VBS!!!

There is much more to be said on the amazing week of VBS the kids are enjoying, but for now I leave you with this...two of the most amazing servants of God, going all out to help our church and community...Robb and Cassie Wilson. Don't hold the grass skirts against them!

Sweet Home, Alabama rerun!

Remember the team from Willowbrook Baptist Church, Huntsville, Alabama? We remember them fondly...see here, here, and here!

Well, they're at it again. One of the main projects weighing heavily on Mark's mind has been the plumbing. Check. They got 'er done. Digging deep trenches, laying the pipe, and filling it all back in again! This poor team has more than their fair share of concrete work!































(Cowboy Jacob approves of the job)!



And then there's everyone's favorite project...the sanctuary ceiling (okay, I can't speak for it being a favorite of those who are actually up on the scaffolding...just the favorite of those like me who just get to pop in now and then and see how it's going). It gives just a taste of what it must have been like for the Tabernacle workmen, to create something beautiful for the glory of the Lord. Pictures simply don't do it justice...and my knack for showing up at opportune times for photos has been horrible. I have yet to get a picture of anyone actually working on it! But they clearly are...and it will be completed tomorrow! Isn't that beam just beautiful now?!?

Hey, my name is Joe...

And I work in a button factory the church all day.
One day, Mark said to me "Hey Joe, are you busy?" I said "No."
He said "Please help with the work teams coming"

Hey, my name is Joe.  And I work in the church with the teams all day.  One day, Mark said to me, "Hey Joe, are you busy?"  I said "No."  He said "Please finish up this drywall."

"And hang all the doors."


























"And put up trim."



























"And finish the ceiling."

"And help trap the magpies."

"And build a new well cover, and put in the potato patch, and [insert the zillion things that he did that we either don't have pictures of or don't even know that he did because he's all about the details] and love on my kids."

And he did.

All the while, he affirms that THIS is what the body of Christ is all about, everyone doing what they're good at, regardless of where they're at.  And he's right.  In the meantime, we as a church and in our own family have been so incredibly blessed to have had him here these past three weeks...my kids are going to be so lost without him when he leaves tomorrow.  Thanks, Joe...words will never be enough.  We love you and owe a debt of gratitude to the Lord for bringing you up here.
PS:  See you next year!  [Per his admission of the running list he has going of projects that must be done]!  Not gonna argue that one!

North Dakota Team...

They came, they saw, they conquered! Victory Lutheran Church of Jamestown, ND came with another team this year, thanks to Gary who wanted to bring them back! It was nice to see some familiar faces and a blessing to get to know so many others! Here's the crew, with the addition of our friend and summer foreman, Joe, along with Andrew who has been a willing helper this week...and of course, the ever-faithful dog Sophie who guarded them slept while they worked.


















Serena, Jennifer, and Eunice painted themselves right out of a job! I wish you could all stand in this building to get a genuine perspective of how much work this really all is...certainly not for the faint of heart!















Drumroll, please...the plumbing is in! Which also means that the rooms on the north side of the building could all be drywalled. And, there are heat registers around the building! The final touch, which Gary just couldn't let go (bless his heart) was to fix a rusty patch of roofing, which he replaced right before dinner on their last day.















Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this week was watching the ceiling go up before our very eyes. If you click on this picture, it will enlarge for you...the chronology of insulating and cutting blue board and nailing it up...it's simply BEAUTIFUL.













If we were getting excited about nearing completion before, we're more so now! Thank you, North Dakota team, for the blessing that you have been!

More "Post Blessings"

The KY team added the blessing of their hearts and words to the blessing of their work...just as those who came before have done!

Kentucky Team!

The third week of June brought us our first team of the summer...from Westside Baptist Church, Kentucky!
We never realized how much mudding, taping, and texturing of drywall could be accomplished in such a short amount of time-until we met these guys!















This building contains A LOT of drywall, and in four and a half days, these men had it all under control.















If you need empty buckets, this is the place to come...they went through them like crazy!















It has been so encouraging to walk into the building and see how close we now are to the finish line...and we'll always remember our Kentucky team of 2011...the quarter in the ceiling isn't even necessary! Thank you, Westside, for serving the Lord by serving us and our community-God's blessings on you all!

Boiler Installed

The other major development this winter was the installation of the boiler system. One small picture for one huge step in the building process!