We’ve just received word that a missionary friend is in need of prayer. Many OFOP volunteers have served in Mexico alongside one of God’s servants named “Gator.” Today, Gator fell off scaffolding while working in the mountains in Mexico. Please join us in prayer for our brother.
It’s official! Tomorrow at 11am, the volunteers will dedicate Betty’s home! We are all so excited!
It’s really hard to say goodbye, but that time is near. The house will likely be finished later tonight, and the keys will be handed over tomorrow at 10am (or noon if we need a little extra time). The Lord has focused our minds this year on restoration. The lives of the volunteers serving are examples of the most grand restoration–restoration by the blood of Jesus. We may never fully comprehend what all he’s done here in Hamburg during the days and Shenandoah during the evenings, but we know He has done plenty, and we thank Him for letting us witness it. Thank you Jesus.
We’ll post pictures of the complete home tomorrow following the 10am dedication.
The volunteers have made great progress. Today they continued to side and hang drywall. The first layer of mud is going on now, and another half day of siding should wrap up the exterior. Have I mentioned that renovations take time? It’s a lengthy process, but the volunteers continue to smile and praise Jesus for the renovation that has happened in their own lives. It’s a pleasure to serve a loving God.
Oh and it was also laundry day for the volunteers who have been here for a week. 😬😷
I talk a lot about the progress on the house, but I want to take a second to celebrate what happens after dark at our post-dinner discussions. Devotion time is always a very special time for us, but this year I’ve asked a few Godly men to share their testimonies (one each night) about how the Lord has brought them to where they are now, and how He continues to work in their lives. Last night was our first testimony, and if it’s any indication of how the evenings are going to go, we are in store for some powerful nights.
As I was typing this message a young man with construction experience named Dan pulled up and introduced himself to me, and told me he’s here until Friday to help out in whatever way he can be used. God has done some amazing things in the last 12 hours. Not only did Dan show up, but we also received word from about six others in all, who have decided to come in tonight and tomorrow to help for the next few days. I can’t even explain how perfect this timing was. Just as we prepare for siding and dry wall to kick off tomorrow, seven willing men respond to their God-given desire to serve. Thank you God for your perfect plan. Thank you for allowing us all to take part.
Most of the towns we visit have been decimated by natural disasters, so it’s difficult to imagine what they were like pre-disaster. Twisted and stripped trees and beat up vehicles are a common sight on our annual tornado relief trips. This year there are no twisted trees–only dried mud-covered streets dividing abandoned home after abandoned home. The now condemned South side of Hamburg, where Betty Travis called home for 30 years, has been left a ghost town. The city now owns the land, and there is talk of making the sight a community lake–something beautiful made with the same substance (water) that wrecked the town earlier this spring. The South side will no longer be the quiet neighborhood Betty fell in love with all those years ago, but there is hope of beauty once more.
A little further North on Jefferson St, there are already signs of life. There are loving servants wearing hands on their chests, scripture on their backs, and Jesus in their hearts, who are creating another sanctuary for Betty–her childhood home. Unlike the home she lived in on the South side, this home is salvageable, and the volunteers are honoring the promise made to her earlier this summer when we first met her.
We are honored to bring a little life back to a town and a family that has been through an incredibly challenging year.
This morning the volunteers made great progress considering the reduced man-power. With half the volunteer numbers of a normal new construction OFOP project, the workers are working hard and fast to assure that we stay on schedule.
The morning electrical inspection was passed (Praise God!) which allows for the drywall to start going up soon. There are a few interior walls with some work yet to be done before the sheet rock goes up. Remodeling takes time and some extra patience. The 100 year old home has experienced the usual shifting and settling, along with not-so-usual flood damage. Framing takes twice as long as new construction, but it’s moving in the right direction.
Today we are praying for God to send us a team of volunteer siding installers. We typically have around 16 on siding, but this year we are a little short of that (we will have around 6). The next two days of volunteers arriving could give us the help we need, so we are asking God to send His workers. Two layers of old siding has finally been removed thanks to some new arrivals today, so the next few days will likely be spent on siding and exterior trim work.
It’s been a great trip so far, and we are excited to witness what God has in store over these next few days.
