Blitz Build

Mississippi Photos Added

Mississippi photo album added.  Check them out HERE.  

By the way, that's Mr. Kidd. He really is the nicest guy.  Just don't get him upset with a Sawzall in his hands.

Meet the Green Family

Meet Bob and Jen Green, the future homeowners of the Carpentersville work site. They, along with their two children, RJ (4 1/2 years old) and Becca (15 months), will soon be taking residence in their new home.  "I don't know if there is a word in the dictionary to describe what I'm feeling" Bob says. "There are people everywhere, it's overwhelming.  It helps I'm a big DIYer. To have the opportunity to have a hand in rebuilding my family's first home is amazing.

The Greens are receiving the home through Habitat for Humanity.  "The process to get a home through Habitat has a lot of steps," says Jen. "There are meetings, interviews, credit checks, classes, more credit checks . . ." The family has only known for about 3 weeks that this would be their new home.  "We're all naturally excited," she continues, "But RJ is probably most excited. He'll take volunteers around and give them tours of his new house.  He loves to show off his new room and point out the fact that he won't have to take his train set down." 

Carpentersville: Midway progress

Check out the midway progress via PhotoSync, a collection of over 200 photos combined to create an interactive scene.  Check it out HERE.

Compare the progress to the beginning HERE.

Serving the Servants

Meet Pat Grein.  Who doesn't love Pat?  

Not just because she hands out food and refreshments, but because she comes with the biggest smile and even bigger heart for others.  

She, a Blitz Build veteran, has volunteered her time this week, specifically not to build, but to serve the builders. Providing and handing out snacks, cooking meals, and making sure everyone has had their share of H2O.  "I have the spiritual gift of Hospitality, so when I see these volunteers sharing their time and effort, it makes me so happy to be a part of all this in my own way."

Thanks to Pat and the contingent of men and women who volunteer on the hospitality teams, prayer walk teams, cleaning crews, and others who serve the servants this week.  

Building Homes and Building Relationships

 

Here is the latest report from Mississippi.  Have we mentioned it's hot there?

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With the heat index over 105 degrees, we got on the job at 6 AM and worked until 2:30 PM.

The Willow groups spirits were high listening to music after a moving devotional by Tom Thompson-Matthew 7.  We ran ourselves ragged especially in the cooler hours. One of the new homeowners, Laura Palode, handed out Mexican Straw Hats to the group to help keep us cooler and to show her appreciation. 

Here are some comments from our group:

 "I now have so much respect for tradesmen and all the exacting work they do."

"It was an awesome day as I learned new skills and built new friendships."

"I painted the first day and by the third day I was using power tools. I never thought that would happen."

"I can say as I lay my head on my pillow----job well done."

Tomorrow we are all invited to swim at the Country Club after a hard days work.  It's amazing to watch these two house go up before our eyes.

Blitz Build Devotional (Day 5)

Just a few short hours before being betrayed and crucified, Jesus shared the Passover meal with the disciples. In a truly remarkable act, Jesus washed the feet of the disciples as recorded in John 13:1 “It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.”

The gospel accounts of Jesus and his disciples clearly show the love Jesus had for the disciples on many occasions and in many ways. In this instance in John 13, Jesus wanted his disciples to see just how much he really did love them – “the full extent of his love.” So, what did Jesus do that would lay it out for these men that they would know without question just how much he loved them?

The Lord did not take them to the side of a mountain, explain to them the meaning of all the Greek forms of the word Love, and then tell them He loved them using the most emphatic word for love that was available. When time was at a premium and the teachable moments were drawing to a close, when every act of communication with the disciples was one of his last, Jesus showed the full measure of his love by a simple act of service; he washed and dried their feet before they ate supper. The powerful message contained in this simple act transcends the act of service itself. Jesus was showing his followers that the greatest among them would have the heart of a servant and that their idea of status and importance was inverted.

A few verses later in the chapter Jesus instructed the disciples to wash one another’s feet, to serve one another. Jesus told them that this was an example of how they should live and treat each other.

Respond:

Ask God, today, to search your heart and help you with those parts of your thoughts and attitudes that get in the way of a “foot washing” level of service to others.

The literal act of washing feet is not a very common way of serving people these days.

What are some current day examples of relevant, simple, and anonymous ways that you could serve those around you?