Martindale, Texas - Flooding 2015 - Week 3 Begins

Martindale, Texas - Flooding 2015

October 7,  2017

This blog was written by Catherine Botts, a World Renew - Disaster Response Service (DRS) Volunteer - Serving in Martindale, Texas with a team of volunteers assisting with the reconstruction from two floods in 2015.

Good Morning! Family & Friends,

What an amazing week we were given during week 2.  God is so good!  

Before I share about the projects that we worked on I want to share the devotional that was shared last evening from Oswald Chambers.  We were reminded of our reason for being here in Martindale, TX.  Chambers bible reference was from Mark 6: 45   "Immediately after this (the feeding of the 5,000), Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home."

If you remember this experience, it is when the wind rises up, the disciples are rowing, struggling to control the boat and then Jesus walks on the water to go be with the disciples.  He reassures them, "Do not be afraid" and he calms the waters.

Oswald Chambers several times in his devotional reminds us that we often tend to be goal oriented but that is not what God wants for us.  "What we call the process, God calls the end."  "It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God."

Being goal oriented is something that I struggle with.  Always checking a job, a task off my list that I forget the process.  So with this in mind this week I have tried to change my focus to the people that we are serving, to listen to their story, to hear their pain, and to do the same for others in our team while growing my relationship with God.

Keeping the process in mind, we are here to help the families we serve, to bring back their homes to a place before the storms of 2015.  Our first home is almost complete.  The team working there has done amazing work and the On Site Managers are preparing to do what DRS calls a last nail ceremony.  What happens is we have a time of prayer, bless the house and give a wicker wall hanging that has a cross the symbol of the Trinity in it.  The last nail is the one which is put in to hang the wall hanging.  This house will be completed!!!!

Team members were moved around a little bit this week where there were needs for skills and more people and a fourth house was begun. This home needed a deck and a room needed drywall and painting.  Good progress was made as the primer has been painted.

The team I am working with had a great week!   With the help of two of our team members for a couple of days we were able to complete the insulation, hang drywall in the bedroom and bathroom.  Also in the bathroom part of the drywall is mud and taped; the outside was enclosed with new T111 and it has been primed; the tub has been set and the walls are around it; and most of the plumbing is completed for the tub and sink.

Most importantly relationships have grown, new skills have been learned and only a few minor accidents have happened.  Thank you Lord!

In Oswald Chambers closing of the devotional he shares:  "God's end is to enable me to see that He can walk on the chaos of my life just now.  If we have a further end in view, we do not pay sufficient attentention to the immediate present: if we realize that obedience is the end, them each moment as it comes is precious." 

My prayer for each of you as you read this blog is that whatever chaos you are going through right now that you will allow God to walk all over it and to let him calm it for you as he calmed the wind and the waves for the disciples.  Enjoy the process.

Love, your sister in Christ,

Catherine

Martindale, Texas - Flooding 2015 - Week 2 Begins

Martindale, Texas - Flooding 2015

October 1,  2017

This blog is from Catherine Botts a World Renew - Disaster Response Service (DRS) Volunteer - Serving in Martindale, Texas with a team of volunteers assisting with the reconstruction from two floods in 2015.

God is good!

We had a great week!  Last Monday three different teams went out to begin work on different homes.

The first was a mobile home which needed skirting installed that had been washed away.  Before they could begin the skirting they needed to reattached the insulation underneath.  By Thursday they had completed all of the skirting but were unable to complete the painting of the steps that the homeowner uses to enter the home.  On Friday it rained so they came to join the second team, if the weather holds hopefully they will finish the painting this week.

At the second home where I am we have a team of three.  Our job is bigger than we thought but after one week we now have a firm foundation and the plumbing is ready for the bathroom.  We were thankful for Jan and John who joined us.  My friend, Victoria had taken the Sheetrock and insulation out of the ceiling and two walls in bedroom next to the bathroom.  She had begun to put in insulation in half of the ceiling but this is a hard job to do by yourself.  With three sets of hands they were able to complete the insulation and Sheetrock half of the ceiling on Friday.

Hopefully Jan and John will be able to join us again so they can continue the Sheetrock in the bedroom.  We plan to start mudding and taping as soon as it it in.

Tomorrow if all goes well Victoria and I will insulate the bathroom ceiling so that we can install insulation and Sheetrock.  That way on Tuesday we hope to install the tub/shower in place.

Our third team of four has been working on a home that needed the upstairs completed.  It needed painting, flooring, doors, casings and shoe molding; two airconditioners installed and a washer/dryer installed.  Also a small deck and steps to the yard were installed where they will put an external door in this week.  They only have a little more to go upstairs and then they will be able to move to the main floor.

God is so good!  We have been moving along eventhough we have had several days of rain.

Please pray that the rain moves elsewhere this week, anywhere away from Martindaled, Texas.  The prayers for safety have been working so please keep them coming.

This week the devotions for Thusday were from Revelations 1: 7

Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven.
    And everyone will see him—
    even those who pierced him.
And all the nations of the world
    will mourn for him.
Yes! Amen!

In the devotional by Oswald Chambers he reminds us that this passage is teaching us that Jesus comes to us in the clouds of life.  When things are going well we seem to get farther away from Jesus.  We think we don't need him.  But in the clouds (difficulties) in life we turn back to him.  Jesus wants a relationship with us.  Then others will see him in our lives.

Thank you for your prayers!

Catherine Botts