10,000 x 5, 250 x 8 and higher maths in shipbuilding
I can do maths. Up to 10 in my head, and larger sums on a calculator. Being able to do maths is sometimes a bad thing. Especially when you can work out exactly how much something costs. When I was in Year 1, we were set homework to write 10 words 10 times each. When I got home, I’d done the maths and told my mum, horrified, about what I saw as an astronomically high total. „Mum, that’s One hundred “Words." To me, a hundred seemed like an astronomical number.
I feel much the same way now. I had a dream – to create a place by the water where people could find inspiration and support. And I didn’t want to just keep dreaming; I took action to make that dream a reality. I bought an old ship and started renovating it. There were highs and lows, discouraging and encouraging moments, and plenty of rust!
However, a lot has happened since I bought the boat and started renovating it: the steel hull of the 25-metre-long vessel has been derusted, fitted with new steel plates where necessary, and the underwater hull has been painted. In addition, the interior has been derusted, painted and insulated. New windows and new floors have been fitted. The wall panelling in the seminar room is also almost finished. It was a lot of work – around 3,000–4,000 hours – and a lot of money. But it’s done.
Now it’s time for the interior fit-out – and I’m starting to do the maths. That might be a downside. Because when I add up what the flooring, wall panelling, electrical work, ventilation, showers, kitchen and external doors are going to cost me, I’m almost struck dumb, and I cry out to my heavenly Father: „I'll need 50,000 euros for that – and 2,000 hours of work!“
Faced with this enormous writing task, my mother advised me: „Break it down into stages. Start by writing 5 x 10. Then do the rest later.“ I did just that… and after the first 50 words I was so exhausted that I fell asleep under the desk. But later I managed the second part – the incredibly daunting challenge had been overcome.
That’s exactly what I’m doing now. I’m trying to break the big picture down into smaller chunks. 2,000 working hours by the end of July – that’s about 40 hours a day over 50 working days – or, put another way, five people pitching in for 8 hours. Or 10 people helping out for a morning or an afternoon. It’s ambitious, but it might be doable. The Berlin Vineyard Movement is hosting two teams from the US in June/July, and they’d like to „lend“ them to me for a few days to help out. The friends from Serve the City also often send me teams of helpers on a Saturday afternoon. And then there are always individuals who come along for a few hours or days to lend a hand. It’s a lot… but broken down into daily chunks, it might just be doable.
And finances: Phew. 50,000 euros by the end of July is a lot of money. On the other hand. On the other hand: loads of people know me. If everyone who knows me gives me 5 euros – and perhaps encourages five to ten people in their circle – such as family, a house group or a youth group – to do the same – then it might be doable. In the first few days since I put out my call for help, over 1,000 euros have come my way… that’s not quite enough yet… but there are still a few days to go until the deadline… and a whole host of potential helpers have come forward… that’s brilliant too!
Besides, I rather like Moses. And God. When the people under his care asked for more variety in their food – „asked“ is putting it mildly; they were actually complaining quite a lot – he went to his God and said that he wasn’t able to come up with such an astronomical amount of food…He started doing the maths: where on earth was he supposed to get tonnes of meat – in the middle of the desert? There were at most locusts and ants. Even if he mobilised every available resource – it wouldn’t be nearly enough. And God grinned (at least that’s how I picture it) and said: “Leave it to me. Where your maths ends, mine is just beginning… I’ve got a few ideas… I’ve got a few odd birds in the air that I can send over.” That’s advanced mathematics.
