God Will Make A Way

So, we have not posted any activities lately on this blog.  Truth be told, the leadership team has gone through a lot of planning with what we will happen with the land.  But yes: not much has happened physically. 

So today, we finally got a chance to visit the land again.  Here is a view from the hilly parts of the side of the property:

 

Going through the east bank toward the river, we can see that there has been quite a bit of growth since we last visited. 

Yes: our promised land looks more like a jungle.  It's a lot greener compared to last winter, and spring and summer also brought quite a bit of wild bramble, thick shrubs, and thick thorny vines.

Our river Jordan has some water from the rain just the other day:

 

But, Soli-Deo is his church, and the church will do things in His time.  This past week, God has opened away for us to start using the land, and provided a new metal building for our use.  The seller is ready to move it into the property.  But we still questioned, how are we supposed to bring the building into the property against the thickets and the hilly terrain.

 

And like an old hymn that we sing from time to time during worship, the answer is revealed to us:    "God will make a way!"

 

God has blessed John M. our fellow church member who happens to be a land developer with a vision. Today it's starting to become reality.

 

The metal building is at least 24" wide, so we need to clear out the way for the building to get in.   There is just the right amount against the eastern bank of the Jordan river to make an entry way for the building. 

 

And it will take quite a bit of clearing before the building can be moved in.

 

So, we have the help of Doug, manning a powerful CAT bulldozer, plowing away the entrance on the east bank of the Jordan.

Thickets and trees are no match for Doug and his CAT:

 

 

It took about three hours to clear the entryway. But look!  We have an opening for the metal building to go through! 

Here are a views from the Trinity Blvd.

 

Where the church entryway will be, after further construction work.

 

And, the cleared plot of land where the metal building will be temporarily located. 

 

God really did make a way!  We are thankful for people like Doug that helped clear the opening in no time. 

 

We hope to post photos of  the new building being installed.  And we pray that God will allow us to  worship together on this land very soon.  Keep praying for us! 

Praying for Guidance and Conviction.

Tomorrow is another big day for Project Joshua.   Decisions will be made.  Praying that He will touch all the parties involved, so that through all this, His Glory shall be revealed.

After all the events that happened this week, truly we are reminded that nothing is impossible for Him.

Just last week, we hear you speak through Pastor Timothy, about Rebecca's firm decision to go with Abraham's servant to meet Isaac, and the servant's immediate response to leave with Rebecca back to Abraham's tents, even though her family begged to stay.

You taught us that we need to be convicted, like Rebecca, like Eliezer. That when you move, we need to lean and trust in you, and go. To not dally, to not tarry, but to answer the call, and go.

And this week, you put one thing over another in front of us.  We can see you working Lord our God, and we are truly humbled and amazed.

Almighty God and Father, the King of Kings, the Lord of Hosts.  We bow down before you.  We pray for your wisdom.  For your discernment, for your guidance.  May your Spirit convict us and show us the way, if this is truly what You want for Your church.

Father God we are leaning on you, for our understanding definitely did not serve us well.  Already our plans changed since last week.  Remind us that you are in control,  what we are doing this for, and again that through all this, Your Name shall be glorified!  That you may work in each of us, in the people that we touch, so that through all this, the unsaved shall be saved, and at the end, we all can say that all of this has been done because of you, done by you, and only for you.

Rencanamu indah bagiku ya Bapa.  Semua korban dan pujian kami tinggikan hanya kepada-Mu Bapa Raja atas semesta alam.  Soli Deo Gloria!

The East Side of Jordan River

So some of us didn't yet have the chance to visit the land after it was cleared.  

Hopefully, these pictures can give you a glimpse of what you are missing out on.

(TIP: You can click on the pictures to open a full screen slideshow.)

We start our journey at the corner of Trinity and American Blvd.

Turning around, we begin our trek as we glance uphill from Trinity Blvd. 

A close up of a thorny bramble that grows around the property.  Similar plant is used to make the crown of thorns put on our Lord during his passion.  Look at how big and sharp those thorns are. 

Looking down from top of the east hilly area, towards Trinity Blvd.

 We continue our journey towards the "Jordan River", walking along the eastern bank.  We'll continue to walk up north, following the river, towards Pipeline Drive.

Here is the north side of the property, facing Pipeline Drive.  

From this point on, we'll turn around and walk back along the river.

The south end of the river, the sewer tunnel flowing under Trinity Blvd.

Going back uphill, towards the east side of the property

And we have some pine trees, still green amidst the cold winter season.

I can't wait to see how this land looks when spring time comes around.  God is Good!

Enjoying the new open land

Some of us from our church surveying the land.  

Clearing Up The Land - Part 2

As you may have heard, Andy and his crew from Drew-Asher construction has been working on our property for several days. They started work on January 9th and have been working hard since.

Earlier, the Pastoral Leadership Team received an email from Andy:

January 14, 2014

Dear All,

I wanted to share the pictures with the group.

We should be done tomorrow, have some final clean up and catching a few spots I want to get a little better.
I am also going to move and grind up the brush piles that were left on the side of the road.

Tomorrow we are going to do all that we can with the machine in the ravine. What will be left will need to be done with an excavator to reach up and down the hills further and safely.

There is some concrete debris we found that needs to be hauled off or disposed of during the construction but you should have ample viewing of the property to begin planning the church's new home.

Once you get a better look at it we can come back at a later date and help out some more.
Enjoy the pictures, quite a remarkable difference.

I think we make some rather remarkable transformations and it is looking like this is going to end up being a beautiful property for the new church, I am glad that we could be a part of it.

Andy

Andrew D. Wojtaszczyk


We all at Soli-Deo are thankful for Andrew Wojtaszczyk and his crew from Drew-Asher Construction, based in Weatherford Texas.  Andy is available for projects and can be reached at 817-565-4811.
http://www.drew-asher.com

Clearing Up The Land

The Lord continues to be good to us.  As some of you may know, the eastern part of Joshua Project land is covered with trees, and underbrush growth. Those who helped cleared the trees last year can testify to the large amount of vines with very sharp thorns.    

After careful selection, we are glad to have Drew-Asher Construction help us clear the land.     Andy and his crew did a vast site clean up while leaving adult trees intact  They also mulched all under brush and small trees.  Much of the ravine area is also cleaned up.

Before the clearing on January 9th, 2014  The area is full of undergrowth and vines.

And here is our land after the clean up at the end of the day.  The brown color does not do it justice, but it is a quite an improvement to what it was before.  

We can finally see the ample space between the trees.

There's still quite a bit to be done.  You can  start to see an old trodden path that was covered by thick growth and bramble. Andy and his crew will be working for the next few days to clear the rest of the land.  

Soli-Deo are thankful for Andrew Wojtaszczyk and his crew from Drew-Asher Construction, based in Weatherford Texas.  Andy can be reached at 817-565-4811.  

http://www.drew-asher.com

New Year, New Look

The year is drawing to a close, and with it comes a new year, full of hope and challenges.  We're starting the year right by updating this blog.  You may have already noticed that this blog is turning into a mini website dedicated to Joshua Project.

We have added an About Joshua Project page, a Frequently Asked Questions page with answers to questions often asked about the project, and a brand new Donations page.

If you have any suggestions on how to improve this site,  do not hesitate to let us know using the new Contact Us link. 

Thank you for all of your prayers and support!  God bless you!