Mars Hill (Part 2)

Yesterday I left off with how mentally exhausted we all were from the initial shock of the home.

Today I want to talk about God's amazing strength and how He helped us complete all of our tasks, and then some, with smiles on our faces and a team that didn't complain once.

After the initial day, Dave and I (along with Ms. C), compiled a list of things that we'd wanted to accomplish. We all agreed that we needed to prime and paint the walls of the living room and kitchen as well as the ceiling of the living room and dining room. We also needed to replace some window panes, fix a hole in the dining room floor, re-tile the living room floor, clean the kitchen cabinets (inside and out), re-screen several windows, replace the kitchen counter top, and remove all of the cobwebs, dust, and critters from everywhere.

With a team of seven incredible individuals, a handful of people praying for our strength and success, and an all powerful God, we were able to do it all while enjoying the company of Ms. C and Mr. G.

We even finished an hour ahead of schedule!

Here are a few photos of the progress during our time at the log cabin.

After Day 1

After Day 2

After Day 3

After Day 4

Our Final Day

The pictures may not accurately capture the sense of transformation that took place, but trust me, it was quite a change from day one to day five and we were very happy with the progress.

It was such a blessing to visibly see the transformation of Mr. G's home but it also stirred up some of our selfish desires. As we were cleaning we kept talking about how much we hoped it would stay this clean and how sad we'd be if we came back next year and saw it went back to being covered in dirt and grime. Then, my teammate T shared something with me that her pastor S had shared with her the previous night when she was discussing this with him. 

He explained that this is exactly what God goes through with us. He puts in a lot of work and sees some great transformations in us, and then we go a throw it away the next day or year. 

But He keeps helping and teaching and giving.

His mercies are new each day and He never gives up on us.

It's truly a marvelous gift and all we have to do is accept it. 

This trip taught me a lot about myself, my husband, my church, the church as a whole, and the great work that needs to be done; in all of us.

-N