Dad’s week in the tribe

My Dad and I made it into the tribe this past week, along with our co-worker, Erik Peterson and Bob Hall.  We spent the week working on our house and then started the kitchen cabinets for Christina’s house.  The plan originally before my Dad came was to be ready to start framing the walls, but due to the amount of rot in the original order of lumber, we had to re-order new wood for the beams and floor joists.  Therefore the plan was revised and the goal (if the lumber had arrived by the time we got back to the village) was to get the beams and 1st floor joists installed.  Praise the Lord, the lumber was there and we were able to get right to work.  First, we had to inspect each piece to make sure it was good to use.  That meant a lot of scraping off mud, and lifting, looking and stacking.   Lumber in the tribe is nothing like what you’d find in the local lumber store in Canada. It's all wet, rough, and very, very heavy.  (Just ask Dad.)  My Dad and I got each piece of beam and joist cleaned up, straightened and ready for Bob and Erik as they worked on installing them.  It was a lot of hard work, but within 5 days, we were able to accomplish our task.   Now the job is ready for when Erik, Bob, and I return at the beginning of September to begin framing.  All the new lumber has arrived, and is stacked, ready for us to start. 

The last two days we were in the tribe, Dad and I started working on Christina’s kitchen cabinets, while Bob made a front door for her house.  Again, the lumber we used did not come prepped and ready for building.  Only after scraping off the mud, straightening it out with a circular saw, and lots of milling was the wood ready to be cut down into the sizes needed to frame up the cabinets.  My Dad quickly realised that building here, whether it’s a house or cabinets, is a much more involved effort than anything he’s been involved with back home.   He has a new appreciation for what the Lord has called us into and our perseverance in living here.  Thanks Dad for coming over to help us!

By: Chuck