Update: New House (part 2)

Did you read part 1? The following will make much more sense if you did!

After realising he wasn’t doing anything but breaking his brush, the man finally used the crowbar and was able to get the nest out. Sounds like it was quite the bother, though. Thankfully it’s mostly all cleaned out, and Craig and Debbie are planning to fire all the fireplaces before we move in to burn out all the remaining honeycomb.

Currently, the main thing we’re waiting on is the electrician to come check all the wiring in the house and install quite a few new outlets and several lights. This house has hardly any outlets, and what there are are generally single plugs. We’re hoping he can put some doubles in in some places.

After he comes they need to get him, the meter-reader, and the meter-installer all out to the place at once to get the electric officially turned on. I don’t understand it all yet, but Debbie says she’s working on arranging it.

Then the two other main things we have to do yet is get the kitchen finished (which should take a few more days and be done, Lord willing) and get the sleep out set in place.

The sleep-out is quite a story. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned before how we got it. I remember posting pictures of bringing it into the place, but I don’t remember if I told the whole story.

Well, we got the thing on Trade Me (the New Zealand version of Ebay). When we were looking at it, Mum realised that it was the same price as a regular container—and it had been converted into a sleep-out, all ready to go! With God’s grace we were able to get it, and ship it up here.

Since then, we’ve been talking about how to set it so that it won’t sink in one corner and stay dry when it floods. One of our friends, Peter, suggested cutting a 50-litre barrel into halves or thirds, filling those with concrete, then setting the container down on them. Dad hadn’t had time to ask him about the specifics yet last Sunday.

By “chance”, some of their friends (whom we’ve gotten to know over the years) came to church with them last Sunday. These friends live near the top of this island, so we only see them when they come down to visit—about once per year.

Well, we invited them over to tea last Sunday night, and just as everyone was about to leave Mum reminded Dad to ask about how to exactly do the footers in the right way. Peter told us how he would do it, and then the other friend chimed in with his two cents.

Would you believe it—he and his wife live in two containers? I remember Peter’s wife telling us about it, but had forgotten until then. Well, he told us how he would do it, and it was much simpler and required a LOT less concrete than Peter’s idea! Not that Peter’s idea was bad—it’s just that this other friends was a lot better. And he should know, if anyone!

So God helped us, once again. And those friends just “happened” to be there on Sunday, when Dad asked the question.

God is good.

So that’s where we are now. Dad has the last two days of next week and the whole week after that off from work, so we’re hoping we can move then. If God wills. :) That’s a lot to get done in two weeks or so! (Eeek. That’s close!)

Well, I’ve got quite a few other pictures to share so I think I should get those done. Keep following Jesus!

Esther