Weekly Report for Newton

This is the first weekly report written from the project at Newton, Texas. Due to many unforeseen and difficult tasks we have not been able to construct a report until now. But never fear it is now in the making.

The first week after Christmas break was an interesting time getting to know the project and the different people who were involved here in Newton. Many things had changed since three years ago and the most interesting change was the new location. We had numerous things to get up to speed such as the work site, kitchen, materials for the houses, etc. and it made the first three days seem long. However our long-termers soon started arriving and now the tasks could be split up and made easier work with more hands. We got acquainted with our hosts, clients, business associates and all the other details of running a project.

The first volunteers soon arrived and we started into the daily routines. The S house was reported to us as being 99 percent done, but the last 1percent took a lot longer as there was still considerable work to do. However, we perservered and had the final house dedication on the 29th of January, 2009. The S family moved in and are enjoying a home free from mold and leaking roofs. Praise God for His Goodness. At the same time we planted a tree, a red maple, in recognition of Vern Miller’s long-term service to the bi-national board of MDS and to the work that he did to start an MDS project in Newton, Texas. We trust that God will see that the tree grows and flourishes and bears fruit to see more in the future.

The next three weeks went by rapidly and saw another house, the J house, near completion. It only needs a few finishing touches before they get to move into their new home. It is exciting to see the faces of these people as they anticipate moving day.

In the meantime we have refurbished a few other homes with new roofs and new insides and the work of assisting people in East Texas continues. Our third new build is a few days away from the painting stage which also means that it is getting nearly finished.

We trust that God keeps our way clear and our thoughts on our goals as we continue the work of our Lord here in Newton, Texas

Bert and Doris Hamm, Marlin and Elsie Lehman, Jon and Jenny Stuckey, John and Janet Burkholder, Ruth Penner