Photo Essay

It’s about time that I give you a photo essay of our building project. We have practically finished all the major things that needed to be done. All that remains are the minor, yet annoyingly persistent details, e.g. wallpaper, trim, baseboard, fire alarm system, etc. The only things that we still haven’t purchased, and currently don’t have money on hand for, are the fire alarm system and a bio-toilet. But we believe that the finances for these things will come in soon and we’ll be able to completely finish the interior of the addition. Of course, we still need to wrap the exterior walls in siding and insulation, but that’s a different story…

 Well, here goes:

 

Propane tanks for gas furnace

 

The gas furnace itself

Doors and walls

Two front doors: metal and glass/vinyl

Outside view of addition

A Thumbnail Tale

This is how it all happened!

I am proud to announce that we are applying the finishing touches to our new addition at the church. After this week all that will remain to do is to hang the wallpaper, paint, finish connecting the heating system pipes, and a few other odds and ends. By the way, in a few days I’ll have some fresh pictures posted here of the most recent work we have done. Thanks to the fact that our construction work is coming to an end, I have more and more time to dedicate to “office” work, therefore, I was able to make this post today. Actually, there is also another reason why I have been freed up from construction work, and I want to share that with you now…

 

Two days ago, I decided that it was time to spruce up the property a bit. One of my primary task targets was to clean up a pile of boards that was in complete disarray. As I was carrying a heavy, wooden beam across a surface of slick, water-logged boards, I lost my footing and slipped. I went down and the beam flew up. I landed well, without harm; however, the beam’s landing was rougher than mine. With a solid “thhh-uuunk” the heavy beam slammed down on top of my right thumb which was solidly planted on the wet, slick decking. My thumb, as it were, was caught between a rock and a hard place. Though I didn’t realize it at first, my thumbnail immediately and completely flew off. Blood gushed everywhere. My first thought was that my thumb bone had been crushed since my thumb, sans thumbnail, looked smashed-in, flat, and irregular. Thankfully, the bone was preserved, only the nail suffered.

 

Directly preceding this horrific episode, I entered into shock and grasping my bleeding thumb tightly with my left hand I exclaimed over and over again, “Jesus, thank you for healing my thumb!” Later I recalled with joy that this is what I said instead of something less edifying. Somehow, in my shocked condition, I managed to stumble into my office and flop down on a chair. Minutes later, the pastor of our daughter church in Rakeetnoye, Vitaliy, unexpectedly happened to swing by and he found me in my troubled state. Vitaliy whisked me off to the emergency room, where they cleansed and bandaged my wound with surprising care. Thank God, that in the midst of trouble my Heavenly Father provided for my every need.

 

The first day of the accident, my thumb hurt terribly. By the second day, I was back to my cheerful self. Today, my thumb still aches from time to time, in a dull sort of way, but the greatest inconvenience is that due to the bandages I have very limited use of my right thumb, which makes typing a challenge. Still, I believe that my thumb will heal completely and swiftly. In the mean time, I will work on my nine-finger typing skills!

 

 

Triumphant Ending

 

 

Almost There

 

 

There is just one last week to go before the lion’s share of the work on the church’s addition will be done. It has been a marathon of 12 hour days, scraped and bruised forearms, and aching muscles to get to this point, but we are finally there. After this week is over, all that should be left to do is run pipes for the heating system, put up wallpaper, apply paint and move in – not to mention insulation and installing siding on the exterior walls, but we are going to hire that job out to a professional team of builders. 

This project has been immensely awarding and extremely satisfying, but I must admit that I can’t wait to get back to more time in the Word, prayer, and writing books, and, yes, of course my blog! In other words, I am anticipating returning to more “spiritual” activities. However, the fact remains that this addition had to be built, and I believe that it will prove to be one of the most “spiritual” things that we’ve every done. 

God has been so faithful to provide all of our needs. We have finances on hand for everything except the siding and insulation which will cost in the neighborhood of $5,500. I believe that God wants His church to be insulated and beautifully sheathed in fresh siding. Amen! 

Of course, there have been lots of other important things going on in our lives besides the building project, but since it fills my days from start to finish I tend to think and write about it more. Still, it is worth mentioning that our Royal Ranger program for older children and teens is booming with growth. Our youth ministry is turning over a new leaf and is forging ahead with a focus on outreach and evangelism. The church itself is growing; we see new faces in church every Sunday. Keep tuned in, since I’ll be writing more in detail about these things in the future.