Merry Christmas!

"Merry Christmas"

Next year will probably be the official "Year", where it all comes together, but honestly, I think that it has come together for us this Christmas!

The beginning of the year saw us with no finished basement, no full electricity, no new roof - and now we have all those things and more!  

Last year Christmas was as usual for Katie and I - no real gifts, just our promise to each other that next year, one of these years, we'd be ahead enough to do that.  

It's not easy fixing up two completely broken down homes, where for every one dollar in aid you ask you're spending five more.  It's took us some years.  Eight, if any are keeping count, from the first condemned house.  From nothing to one condemned house to two nice homes!

Perhaps still a year to go on some minor stuff, like windows and such.

But we're done with the major repairs now!  We took a walk late last Christmas Eve after opening all of our presents - real presents! - and stopped on the way back to take that picture you see as my timeline background, and as the new background here on this page.

We stopped and looked at both houses, as both were fixed and safe and warm and bright.  We knew that those driving by could see that, too.  We also know that five people have safe places to stay, and a sixth is now on his way!

We could also see with our eyes what those driving by could not.  Which is all the things that good and kind friends have aided us in. Driveways, roofs, and such.  The very light streaming from the windows of one of the houses.

Micah 4:4

And within appliances and fix ups and renovations only possible due to those who believed in us and what we're about. We could see while standing out there Christmas eve how blessed we are to have so many kind people aiding us in our lives and the lives of those we try to help.

We've had over forty guests so far, and as we tell ourselves, we are only just getting started!

We knew, not from the gifts we were able to get each other, but the gifts that made these homes possible, just how blessed we really are.  

Thank you all.  All of you reading this have aided in some way, by your love and encouragement, aid and support, advice and ideas.  This upcoming year is the year that it is officially all going to come together, we'll get our 501(c)3 and we can finally be what we think of as "real"!  

But so you know - it started now, this Christmas, and thanks to Heavenly Father, His son Jesus and all of you!

Merry Christmas!