This all started with a plea for help. On May 22, 2018, I reached out through a Facebook post. That post can be found here. I can’t even remember what prompted me to say what I said in that post, but the results were nothing short of miraculous!

I feel the Lord put some Scripture on my heart and He carried me through that post. For example, I included James 5:16c that “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” And we were praying for something to work out.

My wife’s parents, Dan and Connie, have been gracious enough to stay here and help me care for the kids and Michele while I work full-time. For the first 1+ year, they were living in our spare bedroom, with a changing table for Kaiden, and their desk, dresser and bed. Yes, it was crowded. We were all brainstorming what to do. The housing was too expensive for them to buy a house. We had contemplated building an addition, but we lacked the funds for that.

Shortly after I made that post on Facebook, I received a call from a fellow church member. He said they were prepared to help. I had no idea what he meant by that. He asked me for permission to take the lead – I permitted. The estimate of the addition was $90,000+. That included a 300+ square foot addition and our half bathroom was gutted and converted to a full bathroom.

I will leave the rest of the story to him as he described in detail the process from start to finish.

……………………………….

In June, 2017 the Rezewski family experienced a traumatic change in their lives. Michele suffered a severe stroke from Moyamoya disease and was partially paralyzed as a result. Constant care for her became a necessity. Her husband, Brett, and her parents Dan and Connie Conlon became on-site care providers when she was able to come home. The next year proved to be a significant challenge for the family of five (Brett, Michele and their
three boys Conner, Easton and Kaiden) and the Conlons. The four adults and three boys occupied a three bedroom, 1700 square foot home while attempting to continue their lives with as much normalcy as possible. Brett maintained his employment with the VA and Dan his business as a travel agent while Connie provided care for Michele as she labored
to regain capabilities lost to the stroke. All of them experienced significant stress that they felt could be somewhat relieved with a better housing situation.

This is the story of how the Lord provided them with help in changing their housing situation by providing the Conlon’s with a space of their own. On May 22, 2018, a Facebook posting by Brett explained the stresses and desire to improve their housing situation. Subsequently, a church member met with Brett and received permission to aid them by helping with an assessment of options to meet their need. The Rezewski’s and Conlon’s had already explored some options. They included the Conlon’s selling their home in Spokane, Washington and buying a dwelling of some sort near the Rezewski’s. Due to a large difference in property values, that idea was discarded. Acquisition of an RV or trailer was also considered but HOA regulations wouldn’t allow parking of one on
the property.

In June, 2018, further exploration of more options began. The sale of the Rezewski’s home and purchase of a larger home nearer Southwest Bible Church (where they worshipped and had enrolled their kids in school) was considered. A church member analyzed the value and availability of suitable homes and found that option would require
a much larger mortgage for the Rezewskis (on the order of $100,000). Another church member analyzed mortgage adjustments and other avenues for financing available to the family. It was determined that all those options would result in a huge increase in mortgage payments – increases that could limit the funds available to put toward Michele’s rehabilitation.

It became clear that funds from a source outside the family would be required for any solution. Funding options considered were a Go Fund Me campaign, private/personal appeals, and a designated giving campaign within the Southwest Bible Church family. Subsequently, an allocation of funds from the church’s Body Life Fund was approved by
the Church Council.

In July, 2018, a member of the church with a long history as a General Contractor was asked to oversee construction of an addition to the Rezewski’s house that would provide the Conlon’s with a separate living space. He accepted the challenge and a plan was drawn up to build a 300 square foot addition including a separate bathroom, a kitchenette and open bedroom/living space. About that time, an invitation to participate in the construction of the addition was sent out to about 15 men of the church who were known to have backgrounds in construction. The response was nearly 100% positive. The Lord was truly faithful in providing this group as a base for the construction to come.

On August 23, only 3 days after submittal, Washington County issued permits for the project. This was an answer to prayer as applications were sometimes taking 3-4 weeks and any delays would push the construction into the return of the rainy season. (Note: the Lord provided excellent weather during September with only two days of any significant
rain.) On August 24, demolition of the existing brick fireplace (which was on the wall where the addition was to be attached) kicked off the project. A church member stubbed off an existing natural gas line for future use (a gas stove was installed in the existing family room at the end of the project to replace the original wood burning fireplace).

The following week saw the excavation of the crawl space. Church members provided a small trackhoe and the skilled operators to do that job. A church member provided the forms for the foundation and with the help of another skilled member, set them up on the last day of August. The foundation was poured on the 4th of September and we were out of the ground!

The following three Saturdays, saw groups of 6-8 men from the church build the post and beam support for the floor, frame up and sheet the exterior walls, put up the roof trusses and sheet the roof. These groups of skilled and semi-skilled framers were all recruited from within the church by a member who expertly planned and guided them. Another church member provided a crane to lift the trusses (which were designed, pre-built and donated by a local company) to the roof. The roofing material was donated by a local roofing company and installed by another one on September 24. Coordination of the different stages with workers and inspectors was critical for the project to proceed as
quickly as possible. This was amazing progress on the project since nearly all of the work was being done by volunteers who were fitting in their time while holding regular day jobs. The outside contractors also bent over backwards to accommodate our needs at critical times. God’s hand was evident in all of that.

Interior walls and rough-in plumbing and electrical were completed by September 28 with the help of skilled professionals from the church and licensed contractors. By mid-October, the exterior siding, gutters and downspouts were installed – and painted by October 18. A crew put up drywall on October 19 and 20 and installed a skylight in the family room as well. While the crew worked on the skylight, a serious failure in an
original truss member in another part of the house was discovered. Finding the problem just at that time was Providential! The repair entailed getting a 12 foot 2×6 into the attic which would have required cutting a hole in the roof – which had already been done in order to install the skylight.

In the last week of October, a professional drywall finisher (also a church member) applied many coats of mud and sanded the joints in preparation for the final stages of plumbing, electrical and painting. A contractor applied texture to the ceiling and walls. In the first week of November, a church member laid the ceramic tile in the bathroom and a contractor installed the baseboards, window frames and interior doors which were then painted by another contractor. At the same time, a couple church members built a cedar deck (with a ramp) over the existing concrete slab patio which greatly improved wheelchair access to the covered patio and backyard and a porch for the outside entry to the new addition.

Finishing touches were accomplished in the last half of November. Carpet and a window covering (donated by a local business) were installed as well as cabinets for the kitchenette. The cabinets were designed, built and installed by another church member and accommodated a below-counter refrigerator, microwave and small sink. Additional cabinetry for outdoor clothing and boot storage was also provided in the original laundry
room. A natural gas stove (provided by a local business at less than cost) was installed in the family room by church members.

On December 4, 2018, the Rezewski family hosted an open-house and celebration of God’s provision of the addition to their home. Brett said the addition would stand as a memorial acknowledging the Lord’s work in a significant event much as the Israelites of old built memorials to remind future generations.

Throughout the project, as church men were challenged to contribute their skills, time, equipment and materials to meet the need, the response was overwhelming. The response was perfectly in line with Ephesians 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” It was a beautiful thing to see it being worked out over and over! At least 36 men and women contributed labor to the effort, not including the laborers provided by
contractors.

Huge contributions of equipment, materials and laborers were also provided by local businesses during the project. A few of them asked to remain anonymous. A list of the contributing businesses is provided at the end of this story. Overall, it is estimated that 90% of all labor and about 70% of all materials was donated. As a result, the funds provided by Southwest Bible Church covered all other expenses. The objective of meeting the Rezewski’s need for additional housing at no cost to them was accomplished.
Praise the Lord!

List of Contributing Local Businesses
Koeber’s Interiors carpet, window covering
Gravity Plumbing plumbing
Knez Building Materials insulation
Builders First Source trusses
Medallion Industries windows, doors, millwork
OrePac siding, trim
Fivecoat Roofing roofing labor
Advantage Heating and Cooling HVAC
Contract Furnishings Mart laminate, tile
Haven Spa Pool and Hearth gas fireplace
L&W Supply drywall materials
Boyer Drywall drywall texture and labor
Jemm Construction installation of millwork, doors
Cascade Tower and Rigging excavator, crane