Closing Date Set

Finally.  We set a closing date of July 7th; one day before we would have to file an extension.  HUD takes forever and then puts the burden on the buyer.  Anyway, everything looks good and then after July 7th, we can really start looking at all the needs to make it so we can start moving the middle of August.

Here are the projects that must be done by then:

1. The house had 3 electric meters.  They will need converted back into one before the Electric Company can hooked it back up.

2.  There are some plumbing issues that we will have to fix so that we can turn on the water.

3.  The Furnace and A/C need looked at or replaced.

4.  We need to put up a fence for our dogs.

5.  Major cleaning.

A lot to do in a short time.

To early for this...

OK, So my phone goes off at a little past 4:00 in the morning.  Smoke alarms are going off in Cabin 16.  Why do these things only malfunction in the middle of the night.  Maybe there needs to be a "low fuel" light option or something so you can change the battery before you go to bed.  Anyway, after changing some of the batteries and getting back to bed at about 5:00, I couldn't get back to sleep.

I hate it when my body wants to sleep but my brain will have nothing to do with it.  I was thinking about our new ministry and to be quite honest, being a little anxious.

On one hand,  Dana and I could not not be any more excited about moving into this urban area and developing ministry to youth, young families, homeless youth, and anyone in the neighborhood.  I have tons of ideas flying around in my head about Bible studies, urban mission trips, study help groups, tutoring, work skill development, youth activities ....

Then I realized that this transition is only 8 weeks away!  There is a lot to do in that short time while still working over 12 hours a day trying to keep this camp running.  We have to get our house closed, repair the plumbing, electricity, and HVAC just so we can move in.  Then we will start renovating.  We have to get our financial support figured out.  We are working with Desperation Church on this, but haven't finalized it all.  We need to figure how out health insurance, taxes, and how we will get the funds we need.  We will need to raise more support.  We will need to raise the part of my support that comes from Youthfront that I will loose when I leave plus our support has fallen this summer.  This will be my 4th career change that my income will be lower.

Sorry to rant but this is going to be a wild ride.  Every day, I am more excited and think of new opportunities to share God's love to my new mission field!

In our morning Bible study, we read this verse in Galatians 2 and I was encouraged by Paul's response, "...the only additional thing that they asked was that we remember the poor, and I was already eager to do that."

June 2010 Newsletter

Here is our June Newsletter.  Hard to find time to get this out between camp and the World Cup :)

Click on it to enlarge....

Camp is off and running.

Wow.  What an absolutely crazy last couple of weeks.  12-14 hours a day, 8 days a week.  We got the dock re-floated, the new cabin finished, the new offices remodeled, and the teen staff bathroom re-done.  This week we have 150 junior high students from the area Nazarene churches.  Seeing kids challenged to follow God makes it all worth it.

We got all of our paperwork completed on the house.  Since HUD is government, the paperwork is thick.  We should be able to close in the next 2 weeks.  Then we will develop our plan.  We are pretty excited.

Grace and Peace,
LEE

We got the house!

We were the winning bidder on the house at 1705 Wilson!  We should be able to get this closed fairly quick.  This house was converted by the previous owner into a duplex.  It was not done well at all, so we have quite a bit of work to do on it!  Our initial plan is to move into the second floor and restore the main floor first.  This will include tearing out some walls, building a kitchen and laundry room,  reworking some walls, converting the utilities back into one, redoing the HVAC.....


We are excited about this house for a number of reasons.  First, we got it at a great price, so we have more room to renovate.  Next, it is in a place that is highly visible and inviting for any visitors or guests.  It has a double wide lot, which will be good for cookouts and soccer games.  It is close to half a block away from Grandview Park Church where a lot of the youth attend.


Every house we have looked at or considered has drawbacks, but that's part of moving into a highly populated urban area.  I'm sure we will be in for some surprises and challenges.


Pray for us as we get this house purchased and develop a plan to make this our home and ministry center.  There will be many things we will need as we start to get things ready for us to move in August. Camp starts on Monday, so we are in "Blitz" mode.