Seriously... happy Easter

We had a pretty good Easter. We spent the day with some friends, the Nelson's, Liam, and the Prince's at the Prince's house. It was pretty laid back, which is just the way we like it!

We're finally getting back to a regular routine since Amy's return a couple of weeks ago. Of course, now that she's in the kitchen and her schedule has changed, we'll still be adjusting a bit.

Work at Rock of Ages is going pretty well. The drywall will have texture and primer and will be ready for paint on Monday. We'll be getting ready for final flooring then, too! We have a great group from Oregon this week. The Wisconsin team last week was wonderful as well. They got a lot done, including a final coat of the drywall compound. Not easy to do when you haven't done it before, but they were willing to learn and did a great job. The team this week had never textured walls before (nor had I), but they are doing great. Not real technical, but getting the consistency of the spray right is hard to do. The team this week also had a retired framer with them and he was able to take care of some of the problem areas without a problem.

We've met a lot of people at Rock of Ages. Many of them were members of the church before the storm. We found out that the original pastor's wife, who's 100 years old, is holding on to see the church completed. One man was driving past the church. He saw the doors were open and saw one of our volunteers walking out with a bucket. He stopped, walked in the church and was stunned by it's condition. He made a comment, through his tears, that he never thought it would be rebuilt. He was quick to leave to get his father. His dad, Edmond was a deacon at the church. His brother-in-law was the first pastor of the church. We learned he was s plaster wall and drywall installer for fifty years. He was there for the ground breaking and said his shovel was the first in the ground. His son, Clarence, said that the church is all his dad talks about. He was so happy to see the church drywalled and can't wait to come back for that first service. We had a good time hearing Clarence's story from the storm, and how he had to fool his dad into thinking they were going to church so Edmond would leave. Truly a moving story, Clarence was again led to tears as he told his story.

When I first set foot in the church, I felt like this was going to be an awesome project, we'll be able to keep a lot of people busy in our busiest time, and I'll learn a lot about drywall. I've realized this is a lot bigger than just a normal project. I'm not talking about the size of the building. It means more than I can understand to the people of the church, that this church gets back up and running. I know we talk about getting the church outside of the walls and that the church is the body, not the building. And that stuff is all great, but for this body of believers, it's really important that they get their building back. I can't wait for that first service. I know I'll be there.

Bad news medically for me. Turns out I've got a small scratch on the cornea of my right eye. The eye doctor (who goes to our church here) also saw a small ulcer on my eye, which is a known complication with the contacts I wear. It's pretty painful and my eye is really sensitive to light and air. It's a little better right now, but the numbing medicine she used in the office is starting to wear off. I'm really considering Lasik eye surgery. With the nature of the work I'm doing now, it makes a lot of sense. Dust and drywall particles are getting behind my contacts and causing all these problems.

Please continue praying for us. We've made it through the heavy spring break time, but we will still have volunteers in 120's for the next couple weeks, then we'll slow down again. Pray that we'll have the right jobs for the right people and that we'll get the jobs done that we start before the volunteer numbers drop again. Pray for the homeowners we're working with, the people in the neighborhoods we're working in, and specifically the members of Rock of Ages. God bless.

Phil (for Phil and Amy Stokes)