Festival Fun!!!!

WORK DAY:

Mary and Zac working on building the fire pit from the sand stone that was dug up out of Michael's back yard over the past weeks.

John worked nearly all day busting apart the old cement steps that were "discovered" from the foundation of an old home that once stood.  I think he must have still been shaking in his sleep!

Michael and a group from Vineyard working inside finishing up the plumbing.  Yea Vineyard for continually coming to serve!!!!

With the fire pit completed Monty gets a fire started.  It really felt good as that sun went down and the winds picked up.  We must have spent another hour just sitting around it late in the evening after all the festivities were done!

The jumping monkey was a great hit with the kids!  John took full responsibility of it and the rules and the kids and did a wonderful job!  I think there were a couple of kids that stayed in it the whole 4 hours!

John and Monty spent some time "down under" finishing up the plumbing!

Unloading the donated golf cart was a bit of a task but the men rose to the challenge.  We used the cart to bring food from the fire station across the street to the festival.  Since we didn't have enough power the fire station allowed us to use their kitchen.  What a blessing!


LET THE FESTIVAL BEGIN!

The Long family gospel singers entertained us all evening.  We alternated between the entertainment and auctioning off the donated items!  Both were such fun and brought in much needed funds to continue the rebuilding of Michael's home!

In line at the food window.  We used the broken window at the end of the trailer to serve from.  We had so much food!  Pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, coney dogs. all sorts of homemade soups, nachos, chips, pickles and more desserts than I'm able to name!  Thanks to Ms Bev and Ms Donna for taking on this job and making it a huge success!

Gina took full responsibility for all the kids games and fun and did a wonderful job!  I saw some of the things they made and did and every kid there had a huge smile on their face!  Thanks so much Gina!

Larry and Christina from our Vineyard family sure had fun at the auction and were able to bring home some tremendous things to use for themselves and for Christmas gifts!

Many thanks to my mom -- who supports us in all we do.  She brought pies for the auction, persimmon pudding for the contest and also had alot of fun at the auction.  And little Destiny knew just who to sit by -- Mom bought one of the pink fuzzy papazan chairs for her!!!! 

Mary, who is home from Ecuador, took on the responsiblity of all the items up for auction.  She had them listed and sorted and arranged for everyone to see ahead of time and then helped sort them for the auction itself!  Right now -- time for a bit to eat!!!!

Games tend to bring out the kid in all of us -- as for Monty -- just one of the reasons I love him so!

Corey takes some time to enjoy the fire pit!

Darkness comes much too soon this time of year and by the time all the kids took the stage for the final song it had turned quite a bit colder and alot darker.  None the less, they sang their hearts out and had all of us in tears and smiles and our hearts were so warm we didn't feel the cool temperatures!  Our deepest thanks to our dearest friends who once again took the time to come and support us, and Michael -- to love on us and everyone there -- and to share the amazing gift God has given them!

On a side note -- this family is not only donating all the trim for the inside of Michael's home -- they are donating all the 2x4's and 2x6's we will need for both of the decks and handicapped ramps!!!  Like I said -- what a family!!!!

Way too much fun around the fire after all the festivities are over!  All of the kids playing with Monty -- as he says, "my best friends!"  And he means it!

It was a great day and a blessed day and a time where we could all see God moving and blessing and providing not only the materials for Michael's home -- but the love and the joy that is priceless!

To everyone who was involved in helping --- my deepest thank you!  YOU made a difference!  YOU were a blessing and I KNOW God will return those blessings back to you -- and more!

To everyone who came and participated and donated -- my deepest thank you!  YOU are changing lives!  YOU are following the example of service given to us by Jesus Himself!  That joy is unmistakeable and indeed priceless!

To Michael -- "with God, nothing is impossible."  God loves you, your church loves you, your family loves you, your neighbors love you --- and yesterday --- some people who were strangers to you -- love you too!

Until next time . . . "trust in the Lord and do good.  Then you will live safely in the land and prosper."  Psalm 37:3

24 Hour Countdown . . .

Yes, the fundraising festival is now only 24 hours away!

The final plans are in motion, the food has been purchased as of this morning (and what fun we had doing so), the stage trailer will be delivered this afternoon, the port a johns are in place and the grassy area has been groomed.

Bring on the people!!!!

The work day will begin with breakfast at 9am for who ever shows up and will continue until 2pm.  During that time we will be doing more preparation work outside and some more work on the inside and underneath the trailer. 

Also during that time the kids blow up jumping monkey toy will arrive and set up for beginning at 3pm will be underway.

Please keep all of us in your prayers and join us in praying that the Lord will send the people, lots and lots of people, who will not only see His hand at work but feel His love in their hearts!

I don't know if I will home and/or alert enough to post results tomorrow night but if not I will be sure to do so on Sunday.

Blessings to all until next time . . . "God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful."  1Thessalonians 5:24                                                        Susan and Monty

The festival is coming together . . .

It was a glorious day --- one week ago today!  Thanks again Ryan and Dedra!

This is the week!  Saturday is the day! Our fundraising festival to raise money for the completion of the rebuilding of Michael's trailer is in the final planning stages and things are going very well.

Today was our weekly Bible study and as usual, very uplifting and meant just for me!

Immediately after we (Mary and I) headed to Sus's house for a bite to eat and some catching up on information before heading off on some important errands.

Sus was really busy last week while we were away and got so many great things accomplished.  Mary has jumped in head first and is such a help!  We compared notes and made some calls and decided it was coming together quite nicely.

From there we headed to Fayetteville school where we turned in the proper paperwork they required to allow us to use their parking lot.  It's nearly across the street from Michael's and is such a blessing.  We also stopped into the local Fire Station and were thrilled when they gave us permission to use their kitchen for our food preparation.  Since we do not have enough electricity at Michael's (just yet) we will be able to keep all our food at the fire station (right across the street) and then use the donated golf cart to transport it to Michael's where we will be serving.  Perfect plan!

We then stopped at Michael's to check out the layout for the festival itself.  The grass has already been bushhogged and Michael was mowing over it with his mower.  The grass had been tall enough to practically bale into hay but was looking better with each lap Michael made.  Our own Vineyard Mike will be doing a final mowing job on Friday.  He has all the perfect equipment since he has his own landscaping business.  It should look great by Saturday.

Even the weatherman seems to be cooperating as they have sunshine and mid 50 degree temps forecast!  Any temp is fine with me -- just no rain please!

One more stop took us to Pastor Jan's to check out his flatbed trailers.  He has a perfect one to use for our "stage" and another smaller one that will be used as our "hayride" to and from the parking areas.  I also managed to get a few bales of hay donated by a dear friend and will be picking them up on Friday.  A few pumpkins to go along with them on the stage and we are all set.

The donations continue to come in for the not so silent auction and it looks as though it's going to be a great one!  If folks are smart they will realize this is a super time to get some Christmas gifts purchased!  Yesterday I managed to get 2 -  3 month local gym memberships donated along with a couple of fantastic sweatshirts.  We also have massages, gift certificates, ceramic figurines, picture frames . . . all sorts of things and they just keep on coming! 

This is all so exciting -- seeing God's mighty plan and timing!  The joy is spreading throughout the church and community.  When we talked with the lady who owns the pizza place just down the street from Michael's she told us that this is a very close community and this is something everyone is coming to!  Praise God!

THAT is our priority -- giving God the glory and thanks and praise!  We have known from the beginning that this is a God appointed and God annointed project and just the beginning of things even greater! 

"Rebuilding lives by rebuilding homes."

It is our prayer that all those attending will feel the touch of our Lord, know His goodness and love and realize the blessing of giving to others!

Until next time . . . to God be the glory!                             Susan and Monty

Home Sweet Home!

It's getting late and from the looks of our laundry strewn all over the floor it may be days before it's all done but . . . wanted to share some pictures of this past week with you.  We hit the peak of the fall colors while in Tennessee and it was beautiful.  We also managed to find the world's largest tree house and an amazing water falls. 
Hope you enjoy looking at them as much as we enjoyed taking them.
We are so thankful for this past week, a week to get away, be refreshed and renewed and a week to see the natural wonders of God's creation!

Surprise!

Yes, I know I said I wouldn't be posting anything new while we are away but . . .  yesterday was just too blessed to not share it with all of you.

I think I already told you that on Sunday we found out my son and daughter in law were going to be in the same area as us?  Well, we got together yesterday for one of the most fun days I can remember in who knows how long!  No time tables, no committments, no dogs to let out or feed --- just the entire day to ourselves to enjoy each other.  We took full advantage and I thank God for orchestrating such an amazing day!

Ryan (my son) called us as soon as we arrived Monday night.  We were tired from the drive and a bit on the hungry side so we ate an early dinner and then took a walk through the town.  We made plans to meet them at the cabin they had rented early the next morning. 

Ryan knows that my most favorite thing to do in most the whole world is to horseback ride so he had arranged to treat us to horseback riding through the mountains!  The sun was shining and the temps topped out above 80 degrees -- we couldn't have ordered a better day!  We met them at their cabin, which was absolutely the cutest thing ever, nestled in the mountains and decorated like something out of Southern Living magazine!

From there we headed out for some breakfast and then off into the mountains for our ride.  We took the hour and a half ride and even though Monty admitted (later) that when he saw the group before us arriving back at the barn and watched them come down the mountain he was a bit leary -- he never said a word and off we went. 

The fall colors were at their peak and certainly undescribable!  We all agreed that even though we took a bunch of pictures there is no way they would do justice to the actual beauty that completely surrounded us all day long!  Riding up the mountains and along some rather narrow paths did make a couple of nerves stand on end and going under a fallen tree also added to the "adventure."  We all agreed that it was the perfect day and the perfect way to spend a morning and early afternoon.  My deepest love and thanks to Ryan who really knows how to bring a smile to his mom's face!

After the ride we decided to take a drive up the mountain to see some of the historical sites.  We then made the decision to keep going and visit the Indian reservation just on the other side of the state line.  Like I said, no time tables and no committments!

After going through the village it was time to find something to eat again.  We happened upon a little "Granny's Kitchen" buffet that was truly home cooking at it's finest!  It was then that we made another decision -- the "big one."  Ryan and Dedra had heard about an area across the mountain where elk would graze freely and was supposed to be quite the thing to see.  Why not?  We can do what we want today so off we went.

Monty and Dedra were our map coordinators riding in the back seat and did have some questions as to the types of roads we would travel to get to these famous elk.  The farther we drove the curvier the roads got.  The curves got so curvy that Ryan spent 100% of the time turning the steering wheel one way and then back the other and our top speed never got above 10 mph.  And that was the good road!  As we neared the sign "road narrows" and the road turned to gravel we realized that this road made the ones on the TV show "Ice Road Truckers" look easy!  We literally did not have enough room to pass the occasional oncoming vehicle and while Dedra and Monty were freaking out in the back seat and I was holding my breath in the front, Ryan did an amazing job keeping us all from falling off the side of the mountain and down cliffs that seemingly had no bottom to them!  This "drive" went on for over an hour and finally we arrived at the elk.  They were grazing in an open field at the bottom of the mountain and were beautiful.  We felt like Clark and family from the movie "Vacation" when they got to the Grand Canyon.  It was there that Clark hurriedly got them out of their car, told them to take a quick picture and smiled at the beauty and pushed them back into the car in less than 60 seconds!  We did stay a bit longer than that -- mainly to catch our breath and thank God for keeping us on the road!

It was then that the news came ---- the only way out of this place was to go back out the way we came in!!!  You've got to be kidding?  No way!  And many more explitives seemed to ring through the air!  It was nearing dark and going back that way and not being able to see?  O Lord, help us!!!!

Monty and Dedra did fare alot better on the trip back as in the dark you couldn't see the bottom of those endless cliffs and we did not meet one oncoming car from the other direction so we did get out safe and sound.  The only painful thing was our stomach muscles from laughing so hard!  For hours we had laughed in the midst of our sheer panic and managed to have the time of our lives!  By the time we arrived back at Ryan and Dedra's cabin it was past bedtime and Ryan was headed to their hot tub!  I truly don't know how he could keep not only his composure but his driving skills in tact with all the commotion and laughter going on.  He did have to stop a couple of times to wipe the tears of laughter from his eyes so he could attempt to see the road!

It was one of the best days ever and I am so thankful that God sees the ultimate plan and gently guides us into it!  We could not have pre-planned that day!  It wouldn't have worked!  It was a God appointed and God annointed day and as the rains started falling just before we got back home we realized that God had allowed us to see and experience the absolute beauty of His nature and the beauty of the relationships He set before us! 

This morning brought rain, heavy rains with leaves falling faster than the rain drops!  We traveled from one city to another where we will get registered for our IGO conference tonight, enjoy dinner and worship and also get to see and spend time with Timothy!  He arrived earlier today.

Again, many thanks and much love to Ryan and Dedra who took a day out of their vacation to spend with us and to treat us and love on us!  It really was the "peak" of the season!

Until next time . . . probably when we get home from conference . . . thank God for YOUR appointed and annointed times!                                       Susan and Monty

Taking a Break for Conference

Please indulge me as this will be the last blog entry for a few days.  Monty and I are blessed to be able to attend our International Gospel Outreach's annual conference.  We have not been since we received our license and ordination back in 2007 so it's long over due!

This year the conference is in Tennessee.  Tomorrow we will be arriving in the Pigeon Forge area and today I received a text message from my son and daughter in law -- and that's exactly where they are for this entire week!  He sent me a picture of the beautiful fall colors and so we are double blessed as we will be able to spend a couple of days with them before the conference begins.  Since they live nearly 2 hours north of us it's going to be awesome to get to spend some time with them!  I love how God works things together!!

So . . . this Saturday will still be a work day at Michael's.  Schel will be coordinating alot of work on the outside grounds to prepare for the upcoming fundraising festival.  There is grass to bush hog first and then mow, wood to be split and stacked, rocks to be moved, dirt to be moved and leveled, a large dumpster to be relocated and materials to be relocated.  I will be anxious to see how it all turns out.

For the rest of you, please understand that I will not be blogging while we are away --- I'm not even taking my computer!  It is my goal to not only have some much needed time with my dear husband but to also have some time of my own -- time to clear my brain of all that is going on -- time to focus on IGO Disaster Relief and it's future -- time to relax and just have some fun!

We would deeply appreciate your prayers for safe travel and wisdom in decisions made.

We thank you for following us and be sure and stay tuned for some big news when we return!

.                                             

Now, I'm not sure I can get THIS relaxed but if you pray for me . . .  well, probably not anyway!!!!

Until next time . . . love to all.                     Susan and Monty

The Saturday Vineyard team grows!

From Pastors Jan and Martie to the "smallest" volunteer -- many showed up today to work and to share in the joy that surrounds not only Michael - but his entire place!

My morning started by having our neighbor and friend, Shelley, follow me to Michael's house so she could get her first day of vacation started with volunteering!  I hope she's not too worn out and sore by the end of today to enjoy the rest of her time off!  She was packing tree limbs the entire time!

After getting her dropped off and getting a list of supplies needed I was off to meet Ms Wanda.  She is the same Ms Wanda that donated the Lowes card and purchased 2 ceiling fans for Michael.  This time she had a new full size bed set, complete with bed frame, 2 sets of sheets, a matching comforter and a new pillow.  She even took one of the paintings off her family room wall as she thought Michael might like it!  It was a beautiful covered bridge scene and I know he will love it!  When I gave her one of our flyers and talked to her about our upcoming fundraising festival she assured me she would be there and would be calling with items for the auction!!  And she's 80 years old!!!  Rob (from Stonegate) and his 2 children met me at Ms Wanda's so they could help move the bed.  We then headed to Stonegate to use one of the office spaces as storage for the furniture and the items coming in for the festival.

A quick trip to Lowes for the materials and a fast food drive thru and I was on my way back to the team.  They were ready and waiting and Monty decided to be the one to return to Lowes to exchange a couple of particular items and get a couple more.  He had arrived with John while I was out.

Also helping today was Guy and Mike, also from Vineyard.  Guy is a contractor and also knows what he is doing.  Mike has his own landscaping business so he brought the chain saw and things needed to clean up the downed tree in Michael's back yard.  He and Shelley made quite the team!

Keith also returned and is becoming a regular along with Rob and Monty.  They were all working inside getting the new handicapped shower installed and also working in the spare bathroom.  

It was just so great to see enough people there so work could be going on outside as well as inside.  Everyone was smiling and laughing and again you could just feel the joy coming from the property.

Dallas came back for the morning.  He was wishing he could stay all day but had family committments.  The team was doubley glad he came because he let them know that his church, Fayetteville Baptist, located just around the corner and the church that had the bean dinner last Saturday that fed the team, was tonight having a hog roast!  Guess where they were all headed when they finished their work day!!!!!!

About mid afternoon Pastors Jan and Martie came by and were astonished at all the different projects going on and how much different the inside is looking!  It's always good to see them and know that they are getting to see and feel all that God is doing in and through this project!

By late afternoon I had to head back towards home.  I still had a couple of places to stop in and ask for donations for the auction.  And now here I am, the day should be ending but the team is still enjoying the hog roast and sharing bits and pieces of their day which means that sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the days God gives us! 

We are so thankful for each and every one of these volunteers who gave us one of their days "off" to come and do things that most likely they wouldn't do -- even if they were getting paid for it! They are changing lives, and not just those right there -- people are watching as they drive by and they know something awesome is going on!

Until next time . . . enjoy some time praising and thanking God in your own church tomorrow!

Susan and Monty 

Fundraising Festival . . .

Yesterday and today were great planning days.
The date has been set and the plans are in full steam ahead motion!
The funding festival will be a blast and hopefully bring in ALOT of folks who are ready to help out and also enjoy the day with us!

This morning I loaded up the bed of my truck with the shower, toilet and sink and all their parts for Michael's spare bathroom.  It was quite the job getting it all unloaded but I was able to back the bed of my truck up next to his platform on the ramp and from there I just slid the things off and inside the trailer.  They will be there ready and waiting for Rob and the team on Saturday!

Back to the festival. . .  we have the entertainment set up, the flyers are done (thanks to Ms Bev) and we are out asking businesses for donations of items to use in the not so silent auction.  I paid a visit to the local Christian bookstore and got alot of suggestions of place that love to donate to causes such as this so tomorrow I will be out and about town.

We still have some department head positions to fill but know the right people will step up and take charge at just the right time.

These types of things take quite a bit of planning but it's so awesome to feel God present during every minute.  Sus and I met today for a couple of hours and made even more progress.  She's doing an amazing job and considering she just had major back surgery 3 weeks ago . . . oh my!

Cody took the position of media department head at our meeting yesterday and by this evening he had our flyer sent to 2 radio stations for their community announcements and had talked with Bob who did the first newspaper article on Michael a few weeks ago.  He might be young but he listens and he follows through and has done a fantastic job!

It's so much fun putting something like this together and this afternoon as Michael and I stood in his trailer and looked out over the back where the festival will be I think he saw the same vision that I did and was excited! 

Thanks to all those who are working on all the details with us and be sure and stay tuned as things change by the day. 

If YOU would like to donate something for the not so silent auction (it needs to be new) just let me know.  You can give me a call at 812-219-5738.

Yes, I know I've never posted my phone number on the blog but I do believe over half the nation has it and I trust all of you will be respectful in using it.

Until next time . . . blessed to be a blessing!  What a great job!                   Susan and Monty

BIG plans a comin'

My oh my, God has been busy today!

Actually He got started last night, in the middle of the night.  I can't say that I love it when He wakes me from sleeping and gets my head to spinning with all His input . . . but it's always right on time every time!

I had a text message waiting for me when I got out of bed -- I wasn't the only one God woke up in the middle of the night!  Sus also got the same wake up call and when we got together on the phone we were praying and planning and listening to His direction for the next 3 and 1/2 hours!  Yes, my phone battery was over half spent but it was awesome!

You must stay tuned as we have a big planning meeting tomorrow after Bible study but here's what we know now . . .

On Saturday, October 29th we are having a fund raising festival for Michael's project!  We don't have the exact name but tomorrow . . .
This festival will be a combination of churches coming together and all about praise and joy and fun and fellowship and a bit more praise.  And of course -- raising money!
The day will be a work day during the morning hours and come afternoon we will be having entertainment (thanks to our dear friends Terry and Cheryl and their 10 children) along with a not - so - silent auction of items donated, food and a bit more food and games for the kids and prayers going up in thanksgiving and more food and more music and more things auctioned off and possibly a bon fire out back.
Our goal is to raise funding but even more than that -- to raise awareness that God is an incredible God and in the business of miracles.  We don't have to sit back and be a spectator, we can be involved and smack dab in the middle -- if we will just listen to His guidance and be obedient!

I am so excited about this festival!  Monty and I have been involved in many an outreach over the past 6 years and they are always life changing -- to those doing the work and to those who come and participate.

It will be a time to see the hand of God at work, to feel His presence and to experience the joy of the Lord Himself!

Be sure and stay tuned.  It's going to be amazing!

And the "stirring" is continuing ... and building so please continue to pray for us (even though you don't have the details -- God has them)

Until next time . . . love and blessings to all of you!                            Susan and Monty

Super Size Work Day

The temps were perfect.  The beautiful fall colors are popping out on so many trees.  The sun was brightly shining.  The team worked their hearts out and really accomplished alot today!

Rob was on the job early, complete with his trailer which was carrying his tractor!  He decided to take full advantage of the nice weather and concentrate the work outside.  He had the trench to the sewer dug by the time I got there!  Monty and I met at Lowes to get him the rest of the pipe he needed and with Keith helping with the shovel they had the lines placed and were covering them up before noon.

Monty started in with the water lines and the shut off for the outside.  That also got completed.  By the afternoon they were joined by Schel, a member of Stonegate.  He stayed all afternoon and the team got sooooo much done.  Not only are the water lines in and insulated, the sewer lines are in and covered and the back yard leveled out. 

By dinner time Sus, Schel's wife, came to the job.  Considering she just had major back surgery less than 2 weeks ago it's amazing she is out and around!  She wanted to make sure the entire team got dinner.  The Fayetteville Baptist church, which is literally just around the corner, was having a bean dinner and she and Schel treated the team to a belly full of wonderful food!

By the time Monty got home he was more than tired. No wonder, it was after 8:30pm.

We are so thankful to this group of guys who have consistently donated their Saturdays to come and work with all they've got!  I know each one of them works hard all week long but when they come to Michael's and get together you can really see and feel the joy coming from all of them.  It's that joy of the Lord thing -- again -- you really should come and join in and experience it for yourselves!

My morning started out with meeting a woman I had never met, or of, before.  Ms Wanda called me yesterday and said she had a gift card from Lowes she wanted to donate.  Could I meet here at the church?  You bet!  I met her and she talked for nearly an hour, what a woman with a servant heart!  She is knocking on the door of the age 80 and dedicates her life to helping others!  Not only did she donate the card -- she wants to purchase the ceiling fan/lights for Michael!  She said she will call me and most likely I can pick them up next week!  She brought such a smile to my face and warmed my own heart with even more joy than it already had!

By late afternoon Sus and I had spent over an hour on the phone -- cooking up a wonderful plan!  We are putting together a "funding festival" of sorts to raise money for Michael's project!  We are working on the details but plan on music, food, fellowship and fun so be sure and stay tuned for the details!  You won't want to miss it!

Remember -- if you would like to make a donation towards rebuilding Michael's life by rebuilding his home -- every dollar makes a difference -- leave a comment here and I will get back to you with details. 

We ALL can make a difference!

Until next time . . . see you in church?!                    Susan and Monty 

A "stirring" . . .

It's nearly bedtime but Monty is still next door working on Shelley's sink. Amazing the difference when we work to help someone rather than work to work!

My day consisted of mowing -- with the temps around 80 the grass continues to grow! Today I only did 4 lawns. Next week will be about the same. It's good to try and break them up so I don't have all 9 at one time! Mowing is always ministry time for me. Most of the people I mow for are widow women and it's nice to spend a bit of extra time talking with them and sharing. One woman got all new carpeting in her home and as I watched the workers lay the carpet roll out in the street to measure it reminded me of Mike and Ms Faye's build where the carpet installer did the same thing -- at midnight on a Thursday night! (for those of you who have no idea what I am talking about -- you can go to the blog archives, back to March and April of 2007 and you will understand).

As I was mowing I had a voice mail from a woman that I do not know. She said she has a Lowes gift card for Michael's build so I will be meeting her in the morning. What a blessing! And another opportunity for ministry!

Just as we were ready to meet our neighbors for our weekly cheap pizza night I got a phone call that sort of rocked my world! In fact, my neighbors said they had never seen me speechlesss! I cannot go into details at this time but this phone call showed me God is moving, stirring, challenging and directing us into something totally new, totally exciting and way outside the box! I know asking for prayers when being so vague is a bit tough but please join us in prayer! As details unfold I will keep you all up to date!

Monty, Rob and John will be heading to Michael's in the morning and hopefully others will join them as they install the handicapped accessible shower that's been donated and wrap up some more electrical and plumbing work. Many thanks to this Vineyard team who continue to come out and bless not only Michael but anyone and everyone involved in this rebuild! Let's go team!

Until next time . . . blessed to be a blessing! Susan and Monty

Blessed donations

No, Solomon wasn't a donation but indulge me -- he's just too cute to not post his picture!

Today had me working on things for Michael most of the day.  I received a phone call last night from someone who had remodeled their home and they wanted to donate a couple of things.  I met with them late this afternoon and they had 2 - 5 gallon buckets of sheetrock mud, both nearly full, along with a couple of ceiling fans with lights. 

Prior to meeting for the donations I was at the local plumbing store where they have the handicapped accessible 60" shower that they want to donate.  It's an industrial grade which means it's a heavy duty shower with the grab bars molded into the side walls.  It comes in pieces, the walls are 4 separate pieces and then the base is 1.  It is already put together and the store doesn't want to disassemble it so Pastor Jan will be going to pick it up with one of his flatbed trailers later this week.  They can strap it down and he will leave the trailer parked at Michael's until our Vineyard team returns this Saturday.  They can disassemble it and the reassemble it inside as they install it.  I have no idea what these industrial grade showers retail for but what an amazing blessing for Michael!  I was also able to purchase a handicapped height toilet and a wall mount sink with faucet for his master bathroom with some funding that had come in last week.

After getting everything unloaded at his home it was time to make a few phone calls and head home. 

As I was driving and with plenty of time to think (my truck radio is broken so the quiet is thinking time for me) I realized just how God is providing what we need right when we need it!  We will be ordering all new windows (there are only 6) at the end of this week and I pray the funding to cover that cost will arrive when the windows do - about a week after being ordered.

We stand in and on faith and the promises of God.  I've watched Him do miracles a thousand times over throughout our years in disaster relief and it's exciting to see Him keep them coming!

Please continue to pray for provision and for volunteers to come and help with the work. 

Until next time . . . we are blessed to be a blessing so please bless someone today!

Susan and Monty

Vineyard team takes "work day" seriously

Another Saturday, another scheduled work day and another day where the Vineyard team, along with Dallas from the local Baptist church showed up and showed out for the Lord!

The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing and the temps were on the cool side which all lead to the perfect day to be digging trenches for plumbing water lines and continuing the electrical work.  Monty and Rob and John from Vineyard and Dallas from the Baptist church started the day.  Dallas had to take off after lunch and then Keith from Vineyard called and said he and his son were on their way to help finish out the day.

They were all working on the water lines and plumbing which required everyone to be crawling underneath the trailer at one time or another.  The legs you see are Rob's.  When Keith and Jonathon showed up they also got to join in the fun in the mud!

Much, much progress was made as they worked over 10 hours before deciding to take a break and go to dinner.  Michael joined the whole group and they had a really good time.  They did have to return to Michael's as Rob's truck battery needed some "charging" time.  Dinner was just enough time and Monty came rolling in home after being gone for 13 hours.  He was more than a bit dirty and even more tired but was pleased with the progress and blessed by the entire day.

Many thanks to the entire group for taking their Saturday to come and bless Michael!  I know God was smiling as He got to see His hands and feet and heart at work!

Same time next Saturday!

I spent the morning and into the afternoon rounding up materials for the team before heading back home.  My neighbor, Shelley, came by with some fruits and vegetables she got at the farmer's market this morning and then my daughter and grandkids showed up and spent the evening with me.  They even treated me to dinner out!  What a treat, especially since all the guys were treating themselves! 

We are still praying for and believing that the funding will come through for Michael's heating and air unit and the new windows.  God is providing just what we need right when we need it so we pray and we wait and we stand on His promise of provision.  Please join us in those prayers!

Until next time --- many thanks to all the guys who helped today!  Get some rest and let's do it again next weekend!

Susan and Monty