and begun to grow. Deep in our hearts and souls, we felt that this place of rest and healing was the Spirit’s work and our job is to listen, respond, and get out of the way. As a super Type-A person (shocking news, I know 😉), this is a whole new way of being for me. When we first stepped on the property, all we could see and hear were the possibilities, but getting there seemed impossible. Yet we kept praying, “Holy One, you haven’t brought us this far to drop us, so please show us the next step.” And boy has She! When you come to visit us at Limina, we’d love to tell you the whole story.
But for now, shortly after I arrived last week, Bill called to tell me that our general contractor had resigned. His main craft is hardwood floors, and he and his team did a PHENOMENAL job on the floors. They got us started with other parts of the renovation, but the scale and complexity of the job had become overwhelming. So we took a deep breath, and prayed “We know you haven’t brought us this far to drop us, so please show us the next step.” And within a day, St. Herb had stepped into the role.
Within a few weeks of closing on the property, Herb started working with us on the grounds at Limina. He is masterful with everything outdoors including mowing walking trails, reviving battered fruit trees, restoring gorgeous perennial gardens, cleaning out the decades of debris inside and outside, and so much more. Once we began construction, we learned even more about the extent of Herb’s knowledge and project management skills. (Coincidentally Herb worked at Almy – one of the main suppliers for church-related goods – and we bonded around General Convention and other churchy-matters.) When Bill called to talk with Herb about the need to identify a new general contractor, Herb seamlessly stepped into the role. He also identified a new team to continue the construction, and as it goes in small-town life, one of them had worked on the house when it was built 20 years ago!
At the same time as the g.c. transition, we were feeling anxious about the timing of the project given that our first retreat starts on March 11 (sign up now if you’re interested!) While Bill was talking with a colleague from the Cape, Peter offered to send a crew of men to work at Limina since December is quiet in his industry. Before we knew it, Fabio, Sam, Guilmur, Ague, Ezequiel, and Jeff arrived and began installing and transforming the dingy walls throughout the house. They are artists with their drywall mud and paint, and it brings tears to my eyes to see how beautiful the house looks. We are beyond grateful and awed by the Spirit’s work in helping to bring this retreat house to life. We can’t wait for guests to come to experience the grace of this special place. Abundant blessings to you!
