Set back after set back

This past week has been very challenging. Every day we seemed to encounter something else that set the project back.


To begin with we needed a concrete core drill, so we called to rent the unit but they didn't have it in stock and it took them 3 days to get for us. This meant the plumber had to pull off the job as he couldn't begin his work until we had a core hole drilled.


Finally we were able to core drill the floor today but then the unit got stuck a couple of times and it took a long time to pry it up out of the hole. We also discovered that the original design of the bathroom won't work because the drain pipes were going to hit the top of some water lines. So, we have had to redesign the bathroom so that we can run our drain lines, again more delays.




In answer to prayer the Lord has provided Phil to help with the project.  He arrived last week and has been invaluable to me.  He has been a local builder but he is now working with the Gideons distributing Bibles. He has offered to help us with this project and is willing to continue to do some maintenance around the property.


Then on Friday Phil's dog ran off,  which meant he had to pull off the job to find her.  Thankfully, several hours later she was found, 6 miles away .







Yesterday I found out that Merriam (the German girl who has spent a lot of time helping) has an infection in her leg.  She went to the hospital last night and is now on an antibiotic to clear up the infection, but is now unable to help on the project.  She has been a great help to me and I am hoping she will be healthy again soon..

So, yesterday we got a group of people together to pray in the apartment about the set backs and the Lord has been gracious as we have things start to progress in the right direction.   We now have the holes drilled through floor and plan to finish framing the rest of the walls today and hopefully start hanging drywall. The plumber and electrician are scheduled to be back on Wednesday to complete their rough-in.   We have also been able to get the floor leveler down on the floor that we removed the tile from. It looks good now, ready for vinyl flooring to be installed. We are hoping that by Friday we can do some painting.

Please pray with us that the Lord will allow us to accomplish much over the next few days while keeping those on the job safe and that He would bring healing to Merriam's leg.  I would love to see this project completed before I return to the States in just 9 days.

Thanks.

Gary

Make disciples by David Platt

Casual Acceptance or Absolute Surrender?

Katie Davis with David Platt at Brook Hills Church

I know this video is long but please take the time to listen all the way to the end.

So What is happening?

The work is progressing here in England. I will give you some information on how far we have gotten in a moment but first let me share a picture of the team of people who has helped me so far.

Two Americans, two Germans and Two British
plus another British lady not pictured here.

When I left the States, I still had no idea what project I would be doing. Upon arrival I was promptly told that I would be doing the original project that we had discussed, the apartment renovation. We were able to finalize the drawing toward the end of the week...

The new kitchen and bathroom, which is all one room right now.

...and quickly started getting proposals for the work, for which a plumber has agreed to do the bathroom work. The electrician, window company, floor layers, hardwood re-finishers and order kitchen cabinets are still needed. This will be done at the beginning of this week. The first material order was made by the end of the week which was delivered Saturday.

So, what physical work was done, you ask? Well, a portion of the brick wall was removed, pulled up the vinyl flooring and started removing the tile floor that was underneath.

Before

German Power

Complete

They are on there good!

There is still one more area of the brick wall that has to open up so that a door can put in between the kitchen and the lounge (looking closely at the photo below you will see the word lounge written over the window in the right hand bottom room)

The new door will go in this wall!

Location of the new door in the wall behind the pipes.

Still a lot of work has to be done but it is progressing. I am pleased with what we have accomplished so far. I am trusting the Lord to bring it all together in the proper time, so that, we can accomplish this project before I have to leave. So far we have seen answers to our prayer. The other 2 plumbers we called couldn't come until Tuesday and Wednesday of this next week. The last one we called was out within the hour and submitted his quote by the end of the business day Friday. He is rearranging his schedule to do the work within the time constraints that we are under.

Keep praying for the project, please!

We still don't have Council approval for this project, but they have told us we can go ahead and start the work - albeit, at our own expense. We have been in contact with the inspector and he knows our situation and is working with us.

We need the other contractors to be of the same mind as the plumber.

We need the kitchen cabinets ordered and delivered quickly.

Thank you all for your continued prayer for us.

Gary

What a journey!

Amsterdam airport

Amsterdam Airport

I have arrived in England but not without a few hiccups. After a little while of sitting at the airport I got a phone call from Delta telling me that the plane has been delayed. I went up to the ticket agent and found out that it was due to some mechanical problems. After a little while longer I received another call saying that the plane had been delayed again and that they were re-booking me on another flight. So, I went to the ticket agent to sort it out. he booked me on a flight and I then changed gates to catch this new flight. The winter storm was fast approaching and by the time I was on the plane the storm was right over us. We taxied away from the gate and had to wait on the tarmac until the plane was de-iced. It took over an hour for this to happen, which subsequently caused me to miss my connecting flight in Atlanta. Delta re-booked me again on a later flight with another lay over in Amsterdam. I went to another ticket agent to see if I could get another direct flight to Manchester. The agent told me that there is only one flight that goes out per day and it wasn't scheduled to go out until the following afternoon, which would have put me into England a whole day later. I decided to keep the flight they re-booked me on and go to Amsterdam, so now I can say that I have been to Holland. If I hadn't taken this flight, it would have messed up my train ride in England also. So I took the 10:50 flight out of Atlanta, had a few hour lay over in Amsterdam and arrived in England safely. Found my way onto the train and made it to my destination. 

Packing again...

I am off on another project. This time, England!  At this point, the project is not coming together like it should. As of Monday this week, the folks at WEC still do not have the drawings from the architect. Once they receive the drawings it has to be submitted to the City Council for approval.

There is still other work to be done. So, if we can't get this project together, there will be another project for me to do. I may just have to make another trip to accomplish this original project that they really need done now.

I am taking the camera. So, keep watching for updates on the work.

Gary