Even Steven

The week has flown by. I started the week moving on with the siding project I have been working on. It took me a full day just to finish the top couple of feet on the north and south sides of the house. I still have to do the peaks on the east and west sides. Maybe next week. We have people begging us to get the house finished we are remodeling so they can rent it so I have been working on it also. It is much easier if I only work on 1 project at a time but I have a pile of siding laying on a lawn that needs to go up and a house someone needs before August 1st.

On Tuesday I got to the point I could start laying down flooring. 

I got the 2 smaller bedrooms done

On Wednesday I could move onto the larger bedroom and finish all the electrical outlets and switches (except one, I keep forgetting about that one, it's a double decora in the bathroom with  GFI).

On Thursday we started Mission Mahaska. It was our church's 3 day outreach to help in a tangible way in our community. A lot of hands helped in various places. The Youth For Christ Building had new flooring put in on the ground floor. First all the carpeting had to come out. 

Then the new flooring had to go in while others were fixing some of the walls.

We had to move furniture back and forth as we laid flooring. That was a new experience for me. Believe me once is enough of that.

A young couple were renovating a bathroom to make it handicap accessible.

 

They loved the window. They could just chuck stuff out as

 they demoed.

They worked right at it and did a 3 day remodel. Almost like one of those HGTV shows.

A crew was at Lake View camp and in 3 days framed a 42 by 120 foot building. Steel will have to go on later.

We had all ages participating. From preschool to retired. There were several projects around town that were finished by people who gave of their time to help people who needed work done at their homes and others gave free labor to nonprofits. I am not going to try to list them all here.

While I was busy on Friday and Saturday Micah continued on the blue house by tearing out the deck. It really needed to go.  

Today Micah and Linsey laid floor in the great room

Almost finished it.

I was not very excited about stopping "my work" to donate time to others. I think in the end the same amount of "my work" was done even though I was not there for 3 days. I believe God wants us to give of our time just as much as he wants us to give money. For some of us it is easier to put some money in a collection plate than it is to give time. 

This week I gave some time, perhaps a little too grudgingly and God seems to have given the time back by having Micah get the work done even though I was not there. I give to God and he gives back. I don't want anyone to listen to some of those TV preachers who tell you if you send them money God will give you much more back. Doesn't work that way. You can't bribe God to bless you. God seems to bless me when I don't expect it.

God loves a cheerful giver. Not sure I was cheerful about giving time this week but God blessed me anyway. At the end of the week I was most likely where I would have been had I not donated the time, and my donated time was a small part of helping many others.

So I am even for the week when I did not expect to be. God always does the unexpected.