Progress!

The internet has been down yesterday and today, but I have been so excited to share the progress on The Green House with you! I’m writing this Monday afternoon, however, I’m not sure when I will have internet and be able to post the update.

It has been a very busy weekend around The Green House! The yard and the house are transforming before my eyes! This weekend, the landlord (Uncle Sam), really rallied his guys to get things moving. He had two dump truck loads of sand, along with one dump truck load of crushed rock, delivered for the foundation for the fence. Building a fence is back-breaking work here in Liberia! They had to cut down all of the bamboo that fenced in the property, dig up the roots and then dig the 3-4 foot deep trenches that will be the foundation for the fence. Uncle Sam also had the cement blocks, steel rod and bundles of zinc delivered.

On Sunday, the guys dug the trench for the front fence, and they’ve been working hard today on digging the trench on the side of the house. Let me tell you, the sun is hot today…and they’re moving hundreds of pounds of sand one shovel full at a time. The carpenter also came today and has already removed the old zinc off of half of the house. He is fixing beams, setting lines and getting things ready to put the new zinc on over the next few days.

The plan is to work simultaneously on the roof and the fence. After all of the cement dust settles, they will move inside and start the painting, laying tile and all of the other small tasks. The roof should be finished by the end of the week, and the fence will probably take 1-2 weeks. The welder is also working on the steel gate for the fence so that it will be ready to hang once the fence is finished.

A very exciting discovery is that LEC (Liberian electricity) has poles along the main highway, so I will be able to have electricity at the house! This is HUGE! I have been debating about what to do for electricity, and this is the best, easiest and most cost efficient option. We haven’t had electricity in this area the entire time I’ve been in Liberia, so the timing is absolutely perfect! Once I have internet again, I will fill out a hook-up request form online and submit it to start the process of getting electricity!

I have been surprised at how fast things are moving—talk about an answer to prayer! All of my dealings with Uncle Sam have been easy, and we’ve sat around the palava hut in the heat of the day just talking. One of my prayers has been that he would really catch the vision and get behind the dream, and I hope that in sharing my story with him, he has been able to see how God has been moving, working, answering prayers and providing to make this a reality.