Our morning started quite early today. We met Glen, the electrician, at Mariano's house so he could take a look and put together a plan for rewiring the entire house (with the walls in). He has done alot of work for the Baptist relief camp located on the island and came highly recommended. He will return early tomorrow morning and get to work with Mariano and his nephew, Nelson at his side. It won't be easy but he knows where he's headed so we pray it will be a success - for all of us!
From there we welcomed our girls from Oklahoma who were starting their last day of volunteering before heading home this afternoon. They finished the poly on the cabinets and even helped get things cleaned up around the house. I am still amazed at how awesome this kitchen is looking and these 3 women were angels for this family! They managed to get Maria to feel comfortable enough to come in and get some ideas of her own! Ministry at its finest for sure!
Our next stop was to load up the tool trailer and head to the island to get some more tools for our teams. Since our trailer was newly donated it needed to be properly stocked with the tools we will need. We packed compressors, hand tools, power tools, paint etcs, sheetrock etcs and anything else we thought we might need. Now we have the task of opening the trailer and getting it all organized !!! I love organizing so this should be fun! We thank UMCOR for making certain we have all we need for our volunteers so they can work at their best for each task.
While on the island we thought we would stop by and see how Marie is doing with her newly rebuilt home and new Today Show gifts. What an amazing lady! You can see her with her newest adopted kitty -- just what she needs, another cat! And her beautiful front porch furniture which is now family room furniture - and covered with sheets to keep the cushions clean! Her kitchen is beautiful although she got a real kick out of opening the toaster to find it able to toast 4 slices of bread and openings large enough for bagels! She is using the microwave and has the glassware and dishes in her china hutch.
You can also see her new stackable washer and dryer now nicely placed in her back porch. This is the only thing she specifically asked me for while being rebuilt. And guess where she said she was headed as we left??? To the Laundromat!! Yes, you read right!! She said she can't bear to put her dirty clothes in that new washer and dryer!!!??? No matter what we told her or showed her -- no deal! All we could do was laugh and give her a big hug!! God and His sense of humor once again!
Before we could return to San Leon we had our usual stop at Lowes to pick up materials in preparation for Saturdays team. We got caught in a rainstorm -- short but quite the downpour -- just adding to the already high humidity! We are now in our 39th day of temps over 95!!!
After returning to unhook the trailer we checked on Mariano's house and got measurements to get materials ordered and delivered tomorrow for Saturdays team also. The team will be adding the hardiboard trim on the outside of the home along with replacing the soffit and making some structural improvements. I also picked up another gallon of poly so Maria can have the glossy shine she wants on her cabinets - the final coat. Getting that order put together took nearly 2 hours and I pray it will come through correctly. Big orders have a tendency to get a bit confusing at times.
We also got to bring the good news that through case management funds Mariano will be getting a new starter for his truck, their back electrical bills will be paid and Maria will be getting a new gas stove! We are so thankful to all those who make blessings like this possible!!!! With this old 1985 truck being their only transportation it's critical to keep it running. Again, thanks to all who have the heart of Jesus and listen to those hearts!
By the time this was all done it was past time for dinner and time to get this blog written for all of you who wonder what is happening from day to day. My wish is that you could be here for just one day to experience it all -- to "really" understand. But since that isn't possible -- we thank you for keeping up with what God is doing here in the good ole' south.
Until next time . . . be blessed. Susan and Monty
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