The portable building is now separated into its three units. The axles, tires and tow bars have been installed, and Christian is taking out the last blocks that have been supporting it for the past twelve years. Although wind and rain are expected tonight, it should be cleared out by noon tomorrow in good time for the scheduled move. Everything has been cut loose, and the trucks should be ready to roll on Thursday morning. The units are moving to their new home in Van, Texas, where they will be reconnected and become a home for two families.
Pray for this move and for the trailers to get reconnected before any more rain comes through our area.
Metrocrest Presbyterian Church in Carrollton, TX has donated a 2,880 sq ft triple-wide-trailer to a family in Van for the moving cost. This trailer will become a duplex for two families who lost their homes during the Mother’s Day tornado.
Pray that the move will go smoothly this week and that the families will be able to get the bathrooms and kitchens installed soon so they can start living in their new home.
Volunteers from five churches were involved in building and setting up Sheds of Hope in Van, Texas this summer. I recently met with Park Cities Presbyterian Church, and plans are in the works to train twenty to thirty people while pre-building ten Sheds of Hope to be stored for future disasters.
This will take place over four weekends. The first pre-build will be to train key leaders, followed by three build-days that will provide opportunities for the key leaders to give oversight to volunteers.
Pray for more hands-on training for both young and old, as they love to see Sheds of Hope being built.
Seventeen sheds have been built in Van, TX, and one in Dallas, TX. A shout-out to Bethel Church – Dallas, and to Christ Community – Frisco who now holds the record for setting up a prebuilt shed in 1 hour and 28 minutes. Also, to Park Cities – Dallas, Grace Covenant – Dallas, GA, Redeemer Church – Waco, and to Brian Sterenberg from Denton Presbyterian who help build the one in Dallas. The final shed was finished in Van on September 23rd.
A Second Career Volunteer, Craig Gibson from Kingsport, TN, joined me on site in September. During the two weeks Craig spent in Van with me, we helped set up two pre-built sheds and built two sheds from scratch. We cut and built these sheds on the newly designed Sheds of Hope Workbench .
My support was at 31% at the end of March, 50% at the end of June, and is now 59% at the end of September. Thanks to all who are helping me minister to families and churches through Sheds of Hope.
Pray that I will be able to schedule more Sheds of Hope training workshops around the country.
Pray for South Carolina as they work through the recovery efforts after all of the flooding. Also for Corsicana and other areas of Texas after flash floods.
Pray that my support would be at 75% by the end of December.
Updated June 5, 2018
Sheds of Hope Building Plans:
The shed plan has been divided into three sections:
Pre-Build Plan (Material and Cut List Included)
Set-up Plan for pre-built sheds
Check back for plan updates when you are ready to build.
Sheds of Hope Workbench
The Sheds of Hope Workbench is now being cut on a CNC router. This bench allows for ease of cutting by providing templates for making all the required cuts and providing guides for laying out the studs.
To register your church for a Sheds of Hope training event and order your very own Sheds of Hope Workbench send us your contact information. Allow 6-8 hours for a training event. During this time you will have hands-on-training, learn how a Shed of Hope is pre-cut, pre-built and made ready for delivery to a disaster site.
Check-out our Roadshow Dates and see if we are going to be in your area soon.
It’s exciting to see what a few sheds can mean to a community. As sheds have gone up in a low-income part of Van, it has encouraged the people to work together to improve their own homes. Paint is going on new siding, and there’s even talk of getting together for a cook out “like we used to do.” There is even talk that a playground may be given to the neighborhood as a result of a damaged school having to relocate. How about you? Why not get involved with Sheds of Hope – you can pray, build, give, and encourage others. All it takes is a little time and a lot of love.
When I drove into Van, Texas last week with two pre-built Sheds of Hope in tow, I had no idea how timely my arrival would be! One little known victim of the Mothers Day tornado that hit Van Texas this year is the City of Van animal shelter. The storage units for dog food and other supplies were destroyed. When I showed up with a shed for them last week, the lady behind the counter came out and gave me a hug. “If you only knew the week that I have had!” she said. The time for the temporary storage unit was about to expire. They were faced with having to dispose of dog food and supplies if no new place was found. Praise God that this shed was ready just in time. This coming Saturday, volunteers will set up the shed that was pre-built here in Dallas Texas by Christ Community Church, Frisco. Perfect timing!
Phase 1 is underway. We have 9 sheds that have been committed by 2 churches so far. 21 more to go in order to reach our Phase 1 goal.
If your church, business, or group would like to pre-build a Shed of Hope for Van, Texas, let us know by filling in the Sheds of Hope: Van, Texas Pre-build Form. Plans are available for download at Sheds of Hope.
Texas is the land of the “Big Sky” and that is one of the things I love about living in Texas. Over the last 12 days premature darkness covers the landscape and waterlogged streams, rivers and reservoirs are at their max. Along with the rain, has come damaging hail and powerful winds.
The statistics are in, and over the last 2 weeks in North Texas, we have had 64 homes destroyed, 307 homes with major damage, 135 with minor damage, and another 184 homes categorized as affected, for a total of 780 families impacted by the storms. The hardest hit area was Van, Texas, where an EF3 tornado destroyed 44 homes, and left an additional 30 with major damage, 64 with minor damage, and 33 affected, for a total of 171. The tornado left two people dead and many hospitalized.
Sheds of Hope is developing a two-phase approach to help the residents of Van, Texas, and to bring ongoing relief to those who have lost homes. In Phase 1, our goal is to pre-build and set up 30 Sheds of Hope in Van. If we are able to complete this phase, we will proceed with Phase 2, by seeking to provide an additional 20 Sheds, for a total of 50.
If your church, business, or group would like to pre-build a Shed of Hope for Van, Texas, let us know by filling in the Sheds of Hope: Van, Texas Pre-build Form. Plans are available for download at Sheds of Hope.
Another week of rain is being predicted, but when the Big Sky returns, may it come with Sheds of Hope on the horizon for the areas devastated by the darkness that brought destruction.
The EF3 Tornado hit Van on Sunday night at about 8:45 pm. It is estimated that about 50 homes were destroyed and about another 50 were damaged. The tornado came up quickly, giving residents only minutes to find cover. The impact of the tornado was felt over an area about 1/4 mile wide and about 1 mile in length.
Pray for the ongoing rescue effort and the many people that are still in the hospital.
Sheds of HOPE 