My heart

Is so full right now....

I just spent the last three days doing something I never would have imagined possible.
I should have known... with God all things are possible!

To properly explain what happened this weekend, I need to go back to the beginning. For me, this was a couple months ago. I belong to a small group called "WELL - Women Embracing Life and the Lord" that meets every Wednesday. We get together at my aunt Tish's house, the kids all go upstairs to the playroom with a babysitter, and the moms have some time together to just talk, become friends, and enjoy each other's company. Our group decided that we would do some sort of community service project during the summer months, and one of the group members suggested we do a room makeover for the girl who does our babysitting. Her name is Rebecca and she currently has no kidneys. She is on dialysis for twelve hours a day, and is stuck in her room for that whole time. On a mattress and box spring that is sitting on the floor. Not a week prior, Rick and I had found a great price on a king sized mattress and went ahead and bought it... Wondering what on earth we could do with a perfectly good queen-sized 4 poster bed. And now I knew. We would be giving it to Rebecca.

The collective wheels in our group started turning... We learned she really likes that whole Moroccan look, so we used that as our inspiration. Soon it evolved into a "Moroccan Brights" theme... aqua, pink, gold, yellow, red, purple, jewels, beads, and anything with funky tassels, ribbons, and trim. We scheduled a couple of "work days" at Tish's house and we made some pillows, funky lampshades, and other great stuff. Things were coming along - I found some fabulous paint colors, Wendie's mom offered to sew all the bedding and pillows, and donations started trickling in.

Then, about a month before our scheduled project date, stuff started pouring in. Someone wanted to donate landscaping products for the yard. Someone else was willing to paint the entire outside of the house. A carpenter wanted to create a built-in cabinet for Rebecca's room. Cash started coming in. One of the ladies in our group, Jen, had a gazebo to donate. I had patio furniture.

Next thing we knew, this was turning into more than just Rebecca's room... This was going to be a whole house makeover. The most amazing thing about this is that Sandy, Rebecca's mom, really has been wanting and needing help with the house. Her husband divorced her three and a half years ago and life for Sandy has never been the same. She had to start from scratch, buying all her furniture from garage sales and working long hours trying to make ends meet. The house was falling by the wayside, because there was just no time or money to put into repairing it. If we could give her a fresh exterior, new landscaping, and some minor interior repairs, Sandy could maybe feel like her house was a home again.

Our first task was to get mom and daughter out of the house for the weekend. Vicki, one of the ladies in the group, made some phone calls... And next thing we knew, Rebecca and Sandy were going to have a free weekend at the Tuscany Suites, including all meals. And her husband Mike was coordinating all the stuff with the house. We could start work on Friday at 2 p.m. and we would have until about 6 p.m. Sunday.

With one week to go, Vista Paint donated 20 gallons of paint... Republic Services offered to make a special trash pickup for us... More money came in... We got Rebecca and Sandy spa treatments at the Venetian... Lowe's donated $250 in materials for the project, and CornerStone church donated the money to buy nice window blinds for the entire house. Volunteers left and right were offering to help through simple word of mouth. It was looking not only plausible, but possible. We would be doing an Extreme Home Makeover of our own... No Ty, no ABC crews, no Sears sponsorships. Just people with heart who were willing to donate their time or money to such a worthy family. Rebecca and Sandy had no idea what was coming for them, and neither did we.

The first crew arrived on Friday at 2 p.m., and after gathering together for a word of prayer over the house and the family and our project, we began the daunting task of cleaning out the house, starting with the garage. The single car garage was full - floor to ceiling, front to back, with things that were going to be sold someday at a garage sale. We emptied the entire thing, and with the guidance of Ben, separated the items into a "donation" pile and a "trash" pile. Then we went through the house and did the same thing. Sandy and Rebecca left the house at noon, and until we arrived at 2 p.m. Ben had been placing labels on every piece of furniture - green meant it could go, red meant it had to stay. We were able to take out about half the furniture. The entire front yard was covered, five feet deep, in stuff that would no longer be in the house. This sparked an impromptu garage sale, as neighbors were coming by and offering cash for some of the items in the yard. We made over $100 that we were able to put right back into the decor of the house!

Rain was threatening all day - the forecast was for thunderstorms and wind and rain. But God is so good. He protected us.

Several people started to work in the yard, taking out weeds and trash that had accumulated back there. The backward had never been landscaped, so it was a blank canvas waiting for its masterpiece. Sheila designed the layout of the yard, and her vision was going to be wonderful.

A cleaning crew began working right away on the kitchen. They scrubbed, scraped, soaked, and swept that room until it shone. But there was much that needed to be done in there... Several cabinet doors were broken. The oven hood needed to be removed to make room for the built-in microwave.

I was part of the team in Rebecca's room. We cleared out all her stuff, then taped and primed her walls to get them ready for the paint, which had to go on first thing Saturday morning.

Little crews of 2-3 took it upon themselves to clear out different rooms and areas, cleaning and prepping walls.

A couple of ladies went into Sandy's room and really felt like God was leading them to turn it into a sanctuary for Sandy. They spent the entire time cleaning, painting, and beautifying the entire room... They rearranged, cleaned, and got window treatments. This included the bathroom, which received a faux finish on the walls and cabinets and new, beautiful decor.

Ben and Jesse (Rebecca's other brother) worked on their own rooms, cleaning them out, clearing out stuff that needed it, and getting them ready for paint.

As volunteers arrived, we delegated different areas for them to be, and everyone happily obliged. It was amazing. Debi was our "runner" girl, and she made at least 50 trips to Home Depot and Lowe's in the three days we worked, picking up whatever anyone needed, and always with a smile and cheerful attitude.

Friday was a long day, and it was easy to see that we had made a ton of progress. When I left at 11 p.m. the donation pile was gone and the trash was stacked in the street so that the pea gravel could be removed from the front yard the next morning. But there was so much yet to be done. The interior rooms all needed painting, Rebecca's room needed new paint and so much more. More cabinet doors needed repair. Lights needed replacing. The sprinkler system in the yard hadn't been installed yet. We had no rock, no trees, and no shrubs yet, either. As I was getting into the car, rain began to fall. The rain that was kept at bay all day started to fall, right when I needed it the most. Thank you, Jesus!

With a promise to be back at 7 a.m., I went home Friday night, exhausted. I dreamed this project. And when I woke up Saturday morning, I felt like I had been working all night, too.

(to be continued....)