Marquette3- Almost the end

We ALMOST finished our work project at Jill and Ian's house.  This means one more trip out there.  There are only a few things left to do and I'm guessing we could finish them in a day.  We should paint the dining room ceiling.  And we need to install some trim that didn't get done.  And paint the bathroom again.  There could be some more shelving in the basement, and there are leftover building materials in the garage that need to be dealt with.  And I suppose someone could work on putting back all the things we moved so we had room to work.  

So there may be one more update about the Marquette 2015 project.  

In the meantime, our Facebook page has captions on a lot more pictures than the Picassa page.  (It has to do with uploading them into an album and anyone with a better idea than Picasa should tell me what you recommend)  Anyway, here are the links:  

Click here for our Facebook Page    

Click here for our Picasa picture page

It was a fantastic project to work on.  A different scope than we've done before.  I would say that I learned a lot from it in terms of planning out projects like this.  There are some things I would do differently (finding the balance between buying nice things that look good in the house vs. being frugal with the money donated to the project for one, maybe charging more for two?) and things I wouldn't change (looking for reasons to say, "yes, we can do that.")  I loved bringing people to Marquette and made some great connections there.  I loved bringing people to love on Jill and Ian.  

Once all the bills come in and everything is wrapped up, I'll post one more time about this project with some totals and anything else I can think of that would be pertinent.  

Thank you a bunch for following this with us and being a part in whatever way you could.  We love that you are with us. 

Rod

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

not feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

your are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Marquette3- A home run

I gotta say, Justin's team knocked this baby out of the ballpark.  

After 5 longgggg days of work, this team finished as much as could be done for this trip.  I think this team worked five days at ten hours+ each day.  Their commitment to seeing this through and getting as much done for Jill and Ian is the stuff legends are made of.  I'll try to recap-  (If you're not interested and just want to see pictures-  scroll past the next few paragraphs)

Took out a small wall between the living room and the dining room.  Managed the transitions between the two room so it all flows as one.  Textured and painted the walls and ceilings.  Installed cabinets, countertops, kitchen sink, dishwasher, backsplash and new flooring in the kitchen.  Erin made some are pieces to put on the walls.  Ginger made some curtains.  

In the bathroom, replaced the toilet, sink and bathtub.  Reconfigured the bathroom, which meant moving plumbing around.  (This was mostly donated by a local plumbing and heating company)  Painted.  Put in new light fixtures.  Updated some of the electric.  

In the stairwell at the entrance to the house- painted the stairwell, installed vinyl treads.  Painted part of the floors.  Installed new vinyl flooring to match the kitchen in the landings of the stairwell.  

Installed crown molding around the dining room an kitchen.  Filled in a window where there was one in the bathroom.  resided and repainted the outside where the window used to be.  Changed out a window in the basement bedroom that we put in.  

And I feel like that only tells half the story.  

I think our lives could be compared to the house.  Partially because most people haven't seen the "before" pictures.  (I have permission to show them- so I'll post them on FB in a few days.)  So all we see is how nice it is now.  I know how it used to be.  I know that it was not in Jill's power to make this happen on her own.  I know the condition of my soul before Jesus.  I know I do not have the power to make the changes all my own.  Grace is huge.  And updates and remodels in a house take time and resources.  Updates and remodels in your soul takes sacrifice and hard work also.  It's almost embarrassing to think of the way Jill's kitchen and bathroom were before.  -  And sad.  But we don't have think about it.  It's much more fun to see the new kitchen and the new dining room and the new bathroom.  And I wonder if that's kind of how Jesus see's our souls?  That we have gotten ourselves into situations we can't get out of ourselves.  And Jesus comes in and renovates our hearts and minds.  Jill kept saying she couldn't believe it and how lucky she was and why her? and etc.  I think it's kind of like that with Jesus and our souls.  We get a spiritual makeover when the Creator of the Universe comes in and takes away our filth and depravity and mess, and turns us into something beautiful, and we wonder why us?  The important thing isn't the ugly thing we were, but the beautiful thing we've become and how He delights in that.  I couldn't wait to show Jill her new house.  (we made her wait outside for the "big reveal!")  I wonder if Jesus is like that with us and the Father-  "Look Father!  Look look!  Look at how these heart renovations are beautiful and fun and give such joy."  

We are not quite done.  There is a little bit of trim left to put up.  A little more paint to put on.  A tad more clean up and helping get some things organized and put away.  That'll be for another day.  

I'll have to say more about the wrap of of this trip later.  I think of all the people on the other teams that came and volunteered and were part of this service to Jill and Ian.  I'm a little in awe.  And I want to talk about the Don and Dort hospitality experience.  But for now, I just want to sit in the joy of this awesome project that is mostly done and looks great.  

Here is a link to our FB page (have you "liked" us on FB yet?) click here for FB

Here is a link to our photo page on Picasa:  click here for photo page

Prayer requests are for safe travel for our team on the way home.  

End of September-  Detroit anyone?  

Mid October-  Maryland anyone?

Here we go!

R

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

not feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

your are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Marquette 3- How things have progressed

It may not come as a surprise to anyone besides me that it is COLD here!  In August.  It was 56 degrees on one sign I saw when I drove to Menards.  That's great for March and April.  Not great for August.  

I posted some pictures on FB and on our Picasa site-  Links here:

Click here for Picasa site

Click here for our FB page

We have gotten a lot done, but it seems slow to me.  I want to see results now.  I am nervous about not getting everything done that we need to get done.  They assure me that all is well and we are on track.  But just in case, three people went back to town tonight to get some things set up for tomorrow.  

The team is good-  14 strong until tomorrow.  From Wisconsin, there is Justin, Annette, Larry, Dan L., Dan S., Marie, Bev, Hanna and Hannania.  From MN, there is me, Howard, Ginger, Erin, and Ron.  

We have done things from running electrical to hanging more sheet rock, to taking out walls, to priming, to installing linoleum, to installing toilets, to replacing windows to filling in windows and installing siding, to putting in walls, tearing out wallpaper, and rerouting duct work.  

We have been lucky to be working with some professional plumbers and electricians who have been assigned to us from Swick Plumbing and Heating in Marquette.  The owner (former owner?) of Swick Plumbing and Heating is an old friend of Don and Dort's and volunteered to help out.  That has saved us a LOT of time.  

Don and Dort did a devotion last night and in it, there was a passage about not being afraid.  (Like Peter walking on water).  I have to keep bringing that up because there is  A LOT to do in this house.

Did I mention there is a LOT to do?  

We had pasties tonight and hung out at the lodge at the RV park next door to Don and Dort's.  Fun.  (Pasties from Jean Kay's.  The bomb - diggety!)

Prayer requests-

*Finances.  The supplies are adding up fast.  

*Our friend, Troll (from Marquette 1 and 2) called with a prayer request tonight.  If we can leave it at that, God knows what it is.  

*That we can see what good use of our time is so that we can flow from one thing into another without have to wait (for mud to dry or etc.)  

*Safety for travel for Larry and Annette and Marie who are going home in the morning because they have some other commitments.  

Let us know you're with us.  We'd love to hear from you!

Also-  Anyone want to go to Detroit towards the end of September to help work on houses there which were damaged in the flood of 2014?  Last I heard they need help still mucking out some houses.  

Ok-  that's all for now.  Thank you for being here with us.

R

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

not feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

your are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Be The Tool- Back in Marquette

Well, it has happened again.  We find ourselves in Marquette for another round of work on Jill and Ian's house.  This is supposed to be the last one.  Let's see if this team can wrap it up.  

And actually, Ray and Roma (from Marquette1) and their spouses came up to the U.P. on Friday night, had a vacation day on Saturday, and worked today (Sunday) on Jill and Ian's house.  Ray and Company installed a few more electrical outlets and hooked up the light switch to the dining room light that we took apart last time we were in town.  (long story full of drama not worth repeating).  

The team this week is mostly from Apple River Community Church in Amery, Wisconsin led by Pastor Justin Hosking.  There is a long list of things we are going to accomplish this week.  

There are also some veteran Minnesotan team people here in Marquette.  Howard, Ron, Ginger, Erin and I are here.  Justin's team has Justin, Larry, Annette, Marie, Bev, John L., John S., Hanna and Hannanai.  

Most people are staying at an RV park right next door.  (they are missing out on the Don and Dort Hospitality express!)  

Did I tell you we are staying at Don and Dort's again?  With 14, this will be the the largest Marquette team yet.  Mealtimes will be interesting.  

I'll keep you updated.  

Please keep us in your prayers.  There is a LOT to finish.  We want to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and get done the things that are important.   Pray for productivity, unity, and safety.  

The new team hasn't done anything but arrive in town, so there aren't any real pictures to show.  

But here we go!  

Thanks for coming along for the ride.  

R

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

not feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

your are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Marquette2- the last work day

What a day!  

And I want to start by telling about a couple guys that stopped by to help out.  They were from a religious organization that will remain anonymous.  I'm going to call them Joe and Jim, but those aren't their names.  (I don't even know their names).  They told us the day before that they would stop by and help out for awhile.  And they did.  They got there shortly after we did and I put them to work.  They helped carry things around, putting stuff into Ian's room or helping carry up bookshelf kits that had to be put together.  (they were in the basement and heavy!)  And then after an hour, they left.  I am grateful for their help, as were Jill and Ian.  And I trust that they were doing what they have been trained by their organization to do.   But I want to do thing differently  than that.  Our plan for yesterday was to wrap everything up by about noonish and go explore Marquette.  But at 11:00 or so, it was evident that we weren't really done and needed to rearrange our plans.  It was not hard to do.  

Deb finished sanding the ceiling in the kitchen.  It is ready to paint.  

Erin and Heidi took care of almost everything that had been stored in the dining room and living room and made it look like a dining room and living room.  

Rod St. and Troll put together some of those bookcases you get at Menards and Erin and Heidi used them in their cleaning up the living room.  

Then Rod and Troll switched out the guts to a toilet that wasn't working.  

Jon installed a handrail going to the basement.  (or coming up from the basement- depending on your perspective.)  

Ginger helped Jill continue to sort out boxes and boxes and boxes of papers and memorabilia she had been saving.  

Ron tightened up shelving in the basement so it would be sturdy enough to handle all the things we were storing on it.  

Matt helped Ian bring things from upstairs down to his room and helped organize his room.  Matt also helped with everybody's "Hey Matt, can you help me here for a minute?" calls.  

The end product is amazing.  You would think I would have pictures, but I think I left my camera at Jill and Ian's house, so I 'll have to post pictures tomorrow.  

Today we are going to stop back there one more time to check the toilet and make sure it isn't leaking.  (and grab my camera).  

I started this email talking about Joe and Jim, the two volunteers that showed up to help out for an hour.  How cool is that?  That two guys stopped by to show support for this family and helped get them another step closer to being able to get their house under control.  Some people are called to stay for an hour.  Some people are called to stay for a week.  It would be easy to end this with "What are YOU called to?"  But the question bears more importance than a flippant (and maybe arrogant) challenge.  At first, I was not grateful for the hour these two guys offered.  I thought it was just a shallow demonstration of service so that they could have more opportunities to share their message (which is different than ours) and that they didn't really want to do the hard stuff of getting messy with this family.  I got all fluffed up by OUR willingness to stay a few more hours to get everything done.  OUR willingness to spend a week.  But the hour they gave us (really gave to Jill and Ian) was great!  Who knows what they had to do to their plans in order to make that hour work?  Regardless of their motivation, they felt called to share.  And so they did.  

So what is God calling YOU to?  (Now I can ask that.)  Which neighbor could use a plate of cookies?  Or a hand mowing the lawn?  Or an invitation to the movies?  Or a ride to the store?  Or help with their project?  Or to sit with them while they hurt?  Or (fill in the blank here.)?  Or maybe you've been wondering about the food shelf or Habitat or Feed My Starving Children or Second Harvest or your church committee that has been trying to find someone for months.  To be clear also, though, one of the wisest things my Aunt said to me once was that "every need is not YOUR need."  You don't have to save the world, or fix all the problems.  But if you press in and pay attention to what God is nudging you toward, maybe take that step and see what happens.  

We will be home later today (Saturday) and I'll post more pictures as soon as I can.  

We have another team coming out here the last week of August to install cabinets and redo the bathroom.  - and do some painting and other assorted stuff.  We would sure appreciate your prayers.  

Until soon-

R
--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

not feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

your are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Marquette2- Almost done!

What's this?  Only the 2nd email about this trip and we're almost done?  Well, I haven't been very good about writing updates.   

Work wise, we haven't gotten as much done as I hoped.  And this makes me nervous about the next/last team and getting everything done we are trying to do.  But let's take inventory....  

In the kitchen-  we took off the old ceiling and replaced it with new drywall.  First coat of mud and tape.  I was hoping to get it painted and the trip put back on, but that will have to wait until the next team.  We also took off the first layer of floor (which is an older linoleum)  - but with hardwood under that.  The adhesives stick to the hardwood.  We laid 1/4" luan on top of it and will put new linoleum on top of that.  If someday, someone wants to get back to the hardwood, they can, but it will take a lot of work...  We have also knocked out the wall between the kitchen and the living room.  The next team will knock out one short wall and put cabinets where the wall used to be.  Opening it up really did wonders for the house.  There are electrical issues that have to be addressed by the next team.  (Anyone want to come out the last week of August that is an electrician?-  Ray Baker?)  

The next team is going to put in cabinets and countertops.  And finish the floor.  

In the basement, we got done with Ian's room.  walls, paint, door, trim, carpet, baseboard, and we built him a bed platform.  

We did a lot of laundry today.  Lots.  

Which brings up my struggle for the week.  During the time I was doing the laundry at the laundry mat, I kept thinking of how we will NOT do laundry again.  And in fact, there should be a system in place where there is accountability, and systems of rewards and consequences and change so that this doesn't happen again.  And then I remembered that we say that we don't have any expectations or strings attached to what we do.  We just do it because it is the right thing to do and because it serves someone that Jesus loves.  That's it.  So I had to be deliberate of making sure I had no requirements about laundry (or any other response.)  

We have spent some time playing in Marquette also.  We went to Presque Isle Park where Troll and Erin and I jumped off the black rocks into Lake Superior.  It is a beautiful park and we were there at sunset more than once.  

We have one more day to work and get everything done we were shooting for.  

As always- thank you for your prayers and support.  We are grateful!  Feel free to "Like" us on Facebook.  (We're on Twitter and Instagram, but I never remember to post there- if anyone wants to come on the next trip to be the media person- talk to me-  I have an AWESOME idea!)  click here for our Facebook page

Here is the link to the pictures (which was fixed-  thank you to Ly Lor for pointing out it didn't work the first time I posted it!)  click here to see the pictures

Peace!

Rod

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

not feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

your are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Be The Tool back in Marquette

Be The Tool is back in Marquette!!  We are working on the same project we were last time.  (not the roof-  that's done-  same house- different challenges)

Troll came back for round two, but he and I are the only repeaters from our first trip to Marquette.  Also here are Rod and Ginger, Erin C., Ron C., Matt S., and Jon and Debbie F.  Troll and I rolled into town on Saturday night to get some things set up.  The first car got to Marquette Sunday around 5:30pm.  The second one around 11:30 pm.  We are staying at the same home we stayed at last time.  There are few more people and a little tighter, but Don and Dort are just as pleasant and they just seem to roll with it.  

The things we are working on are:  taking out a wall between the kitchen and the living room, replacing the ceiling in the kitchen.  replacing the floor in the kitchen, finishing the bedroom downstairs.  We have run in to some challenges that were not expected.  (knob and tube electrical, and a clogged drain pipe in the basement that overflowed a LOT) but it is going well.  Our homeowner is very excited to see the big open space between the kitchen and the rest of the house.  There are pictures online of before and after.  -  (the link will be at the bottom of this email.)  

Thank you for your prayers and support.  We are grateful!  We believe they avail much.  

Here is a link to our Facebook page:  Click here to go to our Facebook page

Here is a link to our photo page:  click here to go to our pictures page

We'd love to hear from you if you're following along!  

Rod

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

not feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

your are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)