The Shed-Insulation and siding installation day 1/7/11
A year ago today, we moved back into our house after living in an old shed for a year.
The shed wasn’t livable by American standards. It didn’t have a stove to cook on, a kitchen sink, cabinets for dishes, heat for the winter, insulation to protect from extreme temperatures, a washer or dryer, nor a closet to hold our clothes. It was literally an old one room shed with no amenities.
Moving into a shed wasn’t something we had ever planned or ever thought up in advance. Maybe I should tell you how it all started…
Dale and I had dreams for a couple of years of bunk beds all through our house. We even saw bunk beds in our dining room. They were random dreams that didn’t make a bit of sense to us. And all the dreams ever consisted of was bunk beds filling our house.
One day I got a call from my friend, Ronnette. She was asking for prayer for a need she had. Her need: cheap housing for 21 in-training missionary girls. And they needed it in less than a month. While she was telling me about it, the bunk bed dream flashed before my mind.
I asked her if I could call her back. I got off the phone, ran outside to where Dale was, and told him of Ronnette’s need. Then I told him I saw the bunk bed dream flash before me while I was on the phone and asked him if we could let the girls live there. He paused for maybe a half a second. His expression didn’t fluctuate. Very sure and steady, he said “Sure, but where would we live?”
My body got ready to run back to the house for the phone. But I stopped myself, and I said, “I don’t know…I’m going to call Ronnette back!” We didn’t even know where we’d live, but we knew this was a fulfillment of the dreams…and how exciting was that!
The next morning, Dale and I discussed our only living option: the old shed on the front of our property. Most Americans would never ever consider the shed livable. But we saw its potential. It was built in the 1870’s and was 416 square feet.
So, this is how it all began…and we lived happily there for a whole year. Don’t get me wrong. There were adjustments and minor sacrifices, but it was the greatest adventure of our life. Every month unfolded a brand new adventure, and through it all we were filled with indescribable peace! We learned to live a radical lifestyle, and our spiritual reservoir overflowed in ways we never could have imagined.
What a year we lived! I’m actually writing the whole story of what happened every month, so that I don’t forget one lesson and so that others can glean from what we learned. You never know. There could come a day that God asks you to do something radical. Will you know when it is Him? Will you be obedient? Will you be ready for the adventure of your life?
The Glasgow House, Circa 1920
Our dining room became a bedroom for 6 girls. 3 bunkbeds filled this room
Our living room