Drywall Taping Update

We continue to move forward toward the completion of the remodel project. This past week/weekend much of the taping in the office was done by Bob Christensen. He will put a second coat on the wall and sand it before he is completed.

Rob plans to go out this week and work on the upper firewall portion.

It is exciting to hear the men talk about sanding, texturing, and painting now. It won't be long and the offices will be ready to be occupied. Please continue to pray for those who are volunteering their talents for this project. 

We passed....inspection #2.

Yesterday we passed inspection #2 which was the firewall inspection. Praise the Lord! The plan is for the taping and mudding of the drywall to begin tomorrow. Please pray for these men as they work in the building. Pray that God will richly bless them for the service they are doing for Him. We will try to post photos later this week of this phase of the project.

Ready to tape, texture, and paint!

We are ready for the taping to begin. Last night the office was carefully cleaned and plastic laid out to cover all of the carpet. The carpet was laid in the office a couple months before we rented the office; therefore, we are taking steps to protect the carpet.

Please note… things are getting ready for mudding spraying… if you come to the office, please be very careful as there might be a lot on the floor that will follow you out the door. Also, the windows have been carefully covered with plastic… please do not remove the plastic until painting is completely done.

We are excited over what God is doing to give us this new office. The next couple steps will be done by professionals who are volunteering their time to help us because they love the Kids 4 Truth ministry. We greatly appreciate all those who have donated their time and labor. 

Drywall is UP!

Drywall is up! Today Brian Bear, Rob, Rusty and Bob all worked a long day to complete the job of hanging the drywall. They put in a long day, but got the job done. The firewall is ready for inspection, and we are ready to begin taping the walls.

The office really looks nice and you can "feel" the space we will have now that the walls are up. There is still much work to be done, but much has been accomplished in the past few weeks.

It is exciting to watch our dreams become a reality and know that we will all appreciate the office more after putting in the hours to get it ready.

So many have volunteered countless hours to make the office the nicest it can be. It is a joy to work with these humble servants of the Lord. They are using the talents and time God has done so that we can continue to do the work of the ministry.

We will continue to post updates as the taping, texturing, painting, ceilings, lighting/electricity, plumbing, trim, and moving are still ahead of us. We ask that you continue to pray for our strength, safety, and funding as we continue to work on the new building.

To all who have worked, to all who have prayed, to all who have contributed, and all who are friends of Kids 4 Truth a HUGE thank you! for your part in the Kids 4 Truth Ministry. We praise the Lord for you, and praise the LORD for what He has done. We look forward to seeing this project finished to the Glory of God.

Drywall going up!

The guys accomplished much work this weekend. They were able to hang drywall on many of the walls - most of the firewall is completed with only piecing left to do on several walls.

I would guess that another good day like this past Saturday and the guys will have the drywall hung and ready for taping.

We praise the Lord for the men who have volunteered their time and talents to do the work in the office for us. This past weekend we had: Brian King, Brian Bear, Dan Nelson, Rusty and Rob all working together to accomplish the task. Great job guys! 

International Reports - 2-14-06

Sixth Grade International Reports were yesterday. Andrew teamed up with Spencer Rehn to do Italy. I thought they did a real nice job on their board and materials. They dressed the part of gondoliers to give their oral report.

This photo shows you how tall Andrew is getting to be. He is approximately 5'4" and is the second tallest in his class. I believe he is taller than his brothers were at this age. Although I must say both Paul and Timothy also passed me up their sixth grade years. Peter tried real hard, but had to wait to pass me up until his seventh grade year. 

Happy Birthday Andrew!

Today Andrew turns 12! It is hard to believe that we have had him for 12 years already. Andrew is quiet and reserved, but loves to work in the puppet ministry at church. He received a puppet and hoodie for Christmas this year. Since he wears his hoodie constantly, we thought he would like a hoodie for "Jim" (the puppet). It worked out perfectly that this morning the puppet ministry is doing puppets for the 3-4 year olds, so we gave it to him before church - something we never do. Andrew had a difficult time understanding why we would give him a hoodie that was too small for him. That is....until Peter brought him Jim. Then he knew immediately and was so pleased. Happy Birthday, Andrew! WE love you!  

Happy Birthday, Julie!

Tonight we surprised Julie with a birthday party. We were actually able to pull it off. We had a good time eating, talking, and playing games together. It was nice to be able to relax together. I meant to get several photos throughout the evening, but unfortunately, I had to leave early so I did not get the photos taken.

We were able to share several praises with each other...things we had not shared yet. We are amazed as we watch God provide for the Kids 4 Truth ministry. It truely is His Work and He is providing in so many unexpected ways. We praise the Lord for His Goodness! 

Tri-Citians sing at Lee's Summit Bible Church

Tonight we had the privilege of watching Paul minister with the Tri-Citians at Lee's Summit Bible Church. The teens did an excellent job praising God with their voices. 

New Office Update - Insulation

I found out this afternoon that Rob and Brian Bear worked last night and installed much of the insulation for the building. So....since we were in Lee's Summit tonight to watch Paul sing with the Tri-Citians at Lee's Summit Bible Church - we had to swing by and "check the mail" and take a few photos.

I also thought you would like to see the new door that Rob surprised me with on the workday. It is much nicer than the door that was originally in the building. 

Our family!

I thought you might enjoy the latest Ralph Family photo. It is hard to imagine that our children are getting this big. This was taken in January.

Paul = almost 18 - senior at TC
Timothy = almost 16 - sophomore at TC
Peter = 14 - 8th grader at TC
Andrew = 12 (well on Sunday he will be) - 6th grader at TC
Arrena Jeanette = 9 - 3rd grader at TC

A big hello from all of us! 

We Passed! - Inspection 1.

Yesterday we had our first remodeling inspection - the Rough In Inspection. We passed! Therefore, we can begin hanging drywall in the office. This weekend we will have a drywall workday at the office. Please keep the men in your prayers as the lift and hang the drywall into place.

We learned yesterday that we will have 4 inspections instead of 3. We will have a firewall drywall inspection before we can "mud" the firewall. This is to make sure that the firewall is correct before we get too far.

We will continue to update as we can.

Office Update...

I cannot help but praise God over and over with how He is providing for our new office. I have always enjoyed watching God work, lead & direct, and provide for His Children and His Ministry. God has provided not only the materials for the project but also the workers to do the project. It is amazing to see the talents we already had within our ranks or those we know well. God is GOOD ALWAYS! not some of the time or just when things are going right, but ALWAYS:-) God always provides in His way and His timing, not man's. God's timing and way is always perfect.

I have been asked this week what is happening with the new office, and so I guess I should bring you up to speed:-) This week we have been planning and getting ready to do the electrical work.

I went out to the office on both Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, I met Ralph & Adele Roberts and Arlene Jones and we took everything out of the office with the exception of tools. That means, if you go by the office there are no chairs to sit in or drinks to be had...so better bring some along if you want either:-) They also did some yardwork in the side yard.

On Thursday, I met Ralph & Adele at the office. They had been doing more brush cleanup/pickup, and wanted to power-wash the gutters. It took some work, but Ralph was able to begin power-washing the gutters just enough to realize that he needed another man or two to help him. The gutters are so full of dirt that when the water hit the soil it created a dam effect. So he needs someone to prode it along while he directs the water. A third person would be helpful to carry the power-washer unit back and forth as those will only reach so far without having to get down off the ladder and move it. So, we will try it another warm day. Would you believe it was over 60 degrees on Thursday, Feb. 2nd? That is not typical KC winter weather. They were able to bring over the open trailer and pick up not only our brush pile but a good part of the neighbor's huge brush pile on the property line. We praise the Lord that the Roberts live out in the country and are able to burn much office tear out and brush. This saved us from having to pay to take this to the dump.

Today, Rob, Rusty and Dave Jaeger spent the day running the electrical wiring, network cables, and a little necessary plumbing. We should be ready for the rough in inspection (inspection 1 of 3) on Monday. After that...I understand that we will begin to hang dry wall...and that is when we can really see things happening.