Our Strong Tower: December 2013

Monday, December 30, 2013

Week 77

This week the grading was finally started. We had some more counter tops delivered. On Thursday and Friday many families came out to work on their homes. This weekend we had great weather, which was great. Facio had some of us working on the inside of our homes and the rest of us worked on getting the porches and siding completed.

Lupe and I working on siding her gable of her home.

Debbie's kitchen windows

Lupe's house

Aaron and his friend volunteering to help with siding.

Robert, Luisa, Wendy, Maria, and Jackie siding Robert's house.

Working on siding

quarter rounds on our porch

Debbie's house bathrooms ready for tile.

Edgar working on Robert's house

Leticia and Lupe adding siding.

Robert's house

Deena's house

Alfredo teaching Debbie how to tile

Facio helping with siding.

Carlos and Jackie's house

Debbie's house: looking from the laundry room to kitchen.

Debbie tiling

Andres and Luisa's house

Robert's house

Lupe's house: Patricia and Alfredo helping her finish.

I painted the siding on our garage. front

back

Carlos and Jackie's house with the porch complete

We only have a few boards of siding to add to two homes and then we have completed siding. We have one porch left to add the railing to and the rock work on 4 homes. We still have a lot to do still in each of our houses.

We ended Sunday with a meeting. Facio told us to work on our own homes this week.

Prayer Requests:

endurance: we have a lot to do
subcontractors continue to work and complete their work quickly
volunteers will continue to come out to help us.

One of my favorite verses right now is James 1:2-5. The house has been a great blessing for our family, but with it has come many trials and struggles that God has faithfully seen us through. Reading this passage helps me.

James 1:2-5

2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Week 76

This weekend we were divided into 2 groups. One group worked outside and other group working inside on laying tile.

My house with Alfredo laying the tile out in the kitchen.

Lupe's house. Her Dad helping her install tile.

Robert's house

My house

Andres and Luisa's house

Robert's house

Aaron, a volunteer, came out this weekend to help. Thank you Aaron for helping us.

Lupe's house

Deena's house

Alfredo and Naty's house

Debbie's house

My house

Steve and Maria's house

Evelyn's house

Andres and Luisa's house

Leticia's house

Jackie and Carlos' house

My house

Debbie's house her friend Shirley working hard.

My house

This is going to be a short post. I am busy getting reading for Christmas. Okay, I still have to shop for Christmas.

Merry Chirstmas

Luke 2

Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem

2 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all [a]the inhabited earth.2 [b]This was the first census taken while [c]Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a [d]manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is [e]Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a [f]manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men [g]with whom He is pleased.”

15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the [h]manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Home Ownership Program

We are doing a program through a organization that has been building homes in our area for 40 years. The program is designed to help lower income families buy homes. There will be a total of 24 homes built. The homes are divided into two groups. We are in the first group of twelve families. We work together to build all twelve families' homes. By the end of the process we will know our new neighbors very well. We are required to work 40 hours a week, split between two people. We do most of our work on the weekends. There is a contractor working with us to teach us how to build a home. We can not move in until all twelve homes are complete. It usually take one year to build twelve homes. We don't do plumbing, electrical, drywall, or stucco. We are the labor. The labor is our down payment down, sweat equity.

Deena and the Boys

Hi, I am Deena. I have four awesome young men (21, 19, 17, and 12). We have always wanted a home of our own. The place we are in was supposed to be temporary housing sixteen years ago. Now God is giving us a new adventure. We are going to build our own home and eleven others with our new neighbors. And God blesses us with neighbors who we already know! Jacob is my co-builder and my two teenagers will be helping as much as they can. God is always providing
for me when I least expect it. He is so amazing.

Where did this journey start?

For me, Tricia, this journey began with me wanting to own a home and God using this desire to grow my faith and dependence on Him. I have been trying to buy a home for 6 years with my husband, John. We tried many times to buy a home, but God always said no. A year ago, we finally decided to stop our search and learn to be content where God has us. God had different plans for us. In August, we applied for a self-help housing project. In October, we were accepted. I then told our neighbor (for 7 years) and friend Debbie. She applied and was accepted. In January, I told Deena a friend from church. She applied and was accepted. These homes are such a blessing. We sit in awe of what God has given us. We are excited to get started on the homes. God is our strong tower. He will give us the strength to build these homes.