Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Week #3 Restoration: Binding Up the Brokenness

This has been my favorite week so far....understandable, considering what we have been through. This week most of Nell's wounds were doctored. I am a visual person....I learn best visually (I love YouTube), I am great with directions when depending on what I have seen, but I could not tell you a street name to save my life, and I appreciate the aesthetics of things. Walls and ceilings have been replaced with new ones. We made it to the stage of repairing all of the MANY cracks in the plaster and priming the smoke filmed walls.



 Closed up a closet here for more space in the bathroom!
 Sanding facings that are screaming for paint!



Wall being put back up in the kitchen!
 My boy with a servant's heart!
 What a difference!
 


 Bathroom where the closet used to be.
We are on our 4th 5 gallon bucket!

What a drastic change in our home. It is beginning to feel like home. The Lord has, again, shown me how this process continues to mirror His great work in His children. One of my all time favorite passages in from Isaiah, that speaks about the year of Lord's favor..."The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor..." These beautiful words foreshadow the coming Messiah, who meets all of our needs in Himself alone. He was a total game-changer! He still IS a total game-changer! Today His wonderful work can be found through His spirit, through His word, and through His people. My own thoughts are not meant to limit His power in any way. I faithfully believe that he can work in and through any means that He chooses. But, I have certainly experienced Him these ways, merely in the past few weeks of this restoration/renovation process. While I believe we are doing what we have been called to do in this house, it in no way can substitute for bringing His good news and healing to other people. Our home was not created in the image of God, not like people are. 
    
 I have to recognize those who are responsible for helping make our house a home. One of our dear friends spoke about us to his parents (maybe in passing, maybe asking for advice, or maybe pleading for help). They jumped aboard this ship, that no doubt on days felt like it could capsize at any moment, and worked DAILY to do this hard, tedious work. They have flipped a number of homes and this was their expertise. We knew this sweet couple only through conversation, and maybe a brief passing here and there. We now count them as very dear friends. God continues to knock our socks off with His goodness. I mean, WHO DOES THIS? Who comes to, basically, strangers and says "You need help? We're in for the LONG haul!" God's people do. Let me tell you that this has certainly been a long haul. I have no better words. It has been long and hard and it is not done yet. Nell will be a work in progress for a good while. Right now, she is closer to livable than she ever has been. We still need plumbing and hot water! It will come!      

Psalm 147:3   He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

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