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Published: July 13th 2009
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We look the same in America! Hello to everyone!
I am so sorry that I have not been a very good informer! We have been in touch with many of our friends in Africa, and they are all doing well. I have even gotten some pictures of some of them continuing the sewing classes. The work continues to spread the Gospel, and they are in our prayers regularly to continue God's work even though we are not there to help.
Our plans to go to India did not pan out so in March we made the decision to start again here in Tennessee.
We began by making the decision to build just down the road from where we sold in 2006. Starting over? It takes on a multitude of ideas. Starting over with a new home, starting over with new furniture, starting over with new jobs, starting over with a new purpose.
We got a couple of chairs at goodwill, bought a couch off of Craig's list, and starting going to auctions.
We have become experts at when to bid and when to keep our hands in our pockets! Since we were planning on doing as much of the building as we
Block work
We left this heavy job to a crew that could pick up one block with one hand and mortar with the other. could ourselves we started watching for auctions that had building materials, furniture, and home goods.
I will say it can be addictive! I get so caught up in it, and the potential for what it could look like once I got it home and cleaned up. Some of our best buys have been: A sink and toilet for $5, a gorgeous retro turquoise arm chair for A DOLLAR!!!, two 4 drawer cabinets for $2, a steel door for $65, all sorts of nails, boards, and tools at nearly 1/2 of what it would cost us if we bought them new, and the best deal of all .... 5 restaurant booths, a table, a couch, two dressers, and a small end table .... all for only $10!!!
It has been fun, and frustrating, and exciting, and so you will share all this with us, I want to share these pictures with you. We have done all the framing ourselves, put in all the doors and windows, set the floor trusses, sheathed the entire house, and this past week, with the help of Anthony's cousin who is an electrician, we got the house wired.
I will say that we
Sealing
The bad part about this, I was in the ditch! are not experts. We have had our trials. The first window we put in was upside down! We build one bedroom, only to realize there was not a door! But we have been diligent, and we started over and worked until we got it right.
We have been sunburned, bruised, and cut. We have had ticks and chiggars. We have dug, shoveled, painted, hammered, wired, and shimmied up and down a ladder until our legs were weak. I have caulked, glued, and carried more lumber than I can begin to remember.
The weather in Tanzania was hot, but summers in Tennessee are nearly unbearable. The African heat is nothing to the humidity of Tennessee. We have sweated, cramped, and at one point even got a little dizzy. Of course some of you would say that for me, being a little dizzy is normal! HA! We do take lots of water, some pedialite for our gatorade, and lunch and fruit to snack on throughout the day.
I even shot Anthony with the nail gun! It bounced off his belly and left a nice little scratch as a reminder to stand BEHIND the person holding a piece of equipment
Floor Trusses
I can say, we would NOT have been able to set a single floor truss with out Joshua there. The weight and the length was more than two people could handle. that can shoot a steel rod through a solid wood board!
We are leaving some of the really important things to the experts. The plumbing .. I want fresh water coming in the in pipes and the stuff that has to go out, going in the out pipes ... so that job we didn't even touch.
The HVAC, the sheetrocking, installing the hotwater heater, metal roof, and laying the block for the foundation are all done by someone who knows how it should all go. The rest, is on us. Should make for some interesting stories that I am sure will be funny .... one day ... right now a room with out a door fails to make us laugh. No explanation there.
We have our first inspection on Tuesday so we hope that goes well - so say a prayer for that.
Enjoy the pictures! Let us hear from you and hopefully I won't be as long in writing as this last few months.
I still miss Africa very very much, but am looking forward to finding a way we can serve here.
Love to you all,
Shasta
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Barry Barber
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Looks great
Please send us your new address. Looks great. Looks like I should have subbed out some of our house to you all. And my old computer monitor is not very color accurate, because it seems to show Anthony with some grey. Barry and Jeana Barber