It is 1:30 AM and I am having a difficult time sleeping. Tomorrow, we will move out of "This Old House"... at least for a season. For nearly a century it has been home to the Reinholds... Generations.... and it has been the setting for many joys and yes sometimes trials as well. But it has always been home... and not just to our family. Emanuel and Hazel Reinhold built this house in the 1920's. My Dad, Tige, grew up in this house. He and his wife, Vicky, along with their three sons moved in around 1962. I grew up in this house. And Robin and I have lived in this old house for as long as we have been married. And our children grew up in this house.
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But time and this old gumbo (clay) soil has taken its toll. Our basement has always shifted to and fro to some extent with the freezing and thawing... wet and dry over the years. Tough country in more ways than one. And we had hoped to remodel one day and improve the basement and foundation. Well now the time has come as a couple of weeks ago, the north wall in the basement caved in after some heavy rainfall.
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Now we have to address the issues. However, our summers with camp are not the easiest times to get big projects like this done. We are extremely tied up with the camping schedule and all the kids that come to enjoy the ranch and learn more about the Bible and Jesus. Simply stated, "We would have scheduled this "project" some other time". But that is not to be.
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So what is the project. We are moving out and preparing to lift the house and proceed to move it to the east. When that is completed we will excavate the old basement and then proceed to pour a new foundation and basement . Then we will move the house back. Sounds easy enough.. Right? Well, we are encouraged that we have the contractors in place to do such a project. It should happen over the next month or so. Then when the house is back in place, a complete remodel will take place. Yes to fix the wear and tear of nearly 100 years on the Great Plains of Dakota and the living of multiple generations that have called this old structure home.
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Worries... not really. God has this. Weary... yes we are at that. May is always a challenging month with preparation for camp and the many ranch activities that must be done. And then there is the summer season. This will be our 44th season of camp at RBR and we know how busy that keeps us... We do not want our busyness to take away from any child's experience at camp. We somewhat say "tongue in cheek" that we operate on spiritual adrenaline. We realize our extra strength comes from the Lord. But at times we are physically exhausted as well.
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We know that we cannot complete this project on our own. We need to relay on God and the capability of others as well. We request your prayers that we will stay focused and fervent. We need to trust God to meet the needs and the extra expenses along the way. And we must live in faith and trust that God will provide in all areas.
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Camp starts next week. And we have so many tasks yet to complete. We will take one day at a time. There are some other situations that are part of life that are adding to the challenges as well. I ask for your prayer in those areas, too.
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I have added some pics to this album that go back to the 1920's. I find them fascinating. My Grandpa cut the logs and had them milled for the framing of this Craftsman model house. It was built for a thousand dollars back then. We still have the same hand saw that the carpenter used to build with. He used it for framing and then set the teeth differently for the finish work. Amazing. I loved growing up in this house... I always thought it was big. As I became an adult, I realized that it wasn't so big, but was certainly adequate for the family. We enjoy the coziness and closeness. And yes now moving forward we look forward to having it not only repaired but updated as well. Tomorrow we move... some of us will go to the house by Reinhold Lake... some are moving into a camper and one of the cabins. As for now, I should get a little shut eye in the last hours in this old house... and trust God that one day we will move in again for the next however many years...
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Thanks for praying and caring...
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From the book of Ephesians chapter three, Paul writes,
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.