Schoolhouse Renovations

A friend who was helping us clean and organize the schoolhouse today looked at me and said “I bet you didn’t know what you were signing up for when you said yes to God”.

I laughed and said “Nope”. I had no idea that these renovations wouldn’t fully be finished in time NOR did I think our entire family would be there for the last two weeks making it happen (along with an amazing crew of volunteers).

I said yes to God and then immediately developed my own rendition of how I thought that yes play out. We would hire it all out, have the renovations done with two weeks to go, and spend that two weeks cleaning and moving all of the office stuff in.

That doesn’t sound so bad right? Sometimes I think God spares us the details because if we knew how it would all happen out we probably would just stay where we are.

I’m exhausted but grateful. Everywhere I looked today I saw progress. In a short span of time rooms have been painted, flooring laid, an entire office of stuff moved, things unpacked and put together, and messes cleaned up. I was overcome with emotion today when I would turn around and another room was cleared of construction trash and swept clean. It’s a beautiful space and I am so happy that a whole community has formed around making it new again.

People have literally called off work so they could instead help build this schoolhouse. Some have spent countless hours quietly laboring. They’ve given up Saturdays with family or working on their own properties so this mission could be advanced. They’ve pulled weeds, and maybe their backs too when moving heavy things. They’ve seen healing through hard work, and my heart has been healed through it all.

Our children have spent hours upon hours there. The boys wake up excited to go and wire outlets, or put flooring down, or paint another room. And the best part is, they are getting really good at it.

I have never been a part of such a community, one that has rallied so hard for months to prepare a space for these precious writers to come. What a life!