Drilling Diary Day Four

So with all of our medical issues behind us...some more literally behind us than others :-), we resumed drilling at full strength today. Our task was to continue on the new borehole that will run parallel to the original hole but also avoid the granite rock that was blocking our path. We started drilling at about 9:30am at a total depth of about 6 feet.

The day progressed nicely. We had some minor rocky obstacles that we were able to overcome with some patience and finesse (that term is quickly becoming the theme for our experience) but the hole was coming along quite nicely. But as they say, all good things must come to an end.

Just before 3:00pm, we encountered our first major problem of the day. One of our drilling tools got stuck in the hole. It could have dug in a bit to the sides of the hole or became hooked on a protruding rock, who knows. The tool would not budge and it was almost all the way down the hole. In the process of trying to free the tool, our rope that was tied to the tool snapped. If it had been an old twig it could not have snapped any more suddenly or cleanly. The rope went all the way back down the hole...about 25' below the surface.

It suddenly became very quiet. We were all looking at one another wondering: "Did that just really happen?" The first comment made was by the local Malawian who was helping us, Francis. He used a four letter word that means poop. It was so unexpected that we all got a chuckle out of it. Being the men that we are - fixers by nature - we began to brainstorm and strategize how we would fix the problem. We are at a complete standstill until we get this tool up to the surface.


As we tinkered with contraptions and contemplated solutions, Kim came up with the idea of the day. She suggested that before we do anything else, we need to pray. So we did. Shortly after the prayer our resident McGyver - Richard - developed a tool that we could use to grasp the rope. When I call Richard "McGyver" it is a completely accurate description because here is what he used to make this tool: 20' of square tubing, two steel brushes and duct tape. We dropped it down the hole and with the help of Allan's flashlight tied to another rope we were able to grasp the rope and move it to expose the top of the tool. Then we used a second makeshift hook - courtesy of Kemp and Allan to grasp the top of the tool and pull it to the surface. By 3:30pm we were drilling again.


I found this experience to be a reflection of my own life. I'm walking with God, in the center of his will when I encounter a trial or obstacle. Typically, instead of waiting on God, I glibly tell God: "I got this," and proceed to try to overcome the trial or obstacle on my own. As you can imagine, the predictable outcome is additional frustration and a far more difficult experience than I probably would have originally endured.


That is why I say that Kim's suggestion for us to stop and pray was the best decision of the day. It allowed us to still our hearts, focus on God and to once again surrender our will and our project to him for his glory. As always, God was faithful.


So, by the end of the day, our total depth on the hole was 26' 3". God had blessed us with a good day of digging and also kept us focused on him and his glory.


Soli Deo gloria,
Michael