A couple of days ago, I mentioned that my church got a home to rebuild. The other project leaders and I met at the house to see where it was at, and to determine how to proceed. I had no idea what to expect, but I imagined a house that hadn't been touched, and an owner who knew exactly what she wanted. I got the exact opposite.
The place had already been pretty well cleaned out, the drywall and insulation had been hauled away, some of the electrical wiring had been run, the limestone basement had been reinforced (though it's not quite finished) and sagging fame pieces had been reinforced. In short, the house was pretty much ready for reconstruction.
I found out that professional electricians and plumbers were going to run the wiring and pipes. If it was my house, I'd probably run the stuff myself, but then again, I'm having professionals do my roof. Different strokes for different folks.
The owner of the house seemed... a little off. Picture someone who was just starting to come down from a three-day cocaine binge. That would begin to describe her. She talked a little fast, but seemed slow to understand. She wanted to show us lots of things, but couldn't make a decision on how to move forward. Very outgoing, and a little paranoid. On the outside she had a lot of energy, on the inside, she seemed tired. Not just sleepy, but that bone-deep exhaustion.
I guess none of this really matters much yet, because I also found out that she doesn't have any money. I heard (not directly from her) that she got a pittance of FEMA money, but that's gone. She applied for a grant from one organization and was denied. She applied at a second one and should hear back tomorrow.
Long story short, I think we may have been given an impossible task. Okay, maybe not impossible, but certainly more difficult than I expected.
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1 comment:
This is the point where you begin to network and try to get businesses to sponsor your project...you do a lot of talkin' and a lot of prayin'.
Have faith.
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