Day 1
So we're in the midst of this building project and we need to tie in the plumbing from the addition to the existing house. To do that two things had to happen:
1. A large hole (the one that will eventually be the access to the lower level of the addition) had to be knocked out/cut of the basement block. This would be messy.
2. A LONG trench had to be dug - think the entire length of the house back to front. Before it could be dug, the concrete had to be cut with a saw and then jack hammered.
So our new friend, Jeff Wunderlich, from church had the saw. We busted a small hole in the house and then embarked on cutting the concrete. We were warned that the concrete dust would be *everywhere*. I put poly up over all doorways and taped it tight - it helped, but the dust was everywhere.
During the process, we had to step out of the basement several times for air. Try running a gas engine in a small room and add enough dust that you can't see your hand in front of your face - now you know what I mean. Jeff actually passed out for a few seconds near the end of the cutting.
We also had to warm the addition so a trench could be dug for plumbing. A propane heater was brought in to do this. Well with the need for fresh air from the dust a few windows were opened in the house. This turned out to be a bad idea because the house filled with propane fumes. For Jeff and I, we were exposed to high levels of CO with the engine plus the propane.
Laura managed to put all of the kids to bed. Little boys in our room, big boys on the floor in the living area and the girls in their respective rooms.
When I came up around 9:00, it smelled bad. By 10 it seemed worse and the CO detectors in the smoke alarms were beeping. We went to bed but felt uneasy. By 11 we made the decision to call Laura's sister, Elaine, and ask if we could bed everyone there for the night. They graciously agreed and we loaded up 2 cars with kids, blankets, pillows and some necessities. We were in bed by midnight feeling safe, but concerned about our house with all of the gas.
I was very discouraged. We had a big mess, I had put my family in danger, we had not made enough progress on the trench and the plumbers were due to come. It was at this point I said to myself "I wish we had moved."
Day 2
When we returned in the morning, the house was still there and so was the smell. We got everyone off to school and I sent Laura and the little boys out for the day.
We found out today that Jeff's wife sent him to the ER last night to be checked out because of his 'fall'. His CO2 level was high enough that they put him in a hyberbaric chamber for 90 minutes to force oxygen back into his system. We felt sure that our decision to leave last night was a good idea.
I had called a friend from church to come help me with the trench. I knew I couldn't do it by myself. He came and used the jack hammer to break up the rest of the trench. In about 45 minutes, he completed the breaking of the concrete. All that was left was to haul it out and break up any thicker chunks. In that 45 minutes of time he turned an all day project into a half-day project.
My spirits were lifted and my discouragement was gone. Once again I saw how *each* time we've needed help in this project, God provided whatever we needed - the money or materials or the right person to help. So by now you'd think that I should KNOW that He will provide. I've seen it time after time, but somehow keep forgetting when the project hits a low point.
So I'm thankful for God's provision AND for wonderful friends and family that help us during our time of need. THANK YOU!!
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