We have lots of great news to report, and praise for our God who has provided.
A quick recap....our priorities for this project were the things that needed to be done in order for the Arriaga family to move into their house. Not only does the house provide them more space, and comfort for Martin, but would also allow them to rent their trailer and create some income, since Martin can no longer work. So, our priorities were (in order) to complete the electrical, install HVAC, install plumbing for the kitchen, and install cabinets and appliances for the kitchen. Once these things are done, the family can move in.
So, we completed the electrical thanks to donated money for supplies and donated time from Monty Ehret to oversee and coordinate. This expense was just under $1,000.
We installed the HVAC last Thursday, with donated funds, and several volunteers helping Tim Looper and his crew, who donated their time. This expense was $3,200, which was the cost for the AC unit, a furnace, and all ductwork and supplies. At the time we installed this last Thursday, we were $850 short of the $3,200. Guess how much money was donated last week, including Sunday's "Angel Tree"? Yes, $850. HVAC is done and paid for! This was by far our largest expense. Our next prioritized need was plumbing, cabinets, countertops, and a refrigerator to complete the kitchen so the family could move. Unfortunately, we are currently out of donated money.
In the last couple of weeks however, we have also picked up many more names of people who want to help. Martin Arriaga's brothers know a plumber who has agreed to complete the work at no charge. Jeff and Laurie Johnson are a couple that has asked to get involved as well as Jeff and Grace Fox. The Johnson's happen to have a family friend who makes custom cabinets. We are meeting them at the house today to measure, and their family friend has agreed to donate the cabinets, and the Johnsons will donate the countertops! Finally, the Fox's happen to have a refrigerator in storage they are not using, and have agreed to donate that as well! So, despite being out of money, the pieces needed to complete the kitchen are all available to us at no cost. It's very clear to me, that God's hand is helping us with this project. What a blessing it has been for Kim and I to witness this.
So, what's next? There are still many "punch list" type items that need to be done. Thankfully, most of these are more labor intensive and less costly than the things we have been dealing with. As I said before, we have many people that have offered their time to this project. Kim and I will work up a "punch list" of these things and distribute to all. These are things like painting interior trim, hardware for interior doors and some cosmetic work to the exterior of the house. What can you do in the meantime? First, continue to pray for this family and give thanks to our God who has already provided so much. Second, share this email and our "punch list" when you get it, with anyone else you can think of that might be able to help.
Thanks to all of you for being involved.
In His name,
Marty and Kim.
