Our Church Building Gets Disrespect

It's been almost ten years already but a family living near our church building is still disrespecting it. I never understand why when it is God's holy temple. We weren't able to put some fences to surround it as we are only renting the lot and looks like the owner won't agree so. Every houses surrounding don't have theirs as well.

The first time we experienced it was too long to remember already. They usually park their horse in front of the building and tie it to the window during weekdays afternoon. The building isn't cemented totally as we considered our temporary stay there while searching for a permanent one. Because of the strength a horse has plus its usual park there, the unbending window out of wood at first was destroyed even though they already saw how great damage their doing could give. They still do that over and over again until my father was filled with all of it and confronted them but of course in a calm way. He asked them not to do such as the window was badly ruined.

Another thing is they made the other outer side of the building as their hang out area with friends and relatives, put some hammocks, and never cared how we feel. We have boundaries so we thought they already knew it 'cause if we'll just claim all of it, their house is included which means that there should be a need for them to move. They never really respected us because they still tied their hammocks on the window and connected them to the banana trees. On weekdays, they're drinking most of the time and play songs that aren't pleasant in the ears even during Saturdays when we clean the building. The smokes from their cigarettes are going directly inside.

There was even a time then, Sunday and in the middle of the lecture, they opened a big trapal and laid down their grated corns in our mini plaza outside to exposed to the sun. The members including me were in extreme disbelief. How could they do such while the worship is still going? My father said it was only fine but it has to be after the Sunday service. If not this, they would play musics loudly that can totally disturb us inside.

The worst form of their disrespect is that they purposely made a tiny whole in a big water pipe lying outside which half part is buried in the soil. It is to let some water out and likely make a pond in our small plaza for their ducks to swim on. It wasn't really a deep pond but is wide enough for their ducks. Like I was really shocked and and angry at the same time when we saw it. We just thought that there's problem in the pipe. No wonder there were a lot of ducks' small feathers whenever I sweep there.

Basically, there was supposed to be some bermuda grass lying but as years passed by, they died and we're only waiting for the carabao grasses to scatter. Witnessing their worst disrespect, me and my siblings got a lot of soil and covered the water which was really tiring because we still need to plow the land that's quite far from the building and carried it there. We put numerous of stones at first and then covered them with soil. People surrounding really saw how much work we did to cover the water. Some of them, especially that family was really watching us. A family member even adviced us to get stones in their house because it's only near and they're abundant. While getting some, I heard the father said to his friend,

"Sa pato baya unta nako na oh."

(That's supposed to be for my ducks.)

Like hello? Boundaries please. That part was the church ownership. They don't have the right to make it something like that. We told our father about it and he was somehow glad for what we did. He didn't want any trouble as that family has really a lot of issues. That father who thickly said the pond was for his ducks has killed a neighbor living beside them through a gun early in the morning before. He and his sons were known for some criminal cases as well so my father and the elders didn't make it a big deal anymore.

What made me write this today is my father's situation this afternoon. He stepped on a human's dirt in front of the building's door at the back where the parsonage (none of the members are living) is located. He was really down with what he witnessed that he wanted to finally put some fences by convincing the owner. Hayst, when can we ever move? I just wanted to let out my feelings here about it that have been forgotten but came back hearing such. They're kind when they speak toward us but their actions don't agree so.

That's it for today. Just drop your thoughts below.

Lead Image Source