Day 16

Day 16: Bethsaida Dig (Day 4)

Hey everyone!

Today was interesting. We didn’t have Sam constantly on our site and crawling all over me as I am trying to dig. It was a relief. It is nice to get away from little kids for a while. But I have to say I did miss him a little bit. I have grown very attached to the little guy.

But our work was far from pain free. One of our other workers—lets call him Lloyd—was extra annoying. It’s not that he is an annoying guy or that his personality and mine clash. The problem is that he is extra hyper super eager to help and do things.

Lloyd can’t stop. I mean, he has to stop to eat breakfast and drink water, but other than that, if you don’t give him something to do, he will create for himself something to do—many times making it more difficult than it needs to be (for both him and us).

What is funny is that he isn’t a little kid or even someone my age (which I still consider a kid). He has to be in his mid-forties. Yet, dispite his age, he is in excellent shape and a good help. He is just annoying.

For example, this morning we needed to set up a shade tent so we could work sifting out of the sun. We have these large, black, archeological shade-tarp-thingys that stretch over the top of our dig sites to give us a break from the sun. Normally, it should take a maximum of about fifteen minutes to set up. With Lloyd, it took an hour because he kept adjusting it and trying to fix things.

Another example: when he got back from lunch, he decided to put up another tarp (many of us groaned). It took him another 30 minutes to saw off a tree branch with a pocket knife to use it as a pole to support the new tarp.

It isn’t just his over eagerness that urks many of us; he also tends to take things upon himself and--if he doesn’t agree with the authority--will often go against it. This is a BIG no-no in my book. You don’t go against the authority because you think you know more than they do. I’m sorry, Lloyd, but you do not have a degree in biblical archeology. You have a degree in physics. Do NOT usurp the authority of the people who do have a degree in archaeology.

For example, he asked our dig leader of the entire project if we should move these stones that were next to the road so we could excavate underneaths it. Our leader said to not move the stones, that it might be a grave so we should leave them there. After he left, he looked at my girlfriend and said, “Let’s ask Rudy (pseudonym; our site leader for our specific section of the dig) what she thinks we should do.” My girlfriend was like, “Uh…. No.”

In addition, my girlfriend asked our professor (who has a doctorate in Biblical Studies and has been with the site for 21 years) whether or not to dig in a particular area because the soil was hard (that indicates it may have finds in it). Our professor said to not dig on the site, but to clean it off very well so we could start digging. My girlfriend took the next half hour to prepare the site, cleaning it with a brush and such. She leaves for a bit to help sift soil, and comes back to find Lloyd totally dug up half of the square already. She thought he had just made a mistake, so she didn’t say anything and left again. When she came back a second time, the whole thing was dug up. Yeah, you could say she was furious. I was furious for her. He was really starting to hack me off.

I just don’t know how to approach this man. He is way older than me, works at a college, and has been here a few years to help with them. He has a great passion for the project. He is very resourceful and helpful (I mean, shoot, he cut a huge tree branch down with a pocket knife, come on!). But how do you tell someone like that to back off and listen to instructions when you are his inferior in every way?

Idk. Just be in prayer for me as we move into day 5 of the dig. Please and thank you!

Following His Call,

Adam

James 5:8