Rebuilding in the Middle of Nowhere

Why Bother?

“Do we really have to do this?”

Minus 15 degrees Celsius. I thought I came to see the Aurora. Instead of a camera, I was gripping a hammer.

Our final mission was ‘Building a Home’. We were told the old cabin couldn’t handle the influx of Workcamp participants.

We leave in two weeks. Even if this house is finished, I won’t stay here for a single night.

‘It’s not even a house I’ll sleep in.’

I thought, tearing off moldy wallpaper in the biting wind. This didn’t feel like volunteering; it felt like my body was breaking down. Even with an industrial mask, the acrid dust stung my eyes and throat.

Here we were, at the end of the world, repairing a ruin devoid of warmth. Every hammer blow was accompanied by a deep sigh.

Inherited Warmth

Lunchtime.

I returned to the lodge to thaw my frozen limbs. A gentle warmth circulated, thanks to the heater our leader had lit earlier.

Outside, a fierce blizzard raged. Yet inside these logs, the air was impossibly mild.

‘Ah. Someone must have toiled to build this house, too.’

‘Before I arrived, someone hammered in this same cold. For us, strangers they would never meet.’

Thanks to their thankless toil, I am warm now. Once I realized I was in debt to them, a sense of mission, previously absent, began to rise.

Yes. A shelter built by those who came before. And we, who have stayed and enjoyed its protection, Must now build a new shelter for those who follow, before we leave.

Between the Frost and the Warmth

“Work’s done! To the hot springs!”

Bone-weary, we headed to an Icelandic open-air thermal bath. I stripped down and plunged into the steaming water.

Ah-

Air like ice above, boiling water below. My body, which I was sure would be racked with a cold tonight, Slowly melted, releasing the chill lodged deep in my bones.

Cold clouds overhead, geothermal heat surging from below. I involuntarily shouted in Korean.

“Ugh! This is the life!”

The sweat shed after building a home for another. The catharsis of washing that sweat away under a frozen sky. The embrace of the earth’s heat.

After oscillating between the biting frost and the soothing warmth, the sweet relief washing over my aching body was indescribable.

We didn’t finish the house today. We merely tore down a few walls.

But it will be completed beautifully by those who follow, carrying this same debt of gratitude.

Right. It’s nothing grand.

‘The warmth I received, passed on to the next.’

That is enough.

(End of Iceland Series)

Micro-Mission 🧱

We all inhabit a world built by others. Companies, schools, even this very platform.

You might think, ‘Why am I doing this?’ But look closer. Unknowingly, you have received the same from those who walked the path before you.

Living with the attitude of a Steward (a debtor of gratitude) is the path to restoring thankfulness. And if you made a small effort today with that gratitude, here’s a big thumbs up 👍🏻.

⬇️ Certify a small act of kindness you did for someone today!

[🧱 Certify My Stewardship]

It doesn’t have to be grand.

• Adding one helpful line to a manual for a newcomer.
• Refilling the water in the coffee machine for the next person.
• Holding the door for the person behind you.