Thanks For Life

She taught me grace. She taught me truth. 

She taught me about relationships. She taught me about kindness and patience... what it was to be grateful and content. At the time I didn't know this, but she taught me how to be a missionary. She taught me how to love people and to receive love. She taught me how to listen to people and encourage others. She knew me. I knew her. She was one of my closest friends. She was my mentor.

It is hard to lose someone you know and love. Your heart is prepared somewhat for people who are old or are sick. Even though it is hard, you expect it when you hear of their death. It is so hard to hear of someone who is young and well that dies. It's even harder when it is someone who was close to you, someone you knew and cared for, someone who had cared for you... someone who was a dear friend.

She was one of the first who made an impression of knowing scripture and even by memory. Every night as her kids turned out the light, I remember her reading scripture to them and Bible stories. She loved the Bible. You could tell by the worn out, taped together pages; and by the words and favorite sentences painted with different colored highlighters, some brand new, some faded from time. She loved His Word. It was so cherished by her and part of her life as she spoke it to others.

As I think on her passing, I realize how it must have been when the closest to Jesus first knew of his death... and resurrection. They were terribly saddened by His passing because of the symbol He stood for and great power He showed, but because even more of His endearing friendship. They were so surprised yet filled with great excitement that their Lord had not ceased to live but to live in eternity. They were such in awe of their friend and teacher, sad by His physical absence, yet so wanting and with a sense of urgency to tell others about who He was and what they knew of their friend. This urgency I realize might have been because of the awesome news that Jesus IS the Son of God and had raised from the dead, but even more I realize from the personal relationship each one had with Him. They loved Him. He was their friend and teacher. This must be in part what it means to tell others the "good news" of Christ. I find in knowing of my dear friend's passing, great sadness for I will never again be able to talk to her, embrace and encourage her, or even hear of the wonderful ways God is working through her in China... but I find this overwhelming urge to tell others of her life and impact she had on me... the life she led... the love she had for Christ... the self-sacrificing love and service she had for others and her family... the love and teaching she poured into her children... the love and respect she had for her husband.

I am severely humbled by the Lord's will in taking her. I know we are limited here in this life by time. I know it is short. Knowing that, doesn't make it any easier to experience the passing of someone cared for deeply. It is hard to experience death. Death is cold and lifeless. There is a life that is gone... a love lost... a friendship only remembered...

Nonetheless, He is the God of all comfort. He is the one who holds the keys to life and death. He is the one who takes life and gives life. He doesn't need our help in this life. He is the one who created the magnificent mountains who pour forth praise to God just in their mightiness and magnificent stature and creation. How loudly they praise God! How loudly they tell of the works of your hands! Are we deaf? How can we not hear their praise? How can we not see it?

He knows us. He knows my every thought. He knows my pain... my loss. I loved her.

He is the One who calms the storm... the One who brings peace. Oh Lord, I do not understand your ways. Although, I do know your ways are good. I can trust in your ways. I wanted to see how she would serve others in a foreign land... how You would work in her and through her. But this is not about what I want.

I was made to worship You. You made me to worship YOU. You made me to worship You by loving and serving others... which was the life of Ruth. What a privilege to know my friend, mentor, and example. I know You more because of her. What a privilege to be known by my creator who gave me my sweet friend whose memory still challenges me to worship God by loving and serving others.

She is/was beautiful to me, therefore I KNOW God is good.

Finishing up the Utility Room in the Hallway...(mid January of 2008)

Okay, I looked and couldn't find any pictures of some work that we did before these pictures. These pictures are of me wiping the excess grout of the tiles. Then, we put a coat or two of sealant on the grout to make it waterproof. This wasn't the most glamourous job, nor very noticeable. I was very motivated to get this done though, because that meant we could order the new stackable washer and dryer and install the cabinet. Woohoo! 

I used a mixture of vinegar and warm water to scrub the tiles. You can see the front part is wet and mostly cleaned off. I had to scrub and wipe them down three or four times.

Ah, I think I'm all done now. Phew!

Don't they look like tumbled marble? They are actually ceramic.

Yay! We have our new washer and dryer! I'm thrilled! 

Also, a little later, we got our cabinets and shelves from Ikea. Of course the knobs on the cabinets came from Home Depot. So, here is the washer and dryer with their friends cabinet and shelves.

LIGHTS! Flourescents no doubt.

You can tell we haven't finished the doorway yet.

Our base boards that we cut ourselves and painted from MDF.

This is one of my favorite features of this cabinet. Lynette and I just happened upon it at IKEA. How cool is this, a pull out ironing board!

a close-up of the shelves and pull-down drying rack for sweaters and things...

at some point we will screw in the hanging rod that goes just below the bottom shelf, to hang up clothes that need to be hung before putting them away in closets.

My cool new LG washer...

A view above...

A view below...

The finished room minus the doorway finished and new doors (oh yeah, and hanging rod). We're waiting for doors to go on sale. Nevertheless, my finished utility room! Anyone is welcome to come and use the new room. You know, I have been toying with the idea of doing a clothes washing ministry in our neighborhood. Once we get the house more visitor friendly, I would love to do things with our neighborhood more. In the meantime, I can brainstorm what that might look like.

I'm so pumped!

update on current happenings on our house renovations...

I know I keep posting old things, but I wanted to keep the house renovations in order. I know, call me crazy. Anyway, I hope to keep the pictures coming on here. Just to let everyone know what we are doing at the moment. We are working on finishing the blue room, which is the office... or the other front room (The other front room is the master). We've been "working" on this room all summer it seems, "almost" to finish for awhile, but this is for real this time. We are very close with few things still to do. I need to finish painting and touching up the walls, ceiling, and the crown moulding. Eric will finish installing the fan, caulk the window, and install the rails of the closet system. I need to clean and vacuum the floor. 

THEN!!! 

The   moment    we've    all    been    waiting    for... 

dun, na na nah... 

We can put down the under layment and install the new floor! Whooo!!  :))

Whoo, you ask? Yes, Whoo, because that means with the floor done, we just have left to install the base boards (which can be installed when furniture is in the room). Yes, whoo, because I can set up our office/living room finally, and hopefully get more organized with our files. Plus, it means three rooms that are done. Whooooo! hehe. :)

Now, you know what to be looking forward to coming in picture form soon. Someday, I will be all caught up. (...famous last words, right?)

'Tis the week before Christmas and all in the hallway... (2007)

 

This is our hallway closet. My brother and sister-in-law had a marvelous idea. You will more likely get clean clothes put away if your laundry area is close to the bedrooms. What a wonderful idea for our huge unassigned hallway closet. It also means more space for the kitchen, moving the kitchen into the old adjacent utility room. 

Getting ready to start... with the ear protectors and correct masks...

They had already widened the door way.

 

They had to make the wall thinner in order to make way for the dimensions of the new washer and dryer.

 

It sure was LOUD!

   

The hall light switch box which will become the new utility room light switch. Why would you put a light switch for the hall in the middle of the hallway? I'm glad we're moving it to the ends of the hallway.

 

This is the main drain for the house which will be also utilized for the clothes washer.

...picture of the add-on to the drain (i'm sure there's a technical name)

Success!! THIS was also very loud! This is the piece of four inch iron pipe they had to remove from the main drain pipe.

 

Tools! and another success! The new drainage connection is installed.

  

Two happy workers!

Uh oh. Is this termite damage?

  

My beautiful Master Shower! Just what I've always dreamed of! Thanks guys!

 

Anyone need a shower?

 

Cutting copper pipe for new water lines...

 

Okay, looks like everything fits.

Aw, we get a visit from Hope's family. They want to see if we are making all this stuff up about fixing up a house or not.

Joccie, what's wrong? It's only 10 pm. You're not tired, are you?

 

Gary, sweating the pipe (I think that's what they call it).

 

And they're finished! The first time to test for leaks and they pass too. They were relieved!

Lynette is proud of her guys! They are proud of their work too! Way to go guys!

Principe Cookies!! I found these at Sack 'n Save. These are the fun cookies I found and ate regularly in Granada, Spain when I was there in 2000. Ah, memories. 

Uh-oh #2. "Gary, why are there red drops coming from your head?"

 

Oh Gary. I guess that's what they call Gary-rigging, err I mean jerry rigging. (...which I've recently learned the original term is jury rig. I know the slang.)

 

Gas lines are in. The new walls are put in place. Now, time for spackling.

Oh no, why are we opening up a wall?

I just had to do some laundry. Doing laundry at other people's houses was getting old. The old washer was hooked up in the old laundry room at the other end of the house. With the old 220 outlet for the dryer replaced with a different 220 shaped outlet, the only choice was to hook the old dryer up in the new room with the new outlet. Guys, you should go take a break. I'll let you know when the dryer's finished. 

...new holes for new lights. Good-bye old fashioned light solitaire!

 

new utility light switch

Lynette helps me prime. Thanks Lynette!  :)

still priming...

Lynette's friend from California brought her daughter to visit us. They wanted to see if we were telling the truth as well. 
 

Finally, I get to paint color on the walls.

Umm, this color kind of hurts my eyes it's so bright. It's kind of florescent.

I don't know guys, but I think I need to change colors. It's a little on the bright side. And no, I'm not kidding about this.