The basement is dug! After months of building character shoveling by hand we rented a skid steer to finish the basement. I’m sure we will have plenty of other opportunities to build character as we build the house.
There have been many who helped in this beginning stage of construction. Josh, a friend, student and our most recent addition to Tentmakers, helped pick up and return the bobcat. Orrin, another friend and student, helped run the skid steer and show me the finer details of how to use the machine.
It quickly became apparent that we would not have enough room for the dirt we were bringing out. Bruce, a friend from LaGrange, who is also working on a construction project, could use the fill dirt. While there he used his excavator to dig down to the depth we needed to dig. From that section I could more easily use the skid steer to clear dirt from the rest. Bruce also used the excavator to bring dirt out along the west side of the basement. It was amazing to watch how skilled he is in operating the huge machine. Jeff, a friend who is on staff at Frontier, stopped by almost daily to check on progress. He also helped by letting me use his laser level.
As I think of how each of these men contributed, it is obvious that I could not have done this without them. It is humbling to see that when the Lord builds the house, he uses His people to help.
We have many others to thank. Hopefully, in the upcoming weeks we can tell some of the stories of how God has been working to get us to this point. For now, we hope you enjoy the video and share in our excitement as we begin this adventure.