Gifts from My Carpenter

Jonathan gave me a gift this week! Actually, several gifts. He built shelves in our house for me! I was thrilled.

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Isaiah also got to enjoy some great Daddy time in the process. There's no better place for a little boy to learn from than from his Daddy.

Learning to use the square...

Our house hardly had any shelving. This closet in the children's room was nice and spacious, but without shelves, I couldn't put much in it. This was one of the biggest projects Jonathan tackled for me. He spent two hours looking around Maradi for nice wood.

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Daddy's saw is loud!

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While at the time, we weighed the advantages and disadvantages of bringing Jonathan's tools (no pun intended - those things are HEAVY), we are now so thankful for what we were able to bring, and even wish we could have brought more! Things break frequently here - just from the heat, the dust and the harsh climate. Jonathan has put all of his tools to great use in our home, in the churches, the Bible School, and in the homes of other friends and missionaries. His practical skills are a blessing wherever he goes!

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Learning how to drill...

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We want to say a special THANK YOU to our friends, Andrew and Licia, for mailing us the drill bits that Jonathan needs for drilling into cement. Without them, he wouldn't have been able to build shelves for me. You guys are such a blessing! Thank you!

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Learning to measure...

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There is a nice view of our spacious front porch in these pictures! The kids spend a lot of time playing out here. We just put up zenna, the straw thatch that you can see in the picture above. It cuts the temperature way down on the porch, and keeps the glaring sun off the tile for most of the day. The temps are now over 100 on a daily basis, so we are using any available way we can to cut the heat.

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Holding the tape-mearsure for Daddy. Great job!

Even Anna gets to be involved, but only for a little while. She was a bit TOO "helpful"! .:)

Final touches before we can hang the shelves!

And here are the shelves going UP!

Needless to say, Jonathan had one happy little wife after he blessed me with his carpentry skills! What a difference these "gifts from my carpenter" made in my home. Now I have shelves to put things up HIGH (why would I need to put things up high? Oh, yes, that's right - I have two small, insatiably curious children). Now I can rest in peace, knowing that our things are well organized, will remain well organized, and that dangerous things, such as cleaning products, are out of the reach of little hands.

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And what a blessing these "gifts from my carpenter" were to his little son. Isaiah came away with a huge smile and a puffed up chest - he had gotten to be Daddy's big helper for the day, and that meant the world to him.

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