Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Hi there

Greetings,

I hope you, your family, and friends stay safe by taking the proper precuations as we enter in to confusing and troubling times as we watch a worldwide pandemic unfold with this Coronavirus.

Could there be something more deeper going on with all of this? Could we be seeing the signs of the times unfolding? Could this be a door of opportunity for people to open their hearts to what God has to say?

Jesus says to His disciples concerning the last days, "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:7-8).

We have been seeing a record setting amount of Earthquakes world-wide in various places, incuding places that normally do not receive Earthquakes. Now with this Coronavirus, could this be one of the pestilences that will fall upon us in the last days as spoken by Jesus? Where will it leave our economy? Did you know the Bible teaches there will be a cashless society in the last days? Will this be a major stepping stone in bringing that about?

You may have seen on NBC news just months ago concerning the implantable RFID microchip that is gaining ground in Sweden where people are getting this microchip implanted in their hand.

Would you allow a microchip to be placed inside your body that has the ability to track where you go and what you do? How about if you knew it matched perfectly with Bible prophecy where God warns us not to take it during the future reign of the Antichrist, otherwise we will receive the fullness of His wrath (Revelation 14:9-11)?

This may be the most imporant message you will read in these times...please do not ignore this! This messsage reveals what the Mark of the Beast is, and the meaning behind counting a number people have been pondering for centuries, 666. This is truly a message from God!

In the Revelation of Jesus Christ given to the apostle John, we read:

...."Also he (the false prophet who deceives many by his miracles) compels all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead signifying allegiance to the beast, and that no one will be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let the person who has enough insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six" (Revelation 13:16-18 AMP).....

Speaking on the last times, this can only be speaking of a cashless society, which we have yet to see, but we are making our way towards. How come? Otherwise we would be able to buy or sell without receiving the mark among each other if tangible money was still in use. It logically deduces itself to this reason.

The mark could not be something spiritual, because the word references two different physical places. If it was to be spiritual, it would just say in the forehead.

Here is where it really starts to come together. It is shocking how accurate the Bible is concerning the RFID microchip. These are notes from a man named Carl Sanders who worked with a team of engineers to help develop this microchip in the late 1960's.

Mr. Carl Sanders sat in seventeen New World Order meetings with heads of state officials such as Henry Kissinger and Bob Gates of the CIA to discuss their agenda on how to bring about this one-world system. The US government commissioned Mr. Sanders to engineer a microchip for identifying and controlling the peoples of the nations-a microchip that could be inserted underneath the skin with a hypodermic needle (a quick, convenient procedure that would be progressively received by the people).

Mr. Sanders, with a group of engineers behind him, with US grant monies supplied by US tax dollars, took on this mission and designed a RFID chip that's powered by a lithium battery, rechargeable through the temperature changes in our skin. Without having understanding of the biblical scriptures (Mr. Sanders was not a Christian at the time), these engineers spent one and a half million dollars doing research on the best and most convenient location to have the RFID chip placed below the skin.

Guess what? These researchers observed that the forehead and the back of the hand (the two spots Revelation says the mark will go) aren't only the most convenient spots, but are also the only viable spots for fast, consistent temperature changes inside the skin to recharge the lithium battery. The RFID chip is around 7 millimeters in length, .75 millimeters in diameter, about the dimensions of a grain of rice. It's capable of holding many pages of details about you. All of your basic records, work data, crime information, health information, and financial records may be saved on this microchip.

Brother Sanders believes that this RFID chip, which he remorsefully helped invent, is the "beast's mark" spoke of in Revelation 13:16-18. The Greek word for "mark" is "charagma," which is defined as a "scratch or etching." It is also fascinating to notice that the number 666 is in fact a word in the original Greek. That word is "chi xi stigma," with the last word, "stigma," also meaning "to stick or prick. Mr. Sanders believes this is alluding to the use of a hypodermic needle being poked in a person to insert the RFID chip."

Carl Sanders asked a Boston Medical Center doctor what would happen if the lithium contained within the RFID microchip leaked into the body. The doctor responded that if the microchip broke inside a human body, the lithium would cause a severe and painful wound filled with pus. This is what the scriptures of Revelation 16:2 has to say:

"And the first (angel) went, and poured out his bowl into the earth; and it became a noisome and grievous sore upon the men that had the mark of the beast, and that worshipped his image" (Revelation 16:2 ASV).

THE HIDDEN MEANING BEHIND THE NUMBER 666 REVEALED!

God's word tells us we will not be able to buy or sell with out having the mark, or the number of its name. Which is the number 666. The scriptures tell us to calculate the number 666. How may we calculate 666?

This is where it all tops off. Counting the number of the beast, 666, has been long debated all throughout the history of the world, but has finally been revealed in these final days by the Holy Spirit. What you'll see affirms itself with the holy scriptures the true interpretation to calculate six-six-six.

Throughout the Bible, God uses the number three to affirm things. Allow me to share a few examples:

...."For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one" (1 John 5:7 NKJV)....

...."that he was buried and was raised to life on the third day as the Scriptures say" (1 Corinthians 15:4 NCV)....

...."Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" (Revelation 4:8 NKJV)....

Now what is fascinating is the the mark is revealed in detail in three separate verses (Revelation 13:16,17,18), and every verse lists three distinct examples of the given topic. The last three being the number 6 being used three times in a row. That is a key factor to deciphering how to calculate the number 666.

What does it mean to count 666? It means to add up. How could we add up 666? Recall back to my prior key point regarding God confirming in threes. So logically, what could be the most rational way to add up the number 666? To add it up equally in threes based off the number. It is not rational to count it equally as 600+60+6, this would also take us back to the beginning. We are not able to add it as 600+600+600, or 60+60+60, because there are no zeroes in between or at the end of 666. The only sensible option is 6+6+6=18. What is fascinating is that the verse that reveals for us to count the number of the beast itself is verse 18, being the 3rd verse out of three verses that describe the mark. What is 18 divided by 3? 6. So 3x6=18, or 6+6+6=18.

Another fascinating key point is that the two other possible combinations (bringing a total of three possible combinations) for moving the plus symbol in between the sixes are 66+6=72, and 6+66=72. Add up both 72's together and you get 144. Why the number 144 is interesting is because the verse following Revelation 13:18 is the first instance in God's word where the 144,000 are being described in detail:

...."Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads..." (Revelation 14:1 NKJV)....

If we add up all three numbers by counting 666 by shifting the plus symbol around in all three possible combinations, it would be 72+72+18=162. What is fascinating concerning the number 162, is, if you divide 144,000 by 162, you get 888. The name of Jesus in Greek gematria calculates to 888. The New Testament was originally written in the Greek language. Revelation 14:1 not only mentions the 144,000, but also the Lamb of God who is Jesus.

What is fascinating concerning the the number for Jesus, 888, is that if you apply this same method, you get 8+8+8=24. Why the number 24? Revelation chapter four tells us there are 24 elders seated around the throne of God. This is the same throne where Jesus sits:

"Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads" (Revelation 4:2-4).

Now if you take 8+8+8=24, and 8+88=96, and 88+8=96, you get 24+96+96=216. Take 144,000 divided by 216 and you get 666. Remember that this was the exact formula to get the value 162 out of counting 666 that brought about the value 888 when dividing 144,000 by 162. It's perpetual.

With using the same formulation of counting by including the plus symbol in between the numbers, why do all these numbers relate in such a manner?

The book of Revelation contains the use of the number 7 in various forms. For instance 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 bowls. What is interesting about the number 37 (three sevens) is if if you divide any number that contains the same single digit three times in a row, such as 111 to 999, it comes out to the value of if you were to add all three numbers up. For example 888 divided by 37 equals 24. So 8+8+8=24. Or 666 divided by 37 equals 18. So 6+6+6=18. Could this be another way of God's word confirming itself that the mystery behind calculating the number 666 indeed is 18?

Another fascinating factor to notice is that if you add up all of the numbers from 1 to 36 (1+2+3...+36), it totals 666. The number 36, as in three sixes? Could this be a hint that we must add up three sixes instead of perceiving the number as six-hundred sixty six?

Now what could this mean? Well we all know in this world we're recognized by numbers in various forms. From our birth certificate to social security, as well as our drivers license, being recognized based on a system of ruler ship. So it's possible that this RFID microchip will incorporate a new identification that has a complete total of 18 characters.

"here the wisdom is, the one having the mind let him calculate the number of the wild beast, number for "of human" it is, and the number of it 666" (Revelation 13:1, Greek Translation).

The Greek word "anthrōpos" being used in verse 18 where it says "of human" is the Greek strongs concordance G444. The first two definitions of the word are "a human being, whether male or female", and, "generically, to include all human individuals". Could the number of the beast apply to all mankind?

In the Greek (the New Testament was originally written in the Greek language), and other translations, you will notice the beast is described as an "it", instead of "him". The reason I'm making this point is because when a translation says "His number is 666", this would imply a singular person, the Antichrist. But by saying "the number of it 666", implies that it is of the beast system as a whole.

We can know the number of the beast cannot be to identify products (like a new barcode) to buy or sell because scripture says we cannot buy or sell without the number of the beast. What am I getting at? There will be instances where you could buy something someone made themselves and it wouldn't have a store branded identification on it. But for this number to be in our chips, that is where it must be to conclude ultimately that we cannot buy or sell without having the number of the beast. As previously mentioned in Revelation 13:18, the number of the beast (6+6+6=18) is a "human number", definition "generically, to include all human individuals".

Could this be the title of the beast, the number of its name? The one-world beast system that's recognized by 18 characters? This may match the scriptures that speaks of a mark that we must have to buy or sell in our right-hand or forehead, and that it additionally contains the number of the beast, in the course of a future cashless money society.

Go to: 666-revealed.voice-truth.com|awake.voice-truth.com|blog.voice-truth.com|go.voice-truth.com|home.voice-truth.com|rfid.voice-truth.com|speak.voice-truth.com|one.voice-truth.com|hear.voice-truth.com|god.voice-truth.com|seek.voice-truth.com|tv.voice-truth.com|radio.voice-truth.com|station.voice-truth.com] to see all the proof!

God's word warns us in the last days that a false prophet will rise up performing miracles deceiving many to acquire the beasts mark:

...."Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image" (Revelation 19:20)....

At all costs, DO NOT TAKE IT!

"Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name" (Revelation 14:9-11).

We are residing in very prophetic times with major Biblical prophecies being fulfilled.

When Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as capital of Israel on December 6th of '17, this was a big step to bring forth the Third Temple prophesied within the Holy Bible.

God's holy Word's tells us that the Antichrist will seat himself in this temple:

"...and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

In the Islamic religion, they have a figure known as the Mahdi, referred to as their messiah who they're awaiting to appear. There are various testimonies from people on line who believe this man will be Barack Obama who is to be the biblical Antichrist. I myself have had unusual dreams concerning Barack Obama. He came on stage declaring himself to be a follower of Jesus with no affiliation to the Muslim religion, however it was later revealed by his own family members that he indeed is a faithful Muslim.

So what's in the name? The meaning of someones name can say a lot about a person. God throughout history has given names to people that have a specific meaning tied to their lives. How about the name Barack Obama? Let us take a look at what may be hiding beneath the surface...

Jesus says, "And He said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven'" (Luke 10:18).

In Hebrew, the name "Barack" means "lighting", and the usage of "Bama" (Strongs Hebrew word 1116) is used to refer to the "heights" of heaven.
 
The day after the election of Barack Obama (11/04/08), the winning choose three lotto numbers in Illinois (Obama's domestic state) for 11/5/08 were 666.

Obama use to be a U.S. senator for the state of Illinois, and his zip code was 60606.

Regardless, whoever seats themselves in the future Third Temple that is to be built in Jerusalem, declaring themselves to be God WILL BE THE ANTICHRIST. NEVER FORGET.

Why do we need Jesus Christ?

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 2:23).

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

Our good works cannot save us from our sins. If we step in front of a judge in the court of law, being responsible of a crime, the judge won't judge us by the good that we have accomplished, but rather the crimes we have committed. If we as fallen humanity, created in God's image, pose this kind of justice, how much more a perfect, righteous, and Holy creator?

God has delivered to us His ethical law's through the 10 commandments received by Moses at Mt. Siani. These legal guidelines were not given so we can be justified, but so that we may see the need for our savior. They are the mirror of God's character of what He has put in every one of us, with our conscious bearing witness that we know that it's wrong to steal, lie, dishonor our mother and father, and so forth.

We may strive to follow all the ethical laws of the 10 commandments, but we will never catch up to them to be justified before a Holy God. The same word of the law given to Moses was brought forth as flesh over 2000 years ago inside the body of Jesus Christ. He was brought forth to be our justification by perfectly fulfilling the commandments of God, living a sinless life that only God may accomplish.

The space between us and the law of God can never be reconciled by our own personal merit, but the arm of Jesus is stretched out by the grace and mercy of God. And if we're to seize hold of, through faith in Him, He'll pull us forward being the one to justify us. As inside the court of law, if someone steps in and pays your debt, despite the fact that you're guilty, the judge can do what is legal and just and let you go free. This is what Jesus did nearly 2000 years in the past on the cross. It was a legal transaction being fulfilled inside the spiritual realm by the shedding of His blood, with His last words being, "...It is finished!..." (John 19:30).

So why did Jesus have to die for us?

Due to the fact that God is Holy and just, the wrath that belongs to us could not be brushed away. Through the perfect righteousness and justice of God's character, it must be dealt with, it must be quenched and satisfied.

For God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23). This is why in Isaiah chapter 53, the place it speaks of the coming Messiah and His soul being a sacrifice for our sins, why it says it pleased God to crush His only begotten Son.

This is because the wrath that we deserve was justified by being poured out upon His Son. For if it were to be poured out upon us who deserve it, we'd all perish and go to hell. God created a way of escape by pouring it out on His Son who's soul could not stay in Hades, but was raised and seated on the right hand of God in power.

Now after we put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14), God no longer see's the individual who deserves His wrath, but the glorious image of His perfect Son living in our hearts, justifying us as if we obtained the wrath we deserve, making a way of escape from the curse of death.

Now what we must do is turn from our sins and trust in the savior, confessing and turning from our sins. This is not just a head knowledge of believing in Jesus, instead receiving His words, taking them to heart. Where we no longer live to practice sin, but turn away from our sins and practice righteousness:

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

By doing so we will come to be transformed into the image of God through faith in His Son Christ Jesus Who is willing to present the Holy Spirit to those that ask of Him:

"Most assuredly, I (Jesus) say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' (John 3:5-6).

"But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9).

Now what are you waiting for? Our heavenly Father only wishes the best for us all, restoring all the pieces this world has stolen from us. This is what it means to be "holy". To be made whole.

He is ready to hear from you. That God given tongue to speak language, by means of faith, pray to Him, ask Him to forgive you by confessing your sins and be willing to forsake them; that you accept the sacrifice of His Son Jesus on the cross, and that you need His Holy Spirit residing inside you transforming you into a child of God.

Jesus says, "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him (the Holy Spirit) will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

Did you know that Jesus spoke more about hell than any one in the scriptures, even more than He spoke about heaven?! For this very cause He was brought forth to die for us, to deliver us from this place that we earned by our sins.
 
He describes hell as a real place where,

"Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44).

And where,

"There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth..." (Luke 13:28).

Jesus tells us who to fear,

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).

"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.'

Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.'

And He said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.'" (Revelation 21:1-8).

Out of all of the world religions, how can we be sure the Bible got it all right? The scientific information has established and continues to support that the universe once had a beginning wherein space, time and matter were created. Many know this as the big bang.

"The non-biblical religions tell us that god or god's create within space and time that eternally exist. The Bible stands alone and says that time and space don't exist until God creates the universe." - Astronomer (Phd) Hugh Ross

The Bible not only got it right that space, time and matter all came into existence at the beginning of the universe, it additionally states in 7 distinct scriptures that the universe is is continuing to expand 1000's of years before scientists learned this information.

Did you know that the real Noah's Ark was discovered in the place where God's holy word told us it'd be with the correct dimensions? As well as proof for the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the Exodus event of the Red Sea crossing?

The Bible is the most translated and studied historical book in the history of the world, filled with predictive prophecies, matching what we discover inside the book of nature. Would not you assume God's word to be so?

The Lord is calling you!

Thursday, May 02, 2019

New Bern, North Carolina

We are in New Bern, North Carolina working with the Fuller Center for Housing on houses that were damaged by Hurricane Florence  et. al. 

I haven't written before because we've had technology issues.  I'm not the most tech savvy, so a younger person may have had more success than I have, but here are the updates as best as I can:

Because of the long drive, nine of us left on Friday night from the church in West St. Paul.  We took a rental van and Howard's truck.  We drove to River of Life UMC in Beloit, WI and spent the night there.  They were great hosts and gave us breakfast in the morning. 

The next day, we got up and drove to South Charleston, West Virginia.  Again-  great hosts!  They gave us dinner.  :-) 

Finally on Sunday, we arrived in New Bern.  The travel was pretty uneventful. 

Also on Sunday, seven more people flew in and one more drove in from Atlanta.  So on this trip, we have:

Rod Sc.
Rod St.
Howard N.
Carolyn, "The Colonel" N.
Diane D.
Corinne (Seedy or CD) D.
Linda B.
Debbie O.
Jon and Debbie F.
Ron C.
Mike "Troll" B.
Mark Y.
Brian L
Leanne C.
Timm C.
and Joanne S.

It was kind of neat on the way down because the van group was in Winston Salem, Howard was in Raleigh Durham, and three other flyers were in Charlotte.  All close to each other converging on the same spot. 

We have three worksites:

1-  Jon's team-  working on a house for Miss Mary.  Here we are putting down vinyl flooring, painting, putting up sheet rock on the ceiling, cleaning, putting in a bathroom, putting down finish molding, and anything else we can do to get this house ready for Mary to come back to her home.  Mary is 87 and has a daughter and an occasional grandson staying with her.  We are pounding out a lot of things that need to be done on this house.  Jon, Mark, Brian, Joanne, Diane, Ron, and Rod Sc. are working on this house.

2-  Howard's team-  working on a house where they have had to pull out and replace cabinets, lay down vinyl flooring, (with complex cuts around a diagonal fireplace!) More about this house in the next installment.  Rod St., Howard, Timm, Troll, and Seedy are at this house.

3-  Leanne's team-  This was going to be a half day, maybe one day job.  Just a few touch ups before this house is completely done.  Maybe a little paint.  A little cleaning.  But they just keep finding things to do.  The Colonel has spent a couple days on the floor cleaning up paint that has spilled/dropped/smeared into the texture on the vinyl flooring.  They just keep noticing things.  Yesterday, several of us went to the dedication service and met Miss Libby, who lives there.  More on this later-  Leanne, Debbie F., and The Colonel are at this house. 

I almost blew up a house.  I was moving an appliance and bumped against a gas line and accidentally opened the valve for a gas line.  It was propane.  I couldn't get it shut off.  So I told everyone to get out of the house.  (There is some difference of opinion about that from Jon, who says I left him under the house)  -  Jon and I went back in to try to get it shut off and after some intense moments, he actually got the valve off again.  Lots of open windows and some "air out" time later, we were back to work.  Nothing dramatic happened unless you count me running around screaming, "get out!  get out!"  (ok-  that didn't happen, but it makes a better story)- 

Yesterday some of us went to a Dedication service for Miss Libby's house.  The service had Libby's pastor, some friends, some of our team, and some from the Fuller Center.  The pastor prayed a blessing over the home.  Miss Libby was also presented with a quilt that was made by a team from Rhode Island that had been working with the Fuller Center a few weeks earlier.  Today, Miss Libby is buying lunch for the team that had been working on her house. 

The place we are staying at has a function on Wednesday nights and we can't do dinner there.  So we took a half day yesterday and went about thirty miles south to Atlantic Beach and went to a State Park that was the site of a civil war battle.  There was also a beach that we walked on.  Then we went to a local seafood restaurant (very good) and then to a beach for devotions.  After devotions, we went down to the water and Troll and Rod Sc. ended up in the water.  Imagine that.... 

We are going to get as much done today and then tomorrow is another half day due to constraints at our housing facility.  The plan for tomorrow is to bum around New Bern for awhile.  We will post more about them afterwards. 

I'm having technical difficulties with my laptop, and I can't get my photos from my phone to this laptop.  I'll upload the pictures to our Smugmug site, though.  You can see them here: (Smugmug page) I think my laptop needs more attention than I can give, so I can't put pics in here.  I'm not as savvy with a phone, but maybe I can get them to Facebook today, too. 

I need to get this posted and get back to work.  More and insights later.  Although honestly, maybe not until we get back. 

Quack!
Rod

Friday, February 02, 2018

Houston update-

We have gotten a lot done on the house:

  • Installed wooding flooring in living room, dining room, family room and hallways 
  • Installed tile flooring in the master bath, kitchen, pantry, hallway, and utility room
  • Painted and installed baseboard in 90% of the house
  • Installed and painted all but four doors in the house 
  • repaired drywall in several rooms and the garage- mud and sand also
  • painted eight rooms in the house- touched up some paint in some of those rooms
  • cleaned windows and screens
  • installed window sills
  • Installed drywall and tile for a shower enclosure
  • General clean up.  
That's a lot.  This team has been a go getting team.  No really.  This list can be read through pretty quickly, but please don't underestimate the enormity of this list.  

Thank you for your prayers for us.  I will tell you they availed much.  The people who were sick are better (mostly) and we have a good level of team cohesion.  

Wednesday night we went out on a field trip together after dinner.  We went to a mall that supposedly had a shop with some good Texas tourism stuff.  We were disappointed.  And then we went to a place called "Proud Pies" and we were not disappointed there.  We met a new friend named, Chelsea who took our group picture for us.  (Hi Chelsea!)


On Friday we got to meet our homeowner.  He is a nice guy who lives with his son and their dog, Ginger.  They have been living with their home "in process" since November.  We really pushed the production for this family. 


of the site leaders from the agency we worked with bought us a "King Cake."  It's a cake they use to celebrate Mardi Gras.  In the truest form, there is a small plastic baby in the cake and whoever finds it has to buy the cake next year.  Sounds kinda weird to me, but it was kind of tasty.  I did not have the baby in my bite. 


Also on Friday, after working a half day, we took Gary to the airport (the right one this time!) and then the team went to a Houston landmark called The Water Wall.  It is a tall structure with water cascading down it.  It was really kind of neat.  And impressive.  Then the team wanted to check out a thrift store.  They actually bought me (Rod) a pair of duck pajamas.  See more of the pictures on our SmugMug or Facebook page. 


After that, we went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant.  We usually go out to eat as a team on the last night.  We figured in Texas, we should either get bar b q or TexMex.  Glad we went to TexMex. 

I can't say enough about how much work we got done this week.  It was a great team in that regard.   I'll post more about some of the things we observed and learned this week in a couple days.  In the mean time, we are heading out on Saturday morning.  We have to drop Jen off at the airport (we'll drop her at the right one-  not the one Gary was at.)  and then head up to Joplin where we'll spend the night.  We hope to get into St. Paul in time to see the SuperBowl. 

Please pray for our team as we head home that we have safe travel, make good time, and have good conversations. 

Talk to you again soon!
R









Tuesday, January 30, 2018

What's BTT doing?
So surprise surprise!  BTT is in Houston this week, working with Harvey Housing Recovery.  The team is 12 strong including some of the usual suspects, Howard, Jon and Debbie, Ron, Erin, The Colonel, Me (Rod Sc.), and Doreen, but we also have Troll with us from Atlanta, Jennifer from Hale, Gary from Kentucky, and a brand new member of our team, Maria from Marquette. 

When did that happen?
We started down on Saturday morning and drove to Tulsa where we spent the night in an awesome church with a LOT of couches for us to sleep on.  Then on Sunday, we headed down to Houston, but we had to make a stop in Dallas-

What happened in Dallas?
You see, we were planning on going grocery shopping for the food for our meals once we got to Houston, after getting settled in and dinner going and everything, but we learned that Sam's Club (where Debbie was going to get our groceries) would be closed after 6, and we weren't sure we'd make it by then.-  So we decided to stop in Dallas on the way down and go shopping there.  That stop was supposed to take about a half hour but when Sam's Club shopping went longer, and part of the team sat down for lunch instead of getting it to go, the stop ended up setting us back about two hours.  Everything just took a little longer than we thought.  We got in to Houston around 7:00pm on Sunday night.   Made for a good story anyway.  Rod may or may not have done a U turn over a curb and onto some grass pulling the trailer to avoid going back out on the express way at one point. 

Where are you staying?
The church we are staying at is a HUGE United Methodist Church.  The campus has several buildings.  The one we are staying in used to be a mansion, and in fact, they call it "The Mansion."  They have converted a big space to housing volunteers and put in a bunch of bunks in.  They seem very happy to have us here. 

What was the disaster you are responding to?  
The area we are serving in is just West of Houston.  A community called, Katy.  There are two reservoirs nearby and as Hurricane Harvey kept dumping water in the area, one was filling to almost overflowing.  Overflowing would have destroyed the levies that contained the water on three sides, flooding areas around the reservoir.  Instead, they decided to open the relief valves and flood the area around the area where the water would run to anyway.  That included 740 homes in the part of town we are working in. 

What is the project you are working on?
The agency we are working for has us all working in one house.  The house had a couple feet of water in it.  They have been working slowly on this house since November.  The work that needs to be done is mostly finish work, like flooring, paint, installing doors, installing trim and a other wrap up things.  Today is the 2nd day we have worked and we have so far done some painting, some touch up to drywall, installed some doors, painted trim, started putting down wooden flooring and tile flooring.  Everyone has kept busy and we are getting a lot done.  There are a lot of doors left to install and a big chunk of tile floor to put down.  There is some painting to still be done and a lot of baseboard to put down.  Part of the challenge is that you have to do A before you can do B before you can do C.  And A gets bottlenecked which slows down B and C.  But I think the team is working well and getting a lot done. 


How can we partner with BTT?   
We are having health problems.  I took one volunteer to urgent care today and then he came back to work.  We took one volunteer back to the church we were staying at for dizziness and vomiting.  And I picked up some Mylanta for another volunteer.  I would ask for prayer for the team for health. 

Some people believe in spiritual warfare and some people think it's more psychological problem.  I would suggest that no matter which way you believe on that, pray for team unity. 

You can check out our Facebook page.  One thing that FB users are going to get that others are not are access to videos that Maria has been shooting.  If you are on FB and haven't "Liked" Be The Tool, I would encourage you to do so.  It helps get our message out when more people think it's worth paying attention to.  Click here:  Be The Tool Facebook page.  It will open a new window so you can get back here quick.  Besides the videos you can look at our pictures. 

If you're not on Facebook but want to check out our pictures, you can click over to our photo site page:  Click here for our photo site

If you want to donate some money to BTT, there are two options:   You can donate to Be The Tool by sending a check or giving online at this link:  Click here to go to the BTT website to donate.  If you're interested in supporting one or more of the volunteers who are on the trip, get a hold of Rod directly and he'll talk about who still needs some funds to pay for the trip.  Email Rod at:  rod@bethetool.org

You can email a note to the team telling us you're with us in thoughts and prayers and will. 

This new format
Let me know if this new format works better for you. 

The "goodnight."
Goodnight and thank you for being here with us. 

Rod

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Marquette4- Day3 (the last work day?)

We knew when we started that this was going to be a short work week.  We didn't quite get done today, though.  

We fixed the ceiling.  We got a tip from the director of the agency we partnered with in Crisfield to try oil based Kilz instead of latex.  We were ready to try it, but we had already bought some latex recommendation from Menards.  Lo and behold it worked!  We did put two coats on, but it covered and stayed.  

The chimney is done.  And the water heater is hooked up.  

The paint is done.  Looks good.  (in spite of Rod helping with paint.)  

But the trim didn't get done.  We rented a mitre saw and then three trips to Menards later, Howard bought a mitre box instead and we finally got some trim on the walls.  But not all of it.  We will finish it up tomorrow.  Probably by noon.  

Ron's leg is getting better every day.  Thank you for your continued prayers.  

I finally started organizing pictures.  -  BUT you know that Picasa (where we have been posting pictures) is going to that great website in the sky (scratches head and makes a funny face because isn't there something about "the cloud"  and clouds in the sky and so aren't all websites in the sky?  -  speaking of dead websites, did you know that AOL is still a thing? -  squirrel!)  AS I was saying, Picasa is going away, so I have to post our pictures someplace else.  (Flickr?)  It will happen soon.  

Thanks for the feedback on our website.  We have already taken donations via our website (try it!  You'll like it!)  And we are working on getting some of the "past trips" links fixed.  

Stay tuned to hear about how we were involved in what Don promises will become an Olympic game.  



--
Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;
yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;
and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  
(St. Teresa of Avila)

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Re: Marquette4 Day2 workday

Continued prayers! Glad Ron is better.

In Christ,
Pastor Paul

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 10, 2016, at 10:50 PM, Rod Scofield <rod@bethetool.org> wrote:

First- the Ron update-  Ron was released seen and released last night.  It is cellulitis, and he was given some antibiotics.  He got a little extra sleep and came and worked with us again today.  As I type this, he is sitting at the table chatting with others who are still up.  Thank you for your prayers.  He is going well.  

The chimney job is coming along.  We took a long flexible tube/pipe and put it down the chimney and hooked it up to the water tank. We still have to cap the top, but had to wait for some mortar to dry.  We think we will be done by noon tomorrow.  

The paint job on the inside is having challenges.  We primed and "Killzed" the ceiling, but a lot of past "whatever-is-on-the-ceiling" is bleeding through.  We thought that when we sprayed the texture on the ceiling, it would cover because of the Killz we used but it looks pretty bad.  We are going to try again tomorrow to paint it.  It just got a lot harder to paint because of the texture.  We also textured the wall and will paint that tomorrow.  

Bob also did some landscaping.  He cut out three big growths of something like a tree/bush.  (Someone suggested they might be "tag elders?")   The back yard looks remarkable different.  

So all we have left to do is cap the chimney, Killz, prime, repaint the ceiling, paint the walls in the living room, clean up, and put all the furniture back.  

Big news!!!  Our website is launched!!!  www.bethetool.org is live!  Go and check it out if you would like.  (Rod is most proud of the FAQ's).  If you look at it, I'd love to have your feedback on it.  -  

We still haven't taken many pictures.  Erin has taken some pictures, but I just haven't put them on the internet yet.  Maybe tomorrow is the day for pictures.  

Someone asked me today about making donations.  You can do that on our website.  Give it a try!  (no really!  It's fun!)  

Ok-  Thanks for walking this with us! 

Rod

--
Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;
yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;
and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  
(St. Teresa of Avila)

Marquette4 Day2 workday

First- the Ron update-  Ron was released seen and released last night.  It is cellulitis, and he was given some antibiotics.  He got a little extra sleep and came and worked with us again today.  As I type this, he is sitting at the table chatting with others who are still up.  Thank you for your prayers.  He is going well.  

The chimney job is coming along.  We took a long flexible tube/pipe and put it down the chimney and hooked it up to the water tank. We still have to cap the top, but had to wait for some mortar to dry.  We think we will be done by noon tomorrow.  

The paint job on the inside is having challenges.  We primed and "Killzed" the ceiling, but a lot of past "whatever-is-on-the-ceiling" is bleeding through.  We thought that when we sprayed the texture on the ceiling, it would cover because of the Killz we used but it looks pretty bad.  We are going to try again tomorrow to paint it.  It just got a lot harder to paint because of the texture.  We also textured the wall and will paint that tomorrow.  

Bob also did some landscaping.  He cut out three big growths of something like a tree/bush.  (Someone suggested they might be "tag elders?")   The back yard looks remarkable different.  

So all we have left to do is cap the chimney, Killz, prime, repaint the ceiling, paint the walls in the living room, clean up, and put all the furniture back.  

Big news!!!  Our website is launched!!!  www.bethetool.org is live!  Go and check it out if you would like.  (Rod is most proud of the FAQ's).  If you look at it, I'd love to have your feedback on it.  -  

We still haven't taken many pictures.  Erin has taken some pictures, but I just haven't put them on the internet yet.  Maybe tomorrow is the day for pictures.  

Someone asked me today about making donations.  You can do that on our website.  Give it a try!  (no really!  It's fun!)  

Ok-  Thanks for walking this with us! 

Rod

--
Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;
yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;
and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  
(St. Teresa of Avila)

Tuesday, August 09, 2016

Re: Marquette4- Work day 1

Praying for Ron and the team.

In Christ,
Pastor Paul Marzahn

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 9, 2016, at 11:16 PM, Rod Scofield <rod@bethetool.org> wrote:

The funny thing is that we're all so busy, nobody really took time to take pictures.  So it's all words tonight, but I'll keep it brief.  

We started knocking down the chimney so we could vent the hot water heater with a new metal stack.  The crazy and cool things about it:
1-  The part we needed was donated or else we would have had to drive an hour to go buy one from another store.  A friend of Don and Dort's happened to have what we needed in his barn.  

2-  When we were taking apart the chimney, the bricks just lifted off.  The mortar holding them together was almost non existent.  We did not have to chip away a single brick. They all just came right off in our hands.  

3-  Bob and Howard rebuilt part of the chimney so it will be high enough to create a draft so it sucks up the gas exhaust from the hot water tank. 

Ron and Leanne and Erin worked on stripping wallpaper, taping, and starting to prime the living room.  We will popcorn texture, orange peel texture and hopefully paint tomorrow.  '

Matt and Marie D. hosted us for dinner tonight.  That was cool.  

And our friend, Janet A. did devotions with us.  

And then Janet and Rod and Leanne and Erin went swimming in Lake Superior at 9:00pm.  Beautiful sunset.  Cold water.  

Big Prayer Request!-  
Tonight after devotions, Ron's leg started swelling up.  He decided, through the advice of a nurse and other observers to go in and get it checked out .  (Looks like cellulitis to me)  At this minute, he is at the hospital.  Please pray for Ron's health.  

It's been a good day.  Hot out.  Remind me to talk about the weather forecasts some time.  

Thank you for your prayers and support!  

Peace!
Rod

--
Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;
yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;
and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  
(St. Teresa of Avila)

Marquette4- Work day 1

The funny thing is that we're all so busy, nobody really took time to take pictures.  So it's all words tonight, but I'll keep it brief.  

We started knocking down the chimney so we could vent the hot water heater with a new metal stack.  The crazy and cool things about it:
1-  The part we needed was donated or else we would have had to drive an hour to go buy one from another store.  A friend of Don and Dort's happened to have what we needed in his barn.  

2-  When we were taking apart the chimney, the bricks just lifted off.  The mortar holding them together was almost non existent.  We did not have to chip away a single brick. They all just came right off in our hands.  

3-  Bob and Howard rebuilt part of the chimney so it will be high enough to create a draft so it sucks up the gas exhaust from the hot water tank. 

Ron and Leanne and Erin worked on stripping wallpaper, taping, and starting to prime the living room.  We will popcorn texture, orange peel texture and hopefully paint tomorrow.  '

Matt and Marie D. hosted us for dinner tonight.  That was cool.  

And our friend, Janet A. did devotions with us.  

And then Janet and Rod and Leanne and Erin went swimming in Lake Superior at 9:00pm.  Beautiful sunset.  Cold water.  

Big Prayer Request!-  
Tonight after devotions, Ron's leg started swelling up.  He decided, through the advice of a nurse and other observers to go in and get it checked out .  (Looks like cellulitis to me)  At this minute, he is at the hospital.  Please pray for Ron's health.  

It's been a good day.  Hot out.  Remind me to talk about the weather forecasts some time.  

Thank you for your prayers and support!  

Peace!
Rod

--
Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;
yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;
and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  
(St. Teresa of Avila)