Feeling Overwhelmed

If you read our blogs you might be picking up a feeling from me that we are feeling a bit overwhelmed.  You would not be wrong. 

We have hosted many groups lately and, unlike most organizations, our groups stay with us…in a separate building, but with us nonetheless.  As an introvert, having that many people…though wonderful…is energy draining. 

Our agriculture projects suffered from the drought…in fact, there was no cotton harvest this year, so there is no ginning process, which means no employment for those 25 seasonal workers at all, and on top of that we have had to figure out how to repay the capital lent to those farmers.

The sesame plant is working, but trying to get all the processing going completely smoothly takes time and practice.  With each error, lots of money goes down the drain. With money lost, we have to figure out how to repay lenders, let alone all the farmers. 

There were issues with the peanuts and the processor which requires more work, and figuring out what kind of loss might be involved, and again, how to pay the farmers.

We have been extremely short-staffed.  Out of our total 25 staff members we have had one away on a speaking tour, two away helping their mother in the hospital in the U.S., one away IN the hospital herself,  one in meetings for 7 days, one out on recovery leave, and one in and out of the sick bed…almost a fourth of our staff away in this busy time.

On top of all that, we have court cases to deal with, cars that were wrecked, a phone company complicating the process of not renewing a contract, shopping to be done for 40 to 45 people, schedules changing, the intense heat of summer, etc. etc. etc.  Needless to say, we are all on edge.

 

Mother Teresa said, “I believe that God does not give us more than we can handle.  I just wish he did not trust me so much.” 

Amen, Mother Teresa.  Amen. 

-Kathleen