Progress

Things are coming along in the house. One of our supporting churches requested information for possibly helping us with a project. The following is the email that I sent them regarding our basement:

We are so amazed at God's provision, protection, and positioning throughout this moving process. As I look back over the past few weeks there is no doubt that God has amazingly taken care of us. To look ahead and say that we have everything figured out for this church plant would be not only a lie but also would be foolish. Even the simplist detail of moving and purchasing a house rarely went according to the plans that we had formulated. However, we have seen that God's way is and always will be the best.

One aspect of ministry that we feel burdened to do here in Cleveland is to minister to people who are coming to Cleveland to receive treatment at the Cleveland Clinic. Whether for their initial appointments to help them navigate the hospital or to house family members if the treatment time is extended. We have, in the short time that we have lived in the city, already had an opportunity to help a family from Pennsylvania that came to the Cleveland Clinic for a second opinion. The man's sister is a friend of a friend. He had a procedure done in Pennsylvania that caused complications with his feet. The doctors in PA said that they didn't have any more options other than amputation. His daughter called us and asked for help. We put them up in our home (all six Dockerys slept in one bedroom so that the father, son, and daughter could each have a private space). We gave them a nice breakfast and Ken went to the hospital with them to help them navigate traffic, construction, parking garages, and the maze of buildings in which he had appointments. They received good news and returned to PA tired but encouraged.

One project that we feel would make our home more comfortable for people who come to Cleveland for treatment at the Cleveland Clinic would be to make an apartment-like space in the basement that would be more private. The basement is currently partially finished. The walls have wainscoting and 1/3 of the floor in the main part is tiled. The old carpet has been removed. There was a leak in the upstairs bathroom that ruined a 10' area of the ceiling (the leak has been repaired). There is a new toilet and a small vanity in a closet-like space.

We would like to:

carpet a 25' x 14' area - about $900 installed
put in a shower enclosure - about $900 installed
frame in the bathroom - about $300
put in a kitchenette - small refrigerator $200, small counter and sink $400
furnish the area with a bed, dresser, couch, table, chairs, etc. - with second-hand furniture we could probably make it cozy for about $1,300
fix the ceiling - we have the materials on hand from some of the other projects
paint the ceiling and upper part of the walls - we have the materials on hand

The total for these listed items is $4,000

A friend from high school and Renee's roommate from college are married and live in Columbus, Ohio. They hope to come in October with some friends from their church and help with some small projects.

I am finding that to locate matching tile to replace the five broken pieces elusive. I contacted a guy that had them on Craigslist and have played tag with meeting up with him to get it. Also, the window treatments are taking quite a bit of time to choose and install. I have to keep reminding myself that it doesn't all have to be done today.

Ken and Bill are in Michigan for some missions' conferences. It will be a good break for both of them to not have to focus on settling into new homes.

Today was Sunday. The kids and I visited a church about 40 minutes away. Church is such a huge part of our lives that to go and not know anyone but not be ministering was a little bit of a downer. We are looking forward to loving and serving the body of believers that God gives us here in Cleveland. Our neighbor girl came over and played with the kids tonight so that helped us not feel so lonely. Our prayer is that we will do what God wants us to do, when He wants us to do it.

Surprise

The big project this week was on the back of the house, the sun room. We hope to eventually put siding on it but for now we were going to paint it. We noticed a board that was rotten so we pulled it off to replace it - we were told later never to do that just cover it!:) When we pulled it off we saw that water had gotten in there over the years and most of the wall had rotted. When Ken was done removing the rotten wood the neighbor wandered over and looked at windows hanging practically in mid-air. He was a little worried about what was going to happen. But, before the night was over Ken had the wall rebuilt. Today he spent probably 7 hours caulking the windows etc. so the new wood won't rot. We hope to be able to paint it early next week.

Last night we helped the Taylors take a load from their Medina house to their Cleveland house. It was a late night but it is great to be working together as a team even on projects like moving. We were supposed to have been in Michigan for a mission's conference this weekend but the church had a split recently and cancelled the conference. Ken will go next week to Michigan for two other mission's conferences, the kids and I will keep the school routine going during the week and go up for the weekend.

After these long meetings Ken hopes to start his part-time job. This will supplement our income until we raise about 20% more support. He also likes to be able to meet people and learn about this new-to-us territory. We are feeling more and more settled each day. Hopefully soon all of our waking hours will not be consumed by construction projects and we will be able to start meeting people. The basement is the last big project that we hope to do before October. It has been neat to see God help us with either providing people, supplies, furnishings, or wisdom to do all of these projects. We are so grateful.

Please pray for Derek. This past week he cried in Sunday School at Grace so the teacher came to get me. On Monday, the school nurse called and said that Derek was crying and complaining of a stomachache and had a slight fever. I brought him home for the day and had him rest. The next two days he cried most of the day. His teacher - who looks alot like Julie Sheridan - does a great job keeping me aware of how he's doing. She said that Friday went much better. I think that being back at Grace last Sunday was pretty hard for him to digest. I believe that he'll do fine and make good friends here. We were just so spoiled to have so many great friends in Cedarville.

Ike - "I will return"

It was fun to be back in Cedarville, although we all said that it felt good to be home tonight too - God is good! We were sorry to have missed the service at Grace tonight because the remnant of hurricane Ike blew through Cedarville and left the town without electricity. We are glad to be home. By the time we left Cedarville we knew that we needed gas. We hoped that Springfield would have power - they did - right until it was our turn to pump. I saw the lights go out in the station and then people staring at the pump, checking the nozzle and then trying to figure out what had happened. We looked at the intersection and the traffic signals had also gone out. We tried to go north on 72 a little and see if anyone had power up that way. No one did. With a quickly breathed prayer of "God please help us" we headed out on 70 to see who would have power. At rt 54 (?) we pulled into a station that had lights and a long line and filled up. We also stopped for a bathroom at our regular stop at rt 42 and they had attendants out at the road with cardboard signs reading, "Closed, no electricity!" I didn't watch every exit along the way but we pulled onto at least four more exits between Columbus and Cleveland that didn't have electricity or gas. We realize how dependent and spoiled we are and what a blessing it is to live in this country where it is a rare occasion to have to think about availability of gas and electricity.

Apologies

I have honestly tried and have seemingly wasted precious time attempting to take photos from one place on the computer to this blog page. I guess the time is not really wasted if I remember the 101 things that do not work! It has to be so simple that I am missing it by a small function.

Anyway, I'll update you on the week. Saturday we picked up two tables, a desk, some chairs, and other furniture. We got home before 5 pm and Ken got busy setting everything up. It is so nice to sit at a real table to eat together! We headed to Oberlin, Ohio for our Sunday morning meeting. The folks were so sweet and almost as soon as Natalie and I walked in the door Fran whisked us off to the missionary cupboard where we could stock up on some of our supplies. We enjoyed a nice meal after the service and got to get better acquainted with the people.

Sunday evening my parents, Becky, my sister, and her little one, Alex came. We enjoyed some homemade pizza together and talked about the projects that needed done. Monday morning after the kids headed to school my dad and Ken got to work replacing light switches, outlets, and other old wiring. They also worked on making sure the furnace was clean and ready for winter. I so appreciate the hard work they did while they were here. It was just a bonus added on to getting to see them.

Tuesday morning they wrapped up a few projects and headed to Tennessee. We got busy getting ready for the next round of visitors. George, Crissy, and Steven Boyer came on their way to a quartet convention in Tennessee. We loved spending time with them and appreciated their taking us out to eat at Yours Truly.

Wednesday morning the Boyers headed out and we began getting ready for the next round of visitors! Ken painted the boy's room and I did laundry and some shopping for the house. I found some good deals on rugs, towels, and curtains. By early evening the Lepley's from central Pennsylvania arrived. They were tired from their trip but in good spirits. Larry, Tony, and Theresa came for a second opinion at the Cleveland Clinic. Larry has some serious health issues and is hoping the Clinic can help. Ken took them over there this morning and helped them navigate the parking and maze of buildings to get to his appointments.

We are so thankful for all of the wonderful help, gifts of furniture and supplies, and opportunities to minister that have come our way. We head to Cedarville tomorrow afternoon to prepare for a charity bike ride that Ken is helping and for a farewell to our friends in Cedarville.

God's grace has truly been sufficient for these last few weeks and we are confident that it will continue to be.

Pioneering

We are heading to Cedarville tonight for a quick pick up of some items that we couldn't bring along the first time. Our Sunday meeting is in Oberlin, Ohio so we could make the quick trip. Thank you so much for your prayers. Things are not easy but all along the way we see Gods hand guiding, protecting, providing, and strengthening. He even stretches our skills. The team that had to leave early had planned to install a vinyl floor. We, by God's grace, installed it ourselves yesterday. Church planters are expected in many ways to be pioneers. I guess that includes being able to install floors, refinish hard-wood floors, finish drywall around a bathtub, paint, caulk, install a microwave range hood, all while living in the house and making sure four children eat, do homework, and make it to school on time with clean clothes and an edible lunch! Last night they even slept in beds that weren't mattresses on the floor. God is good! His timing is amazing.

We have been blessed with sweet neighbors on both sides. One said that he had heard of people splitting firewood but had never actually seen anyone do it before. We are still searching for a fireplace insert to make our heating more economical this winter. The house is feeling more and more like home each day. My dad, mom, and sister are coming to visit for a day early next week. My dad is an electrician and HVAC guy so we'll have him make sure everything is ok in those areas.