Water Log

Progress continues at Bethel, though sometimes a little too slowly for my preferences. I have to remind myself that this house has only been in my possession for three weeks. Seven weeks ago I was unaware that this house and this neighborhood even existed. God has done some incredible things in those seven weeks, blessing me far beyond what I deserve.

The water had to be turned off last Saturday morning for Demolition Day in order to remove the kitchen and bathroom fixtures. That meant no "facilities" and no way to clean until a plumber could come and install new shut-off valves in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry area, and the main water source for the house. Though the basic pipes are all sturdy copper, the plumbing attached to the copper needed to be replaced. It was a mess!

Aware of my desperate need to keep things moving, some dear friends enlisted a professional plumber to get the job done. He came early Thursday morning, and soon had me back in business. It was a pleasure to work with Steve. Thank you, my wonderful friends, for this enormous blessing!

With water restored I began cleaning in earnest. The awnings over my sun room windows were filthy, but a good hard scrubbing made a huge difference. Another major chore was scrubbing the basement walls. Because the walls are poured concrete, and there is a floor drain, I was able to clean them with a brush then hose them down with the nice long garden hose provided my my friend, Tom. This system has the added advantage of getting the floor clean, too. Too bad I can't do this on the main level! It's a large basement, but I have scrubbed nearly half of it already, letting each section dry for at least 24 hours before adding more moisture to the room.

Though Bethel's basement has no moisture issues, it's always a good idea to use a dehumidifier in a basement, and after hosing the place down it's just common sense. I purchased a high-efficiency unit at Lowe's, and prayed for someone to haul it down the basement stairs. God sent Louie!

Some other neighbors had mentioned this hard-working man who is renovating the house behind mine, but I had not seen him around. Yesterday, while sanding my donated kitchen cabinets, I spotted Louie working in his yard so I went over to introduce myself. He showed me some of his beautiful handiwork, and offered to help me out. Before I knew it, that dehumidifier was humming along, heavy items had been added to the dumpster, and I had a new friend. Thank you, Louie!

Perhaps the most exciting development this week was the delivery of my new washer and dryer. What a beautiful sight! I also purchased new kitchen appliances on sale. They will be delivered at the end of this month. The donated appliances didn't meet my needs, but they are being given to others who can use them. It's fun to watch God bless others with the extra items that He has placed in my hands.

I have also been blessed this week with meals from Diane and Kristal. Kristal even gave me some daffodil bulbs! Furnishings continue to be donated, as well. I'll discuss that in a future post, but suffice it to say that I am very grateful for every contribution!

My greatest need at this time is for someone to help with drywall prep so that the painting can be done in a timely manner. This task more than any other stirs up sweet memories of my Jimmy who did beautiful drywall work. I know that God has chosen someone special for this job. I sure hope He sends that person very soon because I need to be painting by the end of this week.

Though I didn't meet every goal for this week, other major tasks were accomplished. If things had gone according to my plans the basement probably wouldn't have been as thoroughly cleaned. I'm thankful for this development because I intend to make good use of that amazing underground area. It's blessedly cool down there, making it the ideal place to sleep this summer since there is no air conditioning in the house.

God knows exactly what I need. His timing is perfect even when it differs from my own. "But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in Your hand;" Psalm 31:4-15