Rich in Relationships

I have been thinking a lot about how rich we are in relationships. The story of our house is a story of how God has provided through His people. It is not just people to get the work done, but it is the fellowship and blessing that each one has brought all along the way. Not just the volunteers, though their help has been invaluable, but the men who have earned every penny of their hard day’s work while moving our house project forward have reminded me of just how rich we are. There are too many to name everyone, but here is the “short list:”

• Johnny Smith’s skill at running the excavator made the basement and our driveway a reality.
• Jeremy Fish and his amazing crew at Firm Foundation did an amazing job pouring the basement.
• Glen Coblentz, another Christian brother and his Coblentz Construction crew, did the framing, set the trusses, and put on the metal roof.
• Shawn Clemens and Clemens Home Solutions helped us with siding, gutters, soffit, and facia. His crew was a joy to work with!
• Peter Crotser took three days of his valuable time as an electrician to set our electrical service entrance and rough wire our home.  His technical expertise over the phone made it possible for us to finish the job.
• K&K Industries allowed Pastor John Zeigler and volunteers from Weisbach Community Church to build the trusses for our home.
• Mainard, an elderly Mennonite plumber and former missionary to Nicaragua, helped us to rough in our plumbing. Showing our children where to make connections and teaching us all along the way.
• Galen Miller and Andy Rickner, both local Christian men, teamed up to install our septic system. Andy is locally licensed and was able to design our system and submit the drawing. Since he was covered up with work, Galen Miller was able to do the digging and get the job completed in just a few days!
• Peter Casalino and Casalino Contracting helped with numerous projects and details related to cabinets, vanities, fixtures, and flooring. We couldn’t have done it without them!
• Andy Jones built custom cabinets for one fraction of what it would have cost to purchase much lower quality cabinets from a big box store. If you are fortunate enough to have a craftsman like Andy on your project, then you know what I mean.
• Charles Holden and his team at CH Mechanical installed our HVAC system with great skill and precision.
• The Branch Family helped with insulation installation, painting, and numerous other projects.
• The many volunteers and day workers who have helped are too numerous for me to remember, but their efforts are deeply appreciated.
• The people who have given to help with the project and encouraged us with their phone calls, emails, and comments are greatly appreciated as well.
• The two friends who have bankrolled the entire project making it possible to buy materials, hire workers, and keep building through the use of their borrowed capital.

We are forever grateful. When we started out at the beginning of 2020 to build a house, we had no idea what this year or process would hold. God’s timing has been amazing. (Like the fact that since we bought our framing package in late January, the price of lumber has nearly tripled.) We are thankful for all that God has done for us, and we thank Him especially for each of you, our friends.