Laundry

Nope --- this blog has absolutely nothing to do with disasters, mission trips, rebuilding this or that, warehouse space, donations or anything along those lines.

I have been repeatedly asked to post this blog and for some reason just have not until now.

A few months ago my neighbor lady shared this "recipe" for making your own laundry detergent and not only has it saved me more money than I can count ---- it works amazingly!

So . . . just in case you might be trying to pinch pennies or save dollars . . . I beg you to give this a try.  You won't be sorry.  It's oh so easy -- takes me less than 10 minutes to make.

One note from the get-go ---- this will end up a cross between a gel and a liquid.  Don't be concerned about the consistency and how it changes as time goes by -- it still works.

The BEST part = it yields 2 gallons of detergent and the total cost for those 2 gallons = less than $0.77.

YES --- you are not reading incorrectly --- and I did not put my decimal point in the wrong spot.  It does cost less than 77 cents for the entire 2 gallon!

Here is the recipe:  (if you shop at Walmart - all 3 ingredients are on the shelf next to each other)

1/3 bar of Fels Naptha Bar Soap
1/2 cup Borax Laundry Booster
1/2 cup Washing Soda

Grate the Fels Naptha into 6 cups water in a very large saucepan on top of the stove till dissolved.
Add both the Borax and Washing Soda and stir over the heat until all dissolves.

Pour 4 cups HOT water into your 2 gallon container.
Add the Fels solution to that container.
Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups water to that container.
Cover and let stand for 24 hours before using.

Use 1/2 cup per load of laundry.

Like I said, it's a cross between gel and liquid.  No bleach needed.  Your whites will be white and your colors will be safe.

Monty grubs around in sewer lines underneath mobile homes nearly every day so you can imagine what his clothes come home looking like!  And I send him back out each day with sparking clean clothes --- just so he can do it all over again!    :)

So here you are.  A great way to save alot of money! 
I am going to try putting it in my hand soap dispensers as soon as they are empty.  Saving even more!

Until next time . . . here's to the senior citizens in our communities who hold a wealth of knowledge - if we will just take the time to listen and then do what they suggest!

Susan and Monty

Warehouse #2 ?

Don't laugh too hard --- you remember seeing IGO Disaster Relief warehouse #1 a few months ago.  And you also remember I painted it a lovely deep red.

Well, Monty managed to "salvage" another one which will become warehouse #2 somewhere in the near future!

You still want to laugh?  Go ahead --- but beggars can't be chosers so here we are -- rebuilding once again -- and notice the smile on his face?  The joy of the Lord pouring out (accompanied by exhaustion after working a 12 hour day in this heat)!

A new roof, floor, exterior walls, trim and paint --- she'll be good as new, if not better!

Michael got a little more work done on Saturday.  I admit I didn't even know Rob was planning on going or I would have gone and atleast got you some more pictures.  He told me yesterday at church that he had done some electrical and moved and built a few more things to bring him closer to being really done!  Thanks Rob --- your generosity and heart of service are unmatchable!

We also have our 2nd Maui team meeting later this week.  There's a total of 9 of us going now and we are so excited.  Looks like 5 of us will be staying in the actual facility, in the loft area.  The other 4 will be staying at the directors' home (Alton and Linda).  The time is getting closer and closer and we are getting more and more excited.  I know God has something special for each of us and it will be beyond anything we could ever imagine!

I am still desperately trying to raise funding --- and I mean desperately!  So please think about helping defray the costs -- nothing is too small and of course, nothing is too big!   :)    Just see the notation at the top for details or just go to www.igorelief.org and look for the link "donate now" at the bottom of the first page.  I thank you for helping!

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

Growing

Good afternoon to all.

I had all my hospital tests done yesterday and all went well.  Long but well.  I will hopefully find out all the results at my appointment Monday morning.  Thank you for your continued prayers!

Great news --- our team going to do the rebuilding in Maui has grown yet again!  Pastor Martie's daughter and son in law are also going to go with us --- making us a team of 9.  How awesome is that!  They also have not done anything like this before so much thanks goes out to them for being obedient to what God has called them to do.  We will be having another team meeting next week to make sure we are all on the same page with all the same info.  This couple will also be celebrating their wedding anniversary while there!  Service with celebration --- a combination guaranteed to have God smiling and the blessings on their way!

On a much different note -- went to the funeral home last evening as the father of my best friend since childhood passed away.  It was good to see Denise again and makes me sad that we don't make it a point to spend time with each other more often.  We promised to make it happen and yet know that life itself just seems to fly by and sometimes even get in the way!  She and I were neighbors growing up and were nearly inseparable.  We somehow managed to get each other through life back then! 

Beginnings and endings are all a part of life, an exciting and yet scarey part at the same time.  As I think about Maui and what God has awaiting each of us I also pray that the funds come in to make the trip complete!  Please join me in those prayers.

Until next time . . . love you Denise!                                            Susan and Monty

Board Meeting

Sorry it's been a few days.  No excuses, just didn't take the time I guess!   :)

Anyway, yesterday was our board meeting for the COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disaster for Monroe County) and it was a good one, even if there were quite a few member who were unable to attend.

We were able to line out each board member with their "job task" thus eliminating a bit of confusion.

Our new logo is still in the works and will hopefully be ready for us to check out the new ideas before too long.

I am in the process of trying to get us a table at the weekly Saturday Farmers Market where we can be visible and let folks know about our organization and how they might be able to be involved.  So far I haven't been able to get into the website area to pull up the forms to complete but . . .

We'll also be working on a flyer or brochure to use at our setup.

With our next general  meeting the end of next month we talked about really getting into some disaster training.  My goal is to focus on case management at that next meeting.  Case management is the heart and soul of disaster relief and recovery and hopefully at the end of that meeting we will have someone step up and want to fill that position within the organization.

The emergency relief supply warehouse is still on the table and I told the board that it will be on the agenda for every board meeting and every general meeting until someone decides to donate a space for us to set up!  Whether it be a storage facility, an office area, an old warehouse . . . wherever!  It will come --- in God's timing!

So it was a good meeting with alot accomplished.  I am anxious to see where God is leading both me and this organization over the next few months!

Still waiting to hear from the Hartsville team as to when they can return to Don's.  With this intense and record breaking heat I imagine they are hoping and praying for a brief let-up so they can come and finish the roof.  Again, God's perfect timing!

I would ask for some personal prayers --- tomorrow I will be spending most of the day undergoing a battery of tests at our local hospital to determine if I am going to need to change my lifestyle due to the heat strokes or if something else might be haywire!  Not a fun day but hopefully one with some answers!  Thanks for your prayers!

Until next time . . . God is good --- all the time!                              Susan and Monty

Delayed Photo Updates

I realize I haven't had many pics lately and hope to show you some updates from the work at Don's house.

This was taken the day after the 4th of July.  Hartsville has the front subflooring of Don's family room removed and it putting together a plan to rebrace the interior walls and replace the floor joists.

Another view.  You can see that the floor joists have been completely removed in this area and the dirt below.  The joists in this area were literally touching the ground and the plates destroyed from all the water pouring in through the hole in the ceiling and roof for over 11 months!

They also unloaded all the new windows and came back the next day to install them all.  Having all new windows is an added blessing that we hadn't counted on when we started the work but God stepped in and provided above and beyond our own feeble plans.  I love it when He does that!

Yesterday Mark returned to complete the priming of the ceilings.  This is Don's dining room.  After taking a better and closer look we have also revised our plans for this room.  The ceiling is sagging in so many areas that we plan on completely redoing it.  Mark has the skills abilities and heart to take this project on so . . . go Mark, go!  And thanks Mark, thanks!

As usual, John was more than happy to join in and was a huge help in getting the house cleaned up and tools organized into a workable space.  Both the family room and dining room are now completely cleared out and ready for the final touches of transformation into a home again.

So . . . we continue to plug away, week by week, all with the goal of getting Don back home again.  He continues working full time (jobs are blessings) and is more than patient with the whole process.  I know he didn't think he would be bunking with his brother nearly this long but . . . it takes what it takes and he realizes that and is ever so grateful to each one who comes to help.

Maui trip update;  we had our first team meeting last night where everyone got their itenerarys and instructions and papers to sign.  The main details are taken care of and now we just continue to try and raise the funds necessary for the flights and food while we are there.

One more gentleman from our own church may be coming along too.  I will know for sure by the end of today so let's pray things work out for him and thus our team grows to 7 people!

Until next time . . . Many thanks to God for all His perfectly timed blessings!        Susan and Monty
PS.  Within minutes of me posting this blog I got a call from another couple in our church and Charlo will be joining our mission team to Maui!  Charlo is originally from Africa and will be a wonderful addition to our "family" and to Maui itself!  Praise the Lord and keep bringing them!!!!!!!!

Moving forward in faith

Our tickets to Maui are on the credit card!  We had set this past Wednesday as the day we would sit down and make the purchase since time is ticking and prices were doing the same.

We have all been watching the prices online for weeks now and just felt Wednesday was "the" day.

Bev, Sus and I gathered here at our house mid-afternoon and the two of them were undoubtedly late for church that night.  It was an amazing afternoon and evening -- another one of those where I saw everything but the physical hand of God at work! (still waiting for that and know it's coming)

After searching on the internet (with 2 computers) we were nearly dismayed when the prices did nothing but go up and up and seats became fewer and fewer. 

Sus finally felt the need to call the airlines directly and after waiting on hold for way too long she (and God) changed their minds and she called Expedia.  She and her husband had booked their tickets to Maui through them and so . . .

By the time she finished with the call (which was nearly 90 minutes later) we not only had our tickets at a reasonable rate -- they had thrown in a couple of perks that will no doubt make our trip even better!  We laughed when the representative introduced himself as Michael --- thinking that there is an angel with that name --- and we ended up feeling as though we had been talking and working with that exact angel.

Now all the 4 of us need to do is raise the money.  God has promised us that we will have what we need and be able to pay off that credit card even before the bill arrives!  Each of us is standing firm on that promise.

Is is easy to stand firm?  Personally speaking --- NO!   Oh, it's easy for me to believe for someone else -- I do that all the time -- and see God's provision time after time -- without fail.

But . . . when it comes to believing that for myself ----- I admit that it's the toughest thing ever!  The fretting and stewing can nearly overtake me at times.  I am being whole heartedly honest here and showing a weakness that I am truly ashamed of.  But . . . just sayin'

Tomorrow evening the entire team, including spouses and/or parents will be gathering here at our house for our first team meeting.  At that time we will be going over all our flight details, what to take and what to leave behind, reading and signing the Mission Covenant and Release of Liability and officially beginning the forming of our team that will become family over the next few weeks.

If you have already donated towards our trip ---- our sincere and deepest thanks to you!  YOU are what make this ministry and mission happen.

If you have not ---- I would urge you to seek the Lord and see what He would have you do.  We might be the "goers" but the goers cannot go without the "senders".  Details as to how to donate our in our bio at the top of the page or you can go directly to our website and see the words "donate now" at the bottom of the page.   www.igorelief.org

We are excited about this trip, this opportunity to be used by God in a way that will not only rebuild lives but actually save them!  For me -- that is very humbling and I thank God for working through me --- just a broken old vessel that is willing to take that step, take that risk and by His grace -- make a difference in this world!

Until next time . . . what an awesome God we serve!                            Susan and Monty

Happy Birthday Bev

Yes, today is Bev's birthday.  Bev is going with me to Maui to help rebuild the teen rehabilitation center.  She is nervous and has only flown once but is determined to follow the call God has placed on her life, no matter the obstacles!

She picked me for Bible study this morning and for me --- it's so nice to have another woman understand this calling and even though she doesn't have all the answers -- she is taking the step, the risk, and being obedient!

It's going to be an amazing trip.  We learned today that we might be housed at the rehab facility itself, if enough reconstruction has been completed by then.  There have been some local volunteers helping out but only on weekends so they are more than a bit excited about us coming.  With Bobby's construction experience and Hannah and Bev's willingness to learn and do whatever I know we will be able to be a great blessing and in return -- we will be more than blessed. 

Tom, from Hartsville, is also a one man band this afternoon.  He made the trip to Don's -- all by himself -- to double check the electrical work needing done and will plan on returning either later this week or early next week to wrap up the roof work.  We are praying for this intense heat to break long enough for them to work safely.  Please join us in those prayers.  Once that roof is completed we can really concentrate on the inside and see transformations rather quickly.  Mucho thanks to Tom for his dedication and hard work!

Monty has been working full time days and then working overtime helping a woman re-skirt her trailer for the past 2 evenings.  He was soaked to the bone with sweat and covered with dirt when he came in last night after 9:30pm.  I hate that he's outside in this heat and pray God's protection and supernatural strength to enable him to get done what he wants to get done.

Tomorrow we are gathering together to book our flights to Maui.  I would appreciate your prayers.  The flights are not decreasing in price and we are standing in faith that the funds will come in.  A credit card will hold them in the meantime so . . . Lord, we are ready!!!!!!  Show us the way!  Show us the "how" as we say "send us, send us."

Until next time . . .   happy birthday Bev!                                     Susan and Monty

Monday . . .

The temps are heating up once again, pushing the 100 degree mark!  Yuck!

But on the upside --- when I stopped by Don's to drop off some left over primer I got to see his new family room ceiling all completed! 

Mark gave me a call this morning and said he and a friend were able to complete it -- texture and all -- and it looks amazing!  Now all we need to do is put up the crown molding and trim out around the new windows and that room is complete (except for the flooring, of course). 

I am anxious for the Hartsville men to return and get the roof completed so we can then move on to the master bedroom.  We edge closer and closer . . .

We also have Michael's House Blessing scheduled.  It will be on Tuesday, July 31st at 1:00pm in the afternoon.  I realize this might make it difficult for some folks to be there but we are hoping to get many of the Bible study clan to attend.  It will be an exciting afternoon and even though he has been living there for quite some time the House Blessing will make it complete!  If you are able to be there just come on out and join us.  The more the merrier!

This is also the week that we are booking our tickets for our mission trip to Maui to help rebuild the teen rehabilitation center.  Looks like there are 4 of us going so pray that all the funds come in and that we get a really good and smooth flight!  We are all anxious to get the plans on paper and move forward.  Remember -- if you would like to donate towards the trip just read where to send your donation in our bio above or go directly to our website where you can click on the "donate" tab at the bottom of the page at www.igorelief.org

Every dollar makes a difference!!!!!!!


Until next time . . .  on a personal note ---- please cover me in prayers as I will be undergoing a battery of medical tests over the next week --- all related to my past problems with heat.  Thank you!

Susan and Monty

I'm Back . . . Maybe

Again, let's pray this blog can actually hit the airwaves!  The past couple of weeks have been tough, to say the least!
This past week I have spent more hours on the phone with internet tech support than I could ever keep track of.  And I mean hours!!!   All with no results.  Even as I write this I am on the phone trying to work through issues and praying this will get out to you!  I almost feel sorry for the techs -- almost!

Anyway, I am feeling better.  Still not back to 100% yet as that will take some time, usually atleast 10 days or so.  I was able to stay out of the heat and it did finally break and bring us some rain.  Thank you Lord.

I have also been working on and mailed our latest newsletter today.  Each time I write one I think I should've written more often!

The plans are in the works and moving forward for my trip to Maui.  We will be leaving mid August and gone for one week.  I am desperately trying to raise the funds for the plane ticket and meals while there.  We will be booking our flight next week so please pray that the funds come through very quickly!  I am excited about this trip and being able to rebuild a facility that will not only change the lives of our next generation but save those lives!  And bring the Word of God to them to keep them living in the calling God has placd on their lives! 

Don's rebuild is going very slowly.  The Hartsville team has not been here this week so hopefully next week . . .

We were able to respond and get some much needed emergency supplies to a family in our church who had a terrible fire last night.  They are a family with 5 children and everyone got out safe and sound but are left with major damage and cleanup.  Once again --- we need a warehouse!!!!!!

I want to thank all of you for your prayers during this tough time physically.  I have learned alot and know that I don't like not feeling as I should so please keep the prayers going!

And don't forget the prayers for Don, Michael and Maui.

I will update as the internet will allow so pray for that also!    :)

Until next time . . . by God's grace I am healed!!!!!                             Susan and Monty

Hartsville heats up --- and so do I

If this blog actually posts it might be nothing short of a miracle.  Have been having trouble connecting to the internet all day long!

Hartsville returned yesterday with one goal in mind -- get the subflooring done in Don's house!  They didn't mind the heat -- the came prepared with multiple fans and after me making a couple of trips for materials they were on track and even though it took more tearing out and rebuilding (the floor joists were damaged also) than we thought they got the job done!

Today they returned and installed all 6 brand new windows.  This means that every window in his house is new except for the small one over the kitchen sink!  Once again, amazing work in these record breaking heat wave that seems to go on and on.

Speaking of heat -- some of you know that while we were working in Mississippi back in 2007 I suffered a heat stroke.  Not exhaustion but a stroke.  It wasn't pretty and on my 2nd trip to the emergency room I nearly died lying on the bathroom floor of the waiting room.  It wasn't pretty but I knew that I had not had enough fluids that day.

Yesterday it happened again.  And this time I drank water all day long but it just wasn't enough. 

By the time Monty got home from his job (after 6:30pm) I was out on the bathroom floor.  He took me to the local clinic where they transferred me to the ER via ambulance.  I don't remember alot for the next quite a few hours but with multiple bottles of fluids mixed with meds I finally got to feeling better around midnight.

I learned alot from that nurse on duty late at night.  He told me that no matter how much fluid I took in yesterday it wouldn't be enough.  He said that once you have heat stroke you should literally wear a badge to let others know.  My whole system was compromised back in 2007 and that will last the rest of my life.  He said if it happens to military personel they are required to wear a badge. 

So . . . needless to say I have not stepped outside of our house today -- only to take the dogs to do their business.  I HAVE learned my lesson because I don't think I could live through another bout.

So . . . until this heat breaks, I will be inside and as soon as some funds come through I will get the air conditioner fixed in my truck.  Yep , no air -- but am praying for enough funds to get it working again soon.

My sincere thanks to the Hartsville men and John who slaved away these past 2 days and have transformed Don's house!  Real men of God with real hearts of service.  Love you guys!

Until next time . . . thanks ER docs and nurses!  Priceless!                          Susan and Monty

Pressure Cooker

I admit I am old enough to remember my mother using the kitchen pot called a pressure cooker.  It was a big pot -- we were a big farming family and oh could we eat.  The main thing I remember about that pot was the little circle thing on the top that would whistle and wiggle when it got going.  And every single my mom got ready to open that pot we would all have to stand back -- just in case the contents would blow up.  My mom knew the precautions to take, what to do and what not to do. 

And one guarantee --- everything that came out of that pot was good!!!  Really good!!!

This morning was Bible study.  Pastor Martie's topic was "under pressure."  Sure hit home with me.

Why?  Well, let me give you a quick overview . . .

With nearly everything done at Michael's, but not everything and with no more funding coming in we need to schedule a House Blessing!  Maybe that doesn't seem like pressure but combined with the rest of life . . .

My neighbor lady continues to lose her strength due to the cancer being everywhere and her son's car isn't fixed yet and today she was being moved to a nursing home.  Her son is still here and trying to run his church and his family -- all of which is 2 hours away.  I am trying to help all I can but . . .

Don's house still sits day after day with nothing being done but a day every now and then.  No ones fault -- it's life and local people just do not volunteer for local work.  I am beginning to think that's a fact of life I am just now learning!  With so much work still needing done it's pressure . . .

I am trying to plan and put together the upcoming mission trip to Maui.  People laugh when I tell them the location.  We don't have much time to plan.  They want to be open by September 1st.  I don't have the funding to go ahead and purchase a plane ticket.  Neither does anyone else who wants to go.  I am standing in faith but . . . still pressure. 

I need to get a newsletter out to let people know what we have going and what we are planning to hopefully raise awareness and funding.  But the cost of just the stamps alone is a tough one.

The local Community Organizations Active in Disaster organization is on my heart and there is so much I want to bring to it.  I need to invite more of the faith based community and I need more of those who have already requested to be a part of it to come to the meetings.  The problem?  This organization is dependent upon volunteers and so . . .

I just received an urgent prayer request that one of our friends in church who has been battling brain cancer for a couple of years now has just been admitted to the hospital and might have had a stroke.

Our music worship team leader at church just learned his cancer has returned.

My dear friend, Carla, continues to lose her battle with cancer and has missed church the past couple of weeks.

My youngest daughter continues to reject me, her sister and her brother as family!  That is painful for all of us.

And my father and brother are in danger of loosing all their crops to this draught.

Am I being a pessimist?  No, just telling it like it is. I like to think of it as being "human" and having a bunch of emotions going in all directions!

So . . . when Pastor Martie taught on pressure ---- I thought of that pressure cooker from my days of being a little girl.  And I thought of the good things that came from it.  Which made me think of God.  Just before King David became King he had the toughest time of his life.  The blessings were right behind the pressure.  The good food was just behind the pressure of the cooker.

It is my prayer that the blessings are just behind my feelings of pressure.

I know God is God and I know the calling He has placed on my life and I intend on continuing in that calling --- pressure or no pressure.  I stand on His promises of provision and protection and the rest of the long list He give us.

But . . . I am still a woman with alot of things going on and I still feel alot of pressure at this moment!

Just being honest and just sayin' . . .

Until next time . . .  2 Corinthians 12:10 "For when I am weak - then I am strong."   Susan and Monty
::

Oh No you don't, satan

Monday morning started with a bang -- a couple of bangs -- and all good surprises!

First of all, looks like the mission trip to Maui is nearly scheduled.  We will be leaving on Thursday, August 16th and returning the following Thursday.

I will be going, Monty will not.  He has too many responsibilities here.  But I will not be going alone.  Bev, from the Tuesday morning Bible study, will be going with me.  Along with the both of us we have two young adults from our church, Bobby and Hanna. 

Each one of us is trying to raise the funding to purchase our plane tickets and to be able to eat while there.  Our transportation to and from their local airport, housing and tools needed to do the work will all be provided.  With plane tickets right around $1,000 round trip we have our work cut out for us.

If you would be interested in helping me out -- see how to donate in the above bio area.  Rebuilding this teen rehabilitation facility is critical.  This program is Biblical based and has a success rate of over 90% -- totally unheard of in any other rehab program.  We are all excited about going and pray our funding will come in within the next couple of weeks so we can get our reservations made.  If you feel lead to help out --- my deepest thanks ahead of time!

Now for today . . .

As I said, the first call I got was from Bobby's father telling me that he and Hanna are definitely going to Maui.  Bobby had to get some things cleared up and did just that and is now ready to fund raise and get planning.  Since he and Hanna have been friends for years they are working together and so excited about being able to go and help out youth their own ages.  It was great to start the day with that phone call.

The next thing . . . I had to call Jane with Catholic Charities to see if I could round up some "outside" funds to replace the window pane that got broken at Don's house.  Those old wooden windows are ancient and have about 20 coats of paint on them.  Getting them open last week was one thing, closing them was another.  One of the panes broke and as Jane and I were talking she decided we need to replace all 4 of those nasty windows and not only gave me the approval but also said she would come up with the funds to do so!  What an amazing surprise!  And when I called Don I could feel his smile clear through the phone!!!!!

Next came the issue of my neighbor's son and his broken down car.  My neighbor has cancer and her son is staying here to help her out.  Having car trouble was the icing on the cake so to say.  He wasn't even sure what the trouble was.  Monty spent last night charging the battery and when I took it in this morning for the alternator test -- it failed.  So now we knew what was wrong.  Our other neighbor, Steve, said he would take care of replacing it. 

And then he raised the hood and realized that there was no way to work on it without putting it on a lift.  So . . . he called one of his friends who has his own shop and he agreed to take care of it.  Should be all done and ready to run by Friday.

So . . . the "moral" of today for me was:  satan, you just don't win ---- ever!  You might have tried with stopping Bobby from going on this mission trip --- but you failed.  In fact, God stepped in and changed your nasty little plans into awesomeness!

You also tried to upset Don and all of us with the broken window.  NOT!  God once again said that He would top your nastiness with a load of blessings times 4.  Again, you lose!

And when you tried to add to the anxiety of Evelyn's son, Michael, with a broken down car --- well, God used a group of folks to come along side and get the car repaired.

So . . . satan --- your plans and goals of steal, kill and destroy?   God is an awesome God and I've read the end of the Book and WE WIN!!!!!!

It's been a good Monday --- for alot of people.  I am blessed to be able to see the hand of God in so many places at once!

What about you?  Have you seen His hand?  Or are you even looking??????

Until next time . . . "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Susan and Monty