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