Our Strong Tower: January 2014

Monday, January 27, 2014

Week 81

This weekend we worked on finishing tile laying, painting the outside of the siding houses, driveways and pathways, and interiors of the houses. Also, the fence company came out and started to work on our fences.

Tile work on Robert's house.

Fence supplies arriving and the digging begins.

counter top guy working on Debbie's counter tops

Robert preparing his house for painting.

Jackie and Evelyn moving sand in our garage.

Leticia caulking her house so it can get painted.

Digging a hole for a fence post between our lot and Brandon and Patrica's lot.

Patricia painting her house.

me filling in the holes in our front porch.

Our driveway getting forms and sand.

Roberts tile completed. lot 17

Lupe's bathrooms

Deena's pathway and driveway.

The fences

Debbie's house with rain gutters.

Brandon and Patricia's house with 2 sides painted.

Drive way started on Andres and Luisa's house.

Prayer Requests:
1) the sub contractors come out and do their work. We are still waiting on the plumber and the electrician to finish their work.

2) volunteers will come out to help us finish sooner.

3) All issues that were found this weekend will be resolved.

It is so exciting each week to see how beautiful the houses are. We are so blessed. At times it gets so frustrating, because we just want to finish up and move in. We are all so tired. Our family wants to be able to go to church again and worship with our church family.

Psalm 84

Longing for the Temple Worship.

84

How lovely are Your dwelling places,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts,
My King and my God.
4 How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ever praising You. Selah.

5 How blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
In whose heart are the highways to Zion!
6 Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring;
The early rain also covers it with blessings.
7 They go from strength to strength,
[f]Every one of them appears before God in Zion.

8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah.
9 Behold our shield, O God,
And look upon the face of Your anointed.
10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!

Monday, January 20, 2014

week 80

Saturday was a beautiful day. It started out cold, but turned into a warm afternoon. Facio had one homeowner inside and one outside working. We worked on finishing up the interiors of our homes and driveway/ walkways. Here is our weekend in photos:

Debbie's counter tops being installed.

Deena's house

Robert's house

John and I working on our front porch.

Steve and Maria's house

Evelyn's house

Luisa and Andres' house

Leticia's house with rain gutters

Andres and Luisa's house with rain gutters

Jackie cleaning her porch

Jackie and Carlos' house

Debbie painting her closet doors

The shed came down on Sunday.

Debbie's house without the shed in the front yard.

John and I painting the front porch.

Rebar working being done on Robert's house.

Each week I can see that we are getting closer to completing our homes. We need to keep pushing hard to the finish. We are all tired and are ready to be done.

This is my prayer for myself as we push to finish our home.

Hebrews 12:1-3

12 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

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.