A FEW DAYS after the funeral, Tom and Marty decided to inspect the attic. They found a narrow hall and four rooms of different sizes. The larger one seemed to have been used for an office. They decided to keep it for Tom’s study, and remove the rest of the walls so they could use the attic for a school room. But there was so much work to be done and no money to do it.
The house already needed a new roof, the electrical was in want of repair from the mice and raccoons that had gotten in, and the walls were moldy from the leaking roof over the many years of neglect. All the sheetrock needed to come out and the remaining wood scrubbed down. The tasks seemed daunting.
The pastor and elders discussed it at their next meeting. Franklin Conner was totally against any of it, sighting the lack of funds. But it was decided, in the end, to see what resources God might provide through His people. After the next Sunday service, the list was read to those who had stayed. They were curious to see what they had among them to fix some of the problems.
They were elated, amazed and gave God the glory, when through the coming days they found they were able to provide almost everything required.
Hank Fairchild had offered several huge, old growth cedar logs. All he needed was help to cut and split them up. It was done the next weekend, with jovial laughter and hard work.
A group of men volunteered to replace the roof and within two weekends and some nightly work, the old roof was removed down to the rafters, lattice work installed, and a brand new, beautiful, cedar roof covered the old house, giving it protection and security for years to come.
Extra wiring was obtained from Jeff Wade, Ross Spencer, and Morris Craddick. Jeff had just built a new barn and had some wiring left over, while Ross got wiring from his in-laws, and Morris provided some from his work shop out back. It was just enough to rewire the upstairs and make it safe.
An old, gray, dilapidated barn on Harley Comstock’s parent’s place needed to come down, so a barbecue was organized for the first day, with potlucks spontaneously happening afterwards. Even some folks not going to the church got involved, joining in the fun and hard work of salvaging the materials from the old place.
Within three days, all the work was done. The old, rusty nails were pulled and thrown away, while the good wood was eventually transported over to the parsonage, and a big bond fire took care of the unusable. Happy, tired and friendly voices echoed in the valley that evening, as they sat near the fire, talking, sharing, and developing new friendships.
A work party descended on the old parsonage removing the sheetrock and moldy insulation from the attic, once the roof had been completed. Big, strong beams from the old barn were installed, so three of the rooms could be removed and an open space was built for the class room and play area.
Even the back porch was rebuilt, while the front porch was jacked up and repaired, with a new set of stairs. All the windows in the house had been taken out, stripped of paint, reframed where necessary and reinstalled after a fresh coat of paint. They opened nicely now, and screens were installed in all the openings.
A bake and rummage sale was organized and the proceeds went to buy paint.
The entire interior was painted in just one weekend, with most of the families from church helping to move furniture, make meals, and paint. The laughter and voices of good people drifted out into the summer air.
Several weekends later, ladders were brought out and set up against the house, as people returned to paint the exterior. Again, there were so many. It was like a party, instead of hard work.
Soon the parsonage gleamed, like the beautiful church next door, and the congregation of Brandon Creek was happy. The house was now sound, restored and a real home, something everyone could be proud of. God was good and the hearts of most were thriving under the love and teachings of Pastor Tom.
New families started attending the old country church and the congregation grew. One of these families was Crystal Davenport and her three children.
Slowly healing from the loneliness and loss of her young husband, so early in life, she was grateful to God for the upright man who was teaching her to love again, and the good woman that was his wife.
The single mother of three realized what a wonderful friend the Lord had provided in Marty. The pastor’s wife was someone she could talk to and confide in. The whole Madison family was helping her. She wasn’t alone anymore and how precious was that? She marveled at the joy in her heart that had replaced the misery she felt before their coming. Had it really only been a few months since they met?
Crystal recalled the first day she met Marty. She was working hard, slaving over the loads of laundry which provided for her family, when the phone rang.
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A Tale Of True Love Page 8
