ONE BATTLE DOESN'T MAKE A WAR!!

So we worked hard to get the roof up, because everything was getting real dry and we did not want to be anyone who may be accused of holding up the blessing of the Lord, the rain. We built up the walls around the front entry to match  the rest of the house. 

We use "rakushka,"here. It is soft sedimentary stone

 that our builders actually often shape with a hatchet! 

It is full of air pockets, 

giving the walls a pretty good 'R' value. 

This RAKUSHKA sedimentary stone 

that is cut up and used all over Crimea for building  

may actually be a result of 

the great flood recorded in Genesis 

according to some scientists! 

A reinforced concrete pour finishes the wall, 

then a wooden board is cemented 

and lag bolted to the top of the wall 

to connect with the rafters. 

We use reinforced concrete grape stakes to hold 

up the wall above the windows and doors. 

Such simple local resources help to keep us 

moving ahead briskly.

The brothers Sasha and Sergei consult often but the boards

are gradually becoming a roof.

Then the upper well stops. 

We check the water level and the

stop return valve. 

We have air in the line and the pump wants 

to work all the time.

We turn off the pump to let the water level rise 

...hopefully, while we give the pump motor a rest. 

"O God, You are my God; 

Early will I seek You; 

My soul thirsts for You; 

My flesh longs for You 

In a dry and thirsty land 

Where there is no water. " 

Psalm 63:1 NKJV

We still don't pray for rain though.' 

We work quickly to be ready for it.

Not exactly the safest scaffolding I've ever witnessed  

Once we get most of the gables up and the rafters, 

the roof gets top boards! Quickly we lay on the

plastic they call, "hydro barrier"here. So NOW

WE ARE READY FOR RAIN (supposedly).

It is a good thing we are too because,
'Burulcha, 'our little river of joy has become...

A VERY DRY CREEK BED.

It is unclear how long the lower well will hold up. 

The land is parched.

FATHER WE NEED RAIN HERE. PLEASE SEND RAIN

TO WATER OUR LAND AND CROPS.

Elohim answers our earnest plea.

Dark clouds come rushing in from the Southwest. 

There is thunder and lightening

and now we do not resist the downpour. 

We speak not a word of rebuke. No, we 

welcome it with shouts of. 

"HALLELUJAH!". 

and, "THANK YOU LORD!"

THIS HEAVY DOWNPOUR 

WATERS THE GROUND,

VISIBLY IMPARTING LIFE 

TO THE THIRSTY TREES AND GRASSES.

AND IT SEEMS ALL CREATION 

IS DANCING IN THE RAIN.

Our gravel path becomes a  mini waterway. 

Then I get a wake-up call. Anatoli runs to Rechnaya 7.

Something is wrong... 

For what eventuality have we not prepared?

spiritually we seem to be hitting on all four. 

The Lord is answering our prayers.

But we have forgotten one important thng...

We forgot to add in...

THE HUMAN FACTOR.

The roof is leaking right through our hydro barrier!

We did not expect perfection. 

Once we have the corrugated asbestos and

mission tile in place this roof should be 

solid and waterproof for many years,

but for a rain or two we expected 

this plastic sheeting to hold..  

We were sold defective merchandise 

and also not told that it

comes with small pores, not designed to

stop a downpour.

Sasha feels responsible. 

He gets sick to his stomach and stops coming to meals.

Sergei steps on a nail and begins to limp around slowly. 

Victory seems 

to have been turned into defeat!

But we press on.

http://www.riverofjoy-crimea.org/donation.html