Author: rvingwithapurpose

Friday, April 6, 2018

The weather was cool this morning. Had to put on a sweatshirt for the outside work of getting ready to go. It was quickly warming up by the time we left and short sleeve t-shirts were back on. However, it was noticeably cooler when we stopped at the Mississippi welcome center and by the time we arrived in Tuscaloosa it was long sleeves and jackets. Just looked at the forecast for tomorrow at home and the low is 32. No fair! We want to go back to Baton Rouge. Stel and Jodi and Ron and Mary were scheduled to leave today and both decided to stay another week. It’s still cold and snowy in Pennsylvania and Michigan so the Baton Rouge weather seems even nicer to them.

Today was the day for the real goodbyes. Last night we knew we would all see each other this morning but this morning was different. We were all up milling around and walking the dogs and cats. Really didn’t want to say good bye but it was time. Lee Ann and Barrie left just before us this morning headed back to Colorado. We left about fifteen minutes later. This project was so good for us. Thank you God for all the friends who answered your call to ministry in Baton Rouge.

It was an uneventful drive to Tuscaloosa. Traffic was pretty light and it’s interstate all the way. There were the usual distracted drivers and people running red lights in Tuscaloosa but we arrived safely. It’s really raining here now. Should be a good sleeping night. We will leave early in the morning to go to Oneonta to take care of Jean’s admission paperwork. We will be busy the next few days. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Thursday, April 5, 2018

It was a brisk 47 degrees in Baton Rouge this morning. We did indeed use the fireplace this morning. It was a beautiful sunny and hot day by this afternoon. We have been blessed with wonderful weather while working in Baton Rouge. Great time of year to be here!

We lead devotional time this morning and it was well received. It’s always a little sad to us when we have our final devotional time with our team. It’s sort of like leaving your small group for the summer. And when we leave tomorrow, we don’t know when we will see some of these people again. We have had some really great people on the teams this past four weeks. We appreciate them all.

Today we had lots we wanted to get done and knew going in we would probably not get it all done. Our prayer was that we would accomplish what God had planned for us today and not our list. We feel we accomplished that.

The siding crew of Suzanne, Lee Anne, Mary and Jodi returned to working on siding and only stopped when the roofing crew called for help. The crew got all the remaining siding on the back wall of the first addition. They also worked on the caulking and paint on that wall. It is looking amazing. It is really surprising how closely it matches the existing cedar siding.

The roofing crew worked on getting the second addition in the dry. We hung the two fly rafters, and installed the sub-fascia and the drip rail. It was then time to begin the metal roofing. We completed about 2/3 of that. Max worked with Gene, one of the team leaders for next three weeks, to be sure he understood what we had been doing and how to complete what we have started on Richard’s house. Anne spent time with Carolyn, the other team leader for the next three weeks, doing the same thing. Gene and Carolyn reminded us this evening that they have our phone number if we are needed next week. We wish we could have completed the roof but it was more important first that we all remain safe and second that we leave things for an easy transition. We know we accomplished #1 and hopefully two as well.

It has been a wonderful month in Baton Rouge. A lot of healing has occurred even though we know we still have a lot to work through. We are in a better place today in spite of the problems with Aunt Jean this week. God continues to bless us and hold us in his hands. For all this we are very thankful. Please pray for our safe travel tomorrow.

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

We had severe thunderstorm warnings overnight but all we actually had at Francis Asbury was lots of rain and some thunder. As was predicted it was all over by 7:00am. The day began very cloudy with the sun out by 10:00. It is considerable cooler tonight and we may have to use the fireplace in the morning.

Lee Ann and Barrie had our devotion this morning and it was another good time of sharing. Charles came by and visited with us for a few minutes and then it was time to go to work. We were very glad that Stel and Jodi were feeling better and were able to join us today.

We expected everything to be wet and muddy at the job site and we were right on target. It was muddy and slick. We put down some wood to walk around the exterior. We started the day with the siding crew back on siding after taking the day off yesterday to work on the sheathing. Stel and Ron worked on framing in the door and building out the interior walls. Still have a little to do on the closet wall. Max and Barrie and Anne completed the sheathing and worked on the roof framing. We all helped put together the scaffolding for the siding ladies, Jodi, Mary, Suzanne, and Lee Ann. It was a busy day but we aren’t quiet ready to install the metal. We hope to get to that tomorrow.

Also, the new team leaders Gene and Carolyn, who will be taking our place, arrived today. We showed them around the job site, and tried to bring them up to day. They will be working with us tomorrow too. It is so good to have them here. We last worked with them in November, 2014. We have wanted to work with them before now but our schedules just haven’t matched up. Maybe we will have time to visit a little tomorrow. We will not have a lot of time though because we have to be packing up and reading to leave. Hard to believe tomorrow is our last day here. We are tired and ready for a break but will be sad to leave our homeowners and team. Until tomorrow.

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Yep, it was another beautiful day. Hot this afternoon with high of 83. Unfortunately, they are still predicting storms tonight. The weather is suppose to be out of here by 7:00am so hopefully we will not have a rained out work day.

Suzanne brought us a devotion today from The Upper Room. Thought provoking and good discussion. Thanks, Suzanne. Unfortunately, Stel and Jodi were added to our prayer list because they are both sick with colds. They didn’t work today and we hope they are feeling better after some extra rest.

We really missed Stel and Jodi on the job site today. We have gone from 13 team members to 7 today. However, they are an extremely hard working 7 and accomplished a lot today. We pulled the “Siding Crew” over to work with everyone else on the second addition today. Suzanne, Lee Ann, Mary and Ron worked to put up the sheathing. Barrie also helped with that for a time this morning. It is up except for one piece that we didn’t put up so we could more easily access the area. Good work! Max and Barrie installed the rest of the rafter blocking and then got all the purlins installed. You rock guys! Anne helped with what ever was needed but spent a good deal of time on the purlins as well. It was a very productive day.

We would appreciate your prayers for Aunt Jean. For those of you that don’t know, she has now had three falls in the past week, all three requiring a trip to the ER. This last one they admitted her and are trying to determine the cause. As of now all we know is that she has a UTI. The plan now is to discharge her Thursday or Friday to a rehab center/skilled nursing facility unless they find another problem. Hopefully with therapy, she will regain enough strength to return to assisted living. The case manager we talked to today said it might be time for her to have more care than assisted living. Our LOLs sure have had a rough year. We will see what tomorrow brings. Whatever it is, we know God’s got it, already.