The Eight P's of Roofing

Step One: Prayer
When they started building this church two years ago it was by faith. They had the money to build the structure and get started, but didn’t have enough to finish the church. They have been praying for God to provide for the roofing (the most expensive part of building here) for the last couple years.

God answered prayers through a church in Oregon who wanted to come out for a short term trip. They raised the $5,000 needed to put the roof on (plus the money for their travels) and planned on coming out Nov. 17th.

Step Two: Pieces

Now, you can’t just run down to Menards with your Ford truck and grab everything you need. That would be TO EASY! The supplies have to come from a bigger city. Once they are found and purchased, you need to hire a truck that can haul them all. Normally, that truck is coming from another city – our lumber, which was originally supposed to come Nov. 5th, finally came on the 14th (4 days before the project).

Step Three: Protection

Hire a guard who can keep watch of the lumber and supplies (all sitting outside the church) so that robbers don’t come and take “10 pieces at a time.”

Step Four: Preparation

Pounding Futu for the workers

Need to treat all the lumber with a seal so that the bugs won’t eat it all right away. Also includes preparing for how to feed 40 people breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 4 days (cue the 50 lbs bags of rice), where everyone will sleep, and how to communicate in 4 different languages (English, French, Djula, and Senefou – we’ll even throw some German in there, so that makes 5). Also, we needed to prepare the church, which has been sitting there for 2 years with no roof, mostly a home for sheep and goats.

Step Five: Power Tools

Rod drops off the supplies that will make this job take three days instead of two weeks trying to do it by hand. This includes back-up generators because the electricity WILL go out.

Step Six: Pumped Up Workers

Our work team!

Everyone showed up on Monday ready to work (including the Americans who had just gotten in the Sunday night before). Started building the “A frames” and getting them put up on the church, no easy job. Once that was done, we started putting the cross beams for the metal roofing to be put on.

*Step Seven: Precautions

Um…I’ll just let the pictures show you all of that…

Step Eight: Praise!

After four days of work, the roof is on and we could only stand back and praise God that for his provision, protection, and power (I’m really going with these “P’s” huh?). Everyone was tired and sore and ready to rest.

Thanks to all of you who helped out, financially, physically or prayerfully. We appreciate it. We’ll put up some pictures of our first Sunday in the church. Pray for the finances to get the windows, doors, and floors put in before the Christmas celebration!

Blessings,

Steve and Jessica

*Step seven is a recommended, but not required step.

End of Day One

End of Day Two



Finished Product!