~ Chapter Six ~

With a legal pad and pencil in hand, Jimmy John walked around the perimeter of Taylor’s house, making notes. He stopped at the air conditioner’s condenser, jotted down the year and model number, and continued. More than one window was broken and poorly boarded up to keep out the weather and any unwanted critters. He touched one board, and it fell—he jumped back to avoid being hit. I’ve worked at the shelter for years but never imagined how people lived on the streets or in something this dilapidated. It’s going to take all summer to get this house weatherproof. With Your help, Lord, it’ll be done.

Jimmy John waited on the front porch until Madison and Abbi brought a ladder from her house so he could inspect the roof’s condition. Since the home had stood vacant for over thirty years, he suspected it would have to be a complete replacement. He cringed at the thought of what the interior looked like. Probably mildew, holes, and maybe insect and rat-infested.

After the initial measurements of the roof, he noted the areas with weak decking. Jimmy John climbed down and waited until Taylor invited him inside to survey each room for repairs. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable or do anything to damage the group’s friendship or their progress.

As they gathered on the front porch, Jimmy John flipped through page after page of the yellow legal pad and huffed out a breath. “Ladies, our work will be cut out for us this summer. But don’t worry, with the Lord on our side, we’ll get it done—done right.” He smiled. “Taylor, do you mind if we pray?”

“Of course not.” She took hold of Madison and Abbi’s hands and glanced at him. “Will you lead us in prayer? I’m not good at praying aloud.”

Jimmy John nodded. “It’ll be my honor.” He clasped his friends’ hands. “Heavenly Father, You have given us a monumental task today. With Your help, we trust You to supply our needs to get Taylor’s house in working order—and not just in working order, but better. We realized the sweat we must put into the project, so Father lead us and soften hearts to gather the proper contractors, supplies, and workers. We ask in Your Son, Jesus’ name. Amen.” A round of amens softly echoed through the group.

Madison nudged Jimmy John’s shoulder. “I’ve never seen you so dedicated before. Well, other than when you’re at work. What’s going on?”

“I consider this a job. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and yes, I take it seriously. If we don’t do something right, someone could get hurt or even fatally injured. I wish Taylor had a place to live while we renovate.” He bounced his shoulder off hers. “We’ll make do with what is given to us. I’ll start the process by locating people at church, school, and at work on Monday. I’ll need everyone with any skills to volunteer, as well as those with raw skills.”

Madison laughed. “Don’t be so coy. I’m guessing you’re referring to Abbi and me. We’re kinda limited in muscle but not in faith. I’d love to do an artist rendering of the inside of the house to get an idea of what is possible. We’ll devise one when Abbi and I aren’t picking up the debris, mowing, or washing windows.”

“Everything the Lord gives us to do is to honor Him. You and Abbi have more abilities than you’re aware of. This project will be good practice for when you become an architect.” He tilted his head, then laid a hand on her shoulder. “Keep focused on what God has gifted you.”

“Thanks, friend.”

Her endearing remark drove spikes into his heart. How would he ever get past the friend stage, or should he? Find another tact, Jimmy John.

Six weeks into the repairs, Taylor’s neglected house looked worse than when the group had begun. With years of experience with contractors, Jimmy John expected the renovations to be at this stage. He had scoured the town and countryside for material and also hounded contractors, friends, family, and neighbors until they relented with either supplies or volunteering.

As he surveyed the house from the yard, he crossed his arms. We’ll be finished with the outside soon—a couple more weeks and those few tasks can be completed. He stopped and faced the barn. Should we just tear it down or leave it? We don’t have the resources to renovate. I’ll talk with Taylor and get her perspective and wishes. The structure was as old as the house itself. Large timbers were still in good shape, but most outer boards had rotted.

Broken panes on the house were swapped out the broken panes with fresh glass, and since Taylor had moved into the home, sunshine streamed through them. Rotten siding was replaced, so no critters had rooted in the walls. The weathered porch sported a new railing, which it needed for safety. A new metal roof was installed the day before. In a week, a new paint job was scheduled for the outside.

Madison walked out the front door with her arms full of dry-rotted drapes. After they painted each room, the ladies installed new window treatments. The slow transformation didn’t discourage anyone, but the team hit the hump to start on a downhill roll.

Each day, Taylor’s smile brightened, her self-esteem grew, and she occasionally offered a hug to her new friends. If Jimmy John hadn’t seen the remarkable change in Taylor for himself, he wouldn’t have believed it. The church, friends, community, and neighbors came together to help a stranger. His heart overflowed with happiness and joy for taking part in the project.

Since taking on this project, Jimmy John wondered if God’s purpose for his life included helping the destitute rebuild their homes and self-esteem. It did wonders for Taylor. His father must’ve been directed by the Holy Spirit to start him in the business at an early age. He shook his head. How? Why? Lord, we’ll talk later.

Jimmy John rounded the corner of the house and met Madison at the burn barrel. She’d dump an armload of drapes inside while Abbi struck a match and lit the fabric.

“Ladies, how’s it going? I see another room was painted. What color this time?”

Madison glanced at Abbi. “Taylor loves color. We painted her bedroom blue...a sky blue. With Abbi’s flare for painting, she added a beautiful rainbow with clouds and birds on one wall. You should’ve seen Taylor’s face when she saw it. And then she said something I never expected.”

Madison added more debris into the barrel.

Jimmy John’s eyes widened, and he opened his arms wide. “And what did she say?”

“Oh, sorry. Tears ran down her cheeks, and then she said that God had truly blessed her—she’ll remember this time with us forever. Then she added that God had gifted the world with the rainbow as a reminder of His promise to Noah never to flood the earth again. She bowed her head and silently prayed. I hoped she’d share the prayer, but she didn’t.”

Jimmy John figured he’d heard everything about Taylor that could be told over the last few months, but he was mistaken.

Madison smiled and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, Jimmy John, for leading the project. It’s been tough on you. Long, grueling hours, endless calls to vendors and contractors. The weekend we graduated, I figured everyone attached to the project would leave for vacations or wherever, but they didn’t. You must be one convincing man to get those guys to stay long enough to finish.”

“Thanks for bringing me in on this, Madi. You too, Abbi. I’ve really enjoyed it. This might be my calling. We’ll see. Gotta talk with the Lord and let Him lead me.”

Madison poked the fire with a stick. “You’re welcome.” She grinned. “All we need is for Taylor to find a boyfriend. Marshall is perfect for her. They’ve talked every day, and earlier today for a long time. Both wore beautiful smiles. It’s the first time I’ve seen Marshall smile since Katie passed. They deserve happiness. Don’t you think so?”

Jimmy John held up his hands. “Whoa. Let Taylor find her own boyfriend, and Marshall find his own girlfriend. You guys don’t need to be involved.” He waggled his finger at his friends, turned toward the house, and stopped. “You guys watch that fire, don’t let it get too big or out of control. No reason to involve the fire department.” He ran his hand across his eyes. Better find Taylor before I get too sappy around Madi.

Jimmy John paused at the front door to let his eyes adjust. A smile lifted to see the freshly painted room. Taylor needed furniture to fill the house and knew where to find some for free.

“Hi, Jimmy John. Follow me, and I’ll show you what Madison and Abbi did today. It’s just beautiful. Imagine waking up every morning to see one of God’s promises on my wall. It takes my breath away every time I see the image.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him along until they were inside her bedroom.

He had to admit the sight of the rainbow did something to him. The story of how the rainbow came about stirred his memory. Without realizing it, a tear gently rolled down his cheek. He quickly swiped it away before Taylor noticed. “You’re right. It is beautiful and perfect right where Abbi put it. Taylor, I noticed that you’ve painted every room a different color—bright colors. Are you okay with them being so vivid?”

Taylor laughed. “Yes. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted bright colors around me—all of them. They make me happy. God blessed us to see colors, so why not enjoy them when they bring me so much happiness? My dad was color blind. After Mom passed, I’d have to select his clothes and coordinate him so he wouldn’t look too goofy. One day, I looked around our apartment, and it was bland...no color. With all of...” She flailed her hand in the air. “God has blessed me with color after I went all those years without any, and he blessed you, Jimmy John, and the others with it too.”

“He has. I see what you mean about the blessing God has bestowed on you. Thanks for sharing. I wanted to ask you about the barn. We don’t have the resources to renovate it, and really, no one on the project has the know-how about tearing it down. I like the old structure, but it doesn’t do any good for me liking it. The decision doesn’t have to be made today. But it’s a future project that’ll eventually be tackled.”

Taylor sighed. She walked to the window, drew back the solid, royal-blue drapes, and stared out before finally replying. “Dad used to tell me stories about him and his father working in the barn. When Dad was a kid, he played with his friends in there. I haven’t gone inside since I’ve been here.” She turned and faced Jimmy John. “It’s hard. Will you take me inside, please? Was it empty?” She sighed.

Jimmy John nodded. “Let’s do it after everyone leaves.”

She smiled and turned back to the window.