The Kids Always Want to Explore Anything New

The buildings are all in place. The one that will be the store is already full of furniture, because there were four trailer loads delivered today. Fortunately, those were trailers behind pickups, not 18-wheeler types. That was still a lot of stuff, and for that we thank ETBU and Mary Jo Schnorbus. The furniture mainly will be used in the shelter.

Now it is on to the next items, glamorous things like septic tanks and water lines and electricity. Well, maybe not too glamorous, but certainly essential. The weather is certainly more conducive to getting it done, and for that we are thankful. The rain can come now--no more buildings to be moved.

The picture is the great-grandkids (some of them) exploring the big room in the shelter.

It Hath Been Joined!

The house is in! And together!  It is truly amazing how they can do that, and get it so, so close, exactly in the right place. Now they are attaching the garage. It won't be a garage long, as we need the space for the resident director to stay, so we will convert it to a room.

We feel God's guidance and care in this endeavor, and while every step of the way brings its problems and new challenges, we can see the shelter--the Billie Hamby Memorial Shelter--closer and more a reality.


Tomorrow they will try to finish attaching the garage. Then, hopefully on Friday they will move the store building in.

In the meantime, we still have all sorts of things for sale at My Friend's House. Today someone brought a lace bedspread and matching drapes--ivory colored and a nice, heavy fabric. And we still have lots of computers, scanners, mice, and a new batch of large women's clothing. So if you are in these parts, come by 212 West Bowie in Marshall, and help us finish the shelter by buying things you might need at very reasonable prices. And I surely would like to not move all those books.

Return of the House Movers

Progress is at a standstill, pending the return of the workers. On the good side, progress continues on the gas well, or at least the preparation for the gas well. The company preparing the pad needed more dirt. More dirt translates to more money, which translates to more funds to complete the necessary steps to make the shelter livable. If you have ever carved a homeplace out of the wilderness, you know what is happening here in these woods. After the house gets smacked back together, there are some huge projects--not impossible, at all, but lots of work--including the septic tank, putting the house systems (electrical and plumbing) back together where they sawed the house in two, seeing if the a/c works, and all those things. Of course we cannot see if the a/c works until the electricity gets there. Then there is water line, smoothing the road, cleaning debris--just more and more stuff.

Part of why I am hoping this will get underway soon of course has to do with the need for it. This week alone we turned down four requests for help with housing, not counting the number of people who call wanting to apply for a Habitat home--that is a different category of folks and need, usually. There was the man who called from the motel while the motel owner paced outside his room waiting for him to get out, the grandmother whose son and grandchild lived with her, but she had been evicted, and the one who lives wherever he can but needs at least to be able to sleep under a roof. He works hard, and will make it back up, but in the meantime, he is scrambling (and thankful) for every small thing he gets.

Some folks think we have no homeless people in Marshall. We do. The events and situations that lead to the need for a roof over one's head are many and as varied as the people, but they are all things that could happen to any of us. Later on I want to expound on some of the stories, and theorize as to how different choices might have prevented some of the results, but right now it is time to go to the House of the Lord and worship. On the way I will pick up from two to four beautiful little girls whose parents entrust to my care.

May you have a great day.

A Beautiful, Sunshiny Day AND The House Got Moved

We got a call this morning that our grandson Aron saw the house on Hiway 59 headed toward Marshall. Sure enough, it was, and by the time we got down to look (and that was not long, for sure) it was in the driveway. This is a picture of the backside after it got down to the site. There were some tense moments (for us--can't speak for the house movers) when it was going down the hill. There was a Bobcat on the back, probably to give it traction, but it just sort pulled the bobcat along. It is there, and tomorrow they will continue getting it in place. Or at least that was the word today. Tomorrow may be another plan.

Another Beautiful Sunshiny Day, But Not A Housemoving Day

Unfortunately, the housemover had a sad event in his family. They need our prayers, and later on, the house will get moved.

In the meantime, things go on at My Friend's House. We have one semi-permanent resident, even if we really don't have a shelter. We will call him Fred. He helps out around the place, and is a model of a job searcher. He had a situation that didn't work out, and showed up at our front door a couple of weeks ago, referred by someone he met at the bus station. Yesterday he apparently found a job, and hopefully will work enough to find himself a place to stay.

The picture was taken in the front hallway, or foyer, of My Friend's House. If you like old houses (this one was built in 1875) and would like to own a large house in downtown Marshall, Texas, come look at it. It is for sale, as we plan to move everything to our place when the shelter gets ready. We really cannot afford to  maintain both, at this stage.

It Rained Again Today

Where did all those hot dry days go?  Not that we want the hot dry days, just one dry enough to move the building in. This was not one. Maybe tomorrow.

Someone recently suggested that we relate some of the stories about what happens at My Friend's House. So here goes.

One of our regular supper guests, let's call him George, recently became a deacon in his church. In all the years I have known church deacons, I don't think I have ever known one who took the task more seriously. It is what defines his life. Anyway, this morning George came to My Friend's House to say hi to Dave. He does this often--has a piece of cake or whatever snack is available, and chats with whoever is there. Today he asked if we had any clothes his size, as he needed to dress the part of a deacon. George is a big boy. As it happened, just before George came in, a friend had delivered a large amount of her deceased husband's clothing, and it was piled on a couch for want of another spot to put it in. Her husband was a large man, probably taller than George, but otherwise the clothes fit.

So George found himself some shirts, slacks, and a jacket. He was one happy camper when he left, complete with his $5 ticket that he will pay, or not, when he gets some money. Later this evening we happened to drive down Houston Street, and there stood George in his new outfit, happy and proud, waiting for one of his fellow church members, maybe a fellow deacon, to pick him up to go to church.

We could see him smiling all the way across that street.

Of Course It Is Raining Today

This has been one of the hottest and driest summers in East Texas that I remember for awhile. So it comes as no surprise that when we finally think they are going to be able to move in the rest of the house for the shelter, that rain is forecast for the next five days.

I had a dentist who once told me that the Lord sent me to him to teach him patience (dentists are right up there with snakes in my list of things to avoid). Maybe the Lord sent the rain to teach me patience. He knows we need the rain. so I will just enjoy it.

In the meantime, there are plenty of things to do. There is the application to the Food Bank to be able to purchase food at a low price. We will probably need that. Then there is the Income Tax (personal and business) that I have put off--and yes, I did file for an extension. People who expect big returns file in January. People who have to do lots of paperwork to file file later. Then there are donations to sort--always. I am thankful for them, but they do take time and work, and it has to be fit in somewhere. Volunteers help me with that, and I am very thankful for their efforts.

Then there is the listing on Amazon and eBay. We get donations that are not necessities, or even desirable items, especially for homeless folks, because they don't want excess things to carry around. Some of them have a higher value online than in the store, mainly because of the worldwide exposure, so we list those. Did you know that if you list on eBay you can designate the charity of your choice to receive whatever portion of that sale that you designate to receive that portion?  And yes, My Friend's House is one of those charities.

Here is an example of the response we get from some of our supporters. In a casual conversation after church on Sunday (Cumberland Presbyterian, in Marshall) I mentioned that we are low on men's underwear. On Monday, one of the men in that group gave us two sackfuls of new underwear. Thank you, Charles!

Enough for now. Please pray for us, so that we know what the best thing is to do as we work with people.

Beginnings

As it sits on the lot on North 59 waiting to be moved, it offers a close-up view of one of the six toilets.

That is not a curtain. It is the plastic protecting it from the  rain.
We maybe should go tack it up better, since it is about to pour.

Chances are we will need to do a fundraiser for the driveway that will need to be here.

Why Add Another Blog to the Millions Out There?

It is so different now than not so many years ago.I used to look for things to read. Now I almost avoid it, because it comes from all directions:  the newspaper, the magazines I have unsubscribed to, but that still keep coming, the TV, the computer, the mail, the two thousand books (no exaggeration here) that we own, and the proliferating instruction booklets. When I think now about adding to the profusion of information, it seems redundant to add more stuff to the overabundance. 

Having said that, I will add to it, anyway. The reason is that I want to communicate with those of you out there who are interested in My Friend's House. Judging from the response we get, that number is far larger than I would have predicted and is growing. So this blog will be an effort to keep you apprised of those parts that might interest you. And yes, I will ask for donations.

My Friend's House (legal name: Marshall's My Friend's House, Inc.) is a nonprofit Texas corporation, and has been granted 501 (c) (3) status by the IRS. We began with the idea of trying to meet some needs for folks around here. We did this because of a calling we have to try to do a little of what Jesus taught. 

So we bought an old house (the one pictured below) and set about trying to listen to the needs of the folks. 

In the two years since then, we have listened, helped a little, made many mistakes, and have decided that what the greatest need is that we could help with is housing. No great surprise there, as all one has to do to understand that is watch the news.

We are not looking at making any attempt to salvage oversized mortgages--couldn't if we wanted to, and have never thought it to be a good idea to buy those  McMansions without the ability to pay--but to help those who need to make a new start, or who need a place out of the rain or heat to sleep. 

For about a year and a half we have operated a thrift store stocked by donations from a lot of you. We sell items to raise funds for the ministry, and give items to those who need them. Some weeks it is about even: we sell as much as we give away. Some weeks it is the opposite. Whichever, we have never kept up with the supply of donations. I don't think we ever will. People are generous, and keep giving, for which we are thankful.


At this point we are in the process of having a building moved onto ten acres we own to develop a homeless shelter. Again, people are generous, and giving of their time, money, and possessions to make this possible.


This is about enough nattering for today. Other tasks call (after all, it is Labor Day).  The first picture below is the house we have been in for two years, as it was when we purchased it.


The garage portion and about a third of the house have been moved onto the land. The remainder, plus the building for the store, are waiting for a suitable day for moving houses.