Returning to Berlin

Awake or not quite yet..., the 8 am breakfasts at the church these past 2 weeks have become routine - complete with porridge and orange juice which add just the right balance to bakery fresh German breads with cold cuts and cheese.

Special treat (or so we N.Americans thought) was the corn on the cob Kidron happened to find at a market.

It was so good! - however, in Germany the ratio of potatoes and sausages needs to be higher than quantity of corn, especially if it's still on the cob.

The design team met in the 'new kitchen' to discuss and plan multiple details; - it's exciting to imagine a spacious kitchen with adequate appliances to cater to the 200+ guests who can fit in the multi-purpose room on the other side of the wall.

On Saturday, the men from church, (10-15) will be meeting for breakfast, a devotional and work. Gary says the scaffolding is up in the sanctuary, ready for them to begin putting up the insulation. Some will work here, some there, some lay tiles, some paint, ..., ...

For Gary it's been a busy week of ordering supplies, receiving supplies, moving the toolroom into the garage,coordinating the team that is painting, tiling, grouting, cooking, working side by side.

The plumbers were back at work after a long summer break; more of the heat registers are now installed and they've continued work on the hot/cold water systems in the basement.

Henry persistently continued the meticulous work in the bathrooms, (three bathrooms are now tiled); when I left this afternoon he was putting up the partition in one of the bathrooms upstairs.

Susie offered again and again to wash breakfast dishes this week; today she made yummy apple struddel to compliment our lunch menu; she mended some items and sewed more mattress covers. It's so good to have her here.

Reinhart and Kenton measured, cut and glued the wallpaper onto the top part of the bathroom walls; these will be painted tomorrow and finish off the newly tiled bathroom walls.

Gary rented a sander to clean the existing floors this week as he and Andre decided to begin laying floor tiles themselves; they completed the cloak room in the foyer and one of the hallways. The floor looks great already! With grout and baseboards to finish off the edges, it'll be so nice!

German grammar question: Lass mich arbeiten? oder Lass mir arbeiten?

Hartmut brought us plums from his trees last week, and more again today :) when he came back after lunch to complete his stucco project before going on holidays. What an encouraging servant!

Andre 'fixed' the outside wall - Hartmut plastered and stucco'ed it... it now matches the rest of the 'new face' the building has received. Ditmar came to continue work at sealing the windows. Reinhart spent tireless hours painting both outside and inside the building! The place looks brighter with the fresh paint.

YEAH for one more completed tile floor - Henry's bandaged fingers testify to tedious hours of persistence and dedication!

Susie sewed covers for 5 of the mattresses... it'll be great to keep some dust out.

The main entrance foyer is wallpapered and painted... wall brackets for the drop-down ceiling are in place...

Hallway walls have been sanded, ... wall brackets for ceiling in place there too...

The walls for the 'new kitchen' are now 'wall-paper-less' ... ready for fresh new tiles! Brick have been cut and are in place to finish off the last row of the partition.

Old tiles in the main sanctuary have been washed - ready for the drywall ...

Grateful for another week of health, energy, safety and blessings at work! Thanks to all for prayers and support!