After the first banquet things began to move along pretty fast. R.B. Dake began overseeing the project. The sheet rock has been hung and it was time to cover the walls. We had gotten a large pallet of industrial wallpaper from Appalachian Project in KY. I got in contact with Wanda Beck who in my opinion is the best at hanging wall paper. She agreed to do the job and if I would help her she said she would do it for half price. I agreed to help her and we started the project early spring 2001. She and I hung 12 rooms of wallpaper. It was quite a job. Hanging wallpaper especially industrial paper is hard work. I don't think I've done any wallpaper since nor do I plan on it.
About the time the walls were finished, R.B. had to have surgery. He had some difficulties with the surgery and lost a large amount of blood. He was out of commission for a while. We got the floors carpeted and in June 30th 2001 we moved the office from 104 E. Washington Ave Athens Tn. to 881 County Road 655, Athens Tn.
There was still a lot of finishing to be done. My brother-in-law Andy is an excellent finisher and I got him to do the finishing.
Those first days up on the hill in the office were very peaceful. Sometimes too peaceful. I wondered some days if anyone knew we were there. Around October 2001 the house was finished. That's when things really got interesting. There I was a finished house ready for the program and what do I do now?
I had been going to Teen Challenge in Chattanooga to volunteer for about a year and had made some very good friends on the staff down there. Roger Helle the director offered to let WATW come up under TC Chattanooga and he would help us get started. He really needed a Crisis Center and thought that might be a good way for us to get started.
A Crisis Center takes ladies right off the street or out of jail and gets them ready to go on to a long term program. This was not what we had been planning on doing but I thought it sounded like a good way to start.
The board and myself went down to TC to meet with Roger and tour the facility there. He explained to us how we would come up under the TC Chattanooga home. To me it sounded like the easiest thing to do. I was feeling the weight of getting the home going and frankly to pass it off would be a relief in some ways. That night on the way home the board had mixed feelings about the meeting. It would be the easiest way but it meant we would be Teen Challenge and we would be under the control of their board. Also, they would decide what was done with the program with our input but ultimately they would pay the bills and make the final decisions.
It's funny how I saw God do so many awesome things to get that house built but then when it came to the day to day operation I got fearful and could not see how we could do it. I spent a lot of time praying about the merger of WATW and TC. I asked Tommy what he thought. He said it would be easier for you to merge but I have to hear from God. The board members were not saying anything.
Finally, I was praying "in the bathtub of all places" and God gave me the answer. He simply said, Tommy said it would be easier if you merged and it will but I never told you it would be easy. The easy way is not the way for you. The house stays Women at the Well, I will tell you how to do it one step at a time. For me it was settled. Then God confirmed that with two things one was His word Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus...Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.
The other way God confirmed it was in a dream I had a few days after that. In the dream I was walking on a road by myself and then a man came along side of me and walked with me arm in arm then the man turned away and I kept walking on the road. As I walked on that road I could see women coming toward me at first a few and then more and more. It was a huge crowd of women as they came in front of me I touched them and they fail to the ground and then rose to their feet rejoicing. God showed me hundreds and hundreds of women rejoicing. Then I woke. I'll never forget that dream. I feel the meaning of the dream is this: At first I started this journey alone. Never really alone but I felt alone at times. Then God sent Godly people like those at TC to help me and encourage me. But in God's time I had to go forward alone again. He was always with me. The women that were coming toward me are the many many women that will come to WATW and will fall at the feet of Jesus and rise up out of their bondage and go their way rejoicing with a new life.
God has truly blessed me with an awesome life. He showed me that night just how awesome it was going to be. This was a glimpse in the window to the kingdom to come. The kingdom He is building with those women who will be restored by His mighty power.
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