Work Week 42

This week we started with our safety meeting.  We also found out the subcontractor that is doing our trusses is starting.  During the week trenches were dug for our utilities.  We continued with working on the porches, bracing, garage headers, and sheeting the roof.  Facio told us that we will be doing the trusses on lot 6 and 8.  The subcontractor will be doing the trusses on the rest of the homes.  He add the men work on loading the trusses on John and my house.

 

This was a very hot weekend.  The temperature was in the high 90's both days.  We were blessed by two friends this weekend.  They brought out Popsicles and Gatorade's for the group. Thank you. We had enough to share some with group 2.  It is amazing how a little Popsicle can help when it is hot. 

Leticia's house

Utilities trench for Debbie's house 

Lupe's house 

Ken and Dave working on Evelyn's front porch

Pat and Brandon working on Steve and Maria's house

Deena and Linda working on Lupe's house top plate.

Brandon and Patricia's house

Steve and Maria's house 

John and my house.

Use eating lunch under Debbie's tree.

Brandon and Patricia

Evelyn's front porch.

 

Deena's garage with her utility trench.

Sheer added to Alfredo and Naty's house

Sheer from the inside.

Posts going in on Andres and Luisa's house.

Our utility trench.

Sunday morning the subcontractor started putting our house's trusses up.  They did it very quickly.

We all went back to where is left off on Saturday. 

Trusses going up on our house.

Trusses on our house.

Our garage done.

It was amazing to watch the subcontracting crew walk and work on the trusses.  They made walking on the trusses look easy.

Bracing (2x4's that go across the trusses and connect in the middle)  that Debbie, Deena, and I added to Lupe's house.

Looking from where we working towards my house.

Alfredo drilling hole to add a bolt to connect beams to posts.

Building the California to connect the trusses.

Andres and Luisa's house

Lupe and Patricia building the California on Alfredo and Naty's house.

Alfredo and Naty's house..

Brandon and Patricia's house

John and my house.

Brandon and Patricia's house.

John and my house.

Evelyn brought out a lot of volunteers this weekend. Thank you for helping us.  It was a hot weekend, so our energy level dropped as the heat went up.  We went back to getting our head wet.  It will take a few weekends for our bodies to adjust to the heat.

 

I could never of imaged us getting such a beautiful house.  As I see the trusses going up, I can see better how beautiful the house will be when it is competed.  God has given us such an amazing gift. I can see how God is using this house to refine me. I knew going into building our house it was going to be difficult and a lot of work.  I have found that it is harder than I imaged on so many levels.  This morning I want to praise God for answer prayer and His might work.  

Psalm 66

Praise for God’s Mighty Deeds and for His Answer to Prayer.

66 Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
² Sing the glory of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
³ Say to God, “How awesome are Your works!
Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You.
⁴ “All the earth will worship You,
And will sing praises to You;
They will sing praises to Your name.” Selah.

⁵ Come and see the works of God,
Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men.
⁶ He turned the sea into dry land;
They passed through the river on foot;
There let us rejoice in Him!
⁷ He rules by His might forever;
His eyes keep watch on the nations;
Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

⁸ Bless our God, O peoples,
And sound His praise abroad,
⁹ Who keeps us in life
And does not allow our feet to slip.
¹⁰ For You have tried us, O God;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
¹¹ You brought us into the net;
You laid an oppressive burden upon our loins.
¹² You made men ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water,
Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.
¹³ I shall come into Your house with burnt offerings;
I shall pay You my vows,
¹⁴ Which my lips uttered
And my mouth spoke when I was in distress.
¹⁵ I shall offer to You burnt offerings of fat beasts,
With the smoke of rams;
I shall make an offering of bulls with male goats. Selah.

¹⁶ Come and hear, all who ear God,
And I will tell of what He has done for my soul.
¹⁷ I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.
¹⁸ If I regard wickedness in my heart,
The Lord will not hear;
¹⁹ But certainly God has heard;
He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.
²⁰ Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer
Nor His lovingkindness from me.

Pray Requests:

1) Safety.  We are working up high and there are many things to trip on or can fall on us. Two people have gotten hurt recently.

2) Wisdom for Facio and Toby as they teach us new skills.

3) Continued harmony in the group.

4)That we will finish the houses before Christmas.

Work Week 41

This Saturday started with our safety meeting on ladders.  Sheryl, the Vice President of the organization that does this housing program,  and Phil (the head supervisor)came out to answer the questions that some people had about the trusses.   We have hired a company to finish installing our trusses for us.  YEAH!!!  They will do 2 to 3 homes a week. This will speed us up by 6 to 8 weeks.  Then we got back to work.  The men got to work finishing the porches and garages so the trusses can be put on.  Some men went down to Deena's garage to install the trusses. The women went back to work blocking, adding clips, and bracing the trusses on lot 6.

 

Our friend Carrie came out during last break a brought out water, cake, and rice crisp treats for the group.  It was a great blessing on this hot weekend.

Brandon and Patricia's house with the post for the porch.

John and my house with the post going in.

The view from where Debbie and I were working as the trusses went up on Deena's garage.

another view from where Debbie and I were working,

Leticia working below us.

 We are very thankful for hard hats, because we have dropped things accidentally from the trusses.

Our  cement is being taken away.  Debbie had this mountain of cement in front of  her house.  I referred to it as Debbiehenge (Stonehenge).

 More trusses where delivered for lot 12 (Evelyn) and 13 (Andres and Luisa).

John using a small saw to cut the posts on our porch.

Steve showing how big the saw is.

The sheer is going up on the roof of Alfredo and Naty's house (lot 6).

John nailing off the posts on our porch.

Pat, Brandon, and Steve working on Steve and Maria's porch (lot 11).

John nailing.

Brandon and Patricia's porch.

 Sunday morning the plan was for the men to continue working on the front porches and garages and the women work on Deena's garage trusses.  It took most of the day to fix some problems on her garage. We had a lot of volunteers out to help us.  Some engineering students came out from a local college.

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Brandon and Patricia's house

Deena's garage.

John and I working on bracing Deena's garage.

The header went up in our garage.

Steve and Maria's front porch.

Evelyn's front porch.

John and my front porch.

Thank you to all the people that came out to help us. We have been blessed by many friends that come out to lend a hand each weekend. 

We ended with our Sunday night meeting.  We discussed further the trusses being done by professionals.  We found out that 10 homes will be completed by the professionals not 8 homes. I believe that most of the families are happy about the trusses being done by professionals. However, there is still questions on the financing part of it. We just want to get these homes done so we can move in and have our weekends back.  I miss going to church and spending time with my kids.

Prayer Requests:
1) Wisdom for Facio and Toby on teaching us
2) Group harmony.
3) Will continue to get volunteers out to help us.
4) We will learn our jobs and do them quickly and accurately.

Philippians 4:4-8

 

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. ⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.