Our good friends, Chris and Tracie Lease, have been in the process of trying to adopt and bring home a little girl from Haiti for over 6 years!
A few weeks ago, in God's perfect time, they got the call from the necessary U.S. government agency that Wendie's visa was ready and they could come get her any time. (I'll post a longer version of this miracle later.) They were on their way to Haiti four days later!
While they were gone our oldest daughter Karli had the privilege of house and kid sitting. She adores the Lease family!
For those of you who don't know Karli, let's just say that she has a heart of gold and loves to bless others with surprises...the bigger the better. When she makes up her mind to do something, she goes for it full speed ahead and 99 times out of 100 succeeds in getting it done...usually
"overboard."
So, Karli decides on Monday (Memorial Day) that it would be a really GREAT idea to makeover Chris and Tracie's master bedroom before they get home on Thursday afternoon! Logistically that meant 55 hours once businesses opened on Tuesday morning.
Basically, Chris and Tracie REALLY needed new carpet and flooring in their bedroom and bathroom. The walls are painted a nice light mocha in their bedroom. So to make things look extra wonderful, Karli picked out curtains, bedding, and towels that would match the new carpet and tile.
A few phone calls and meetings later and she had the carpet picked out and ready to be installed on Wednesday morning! Just so happens another family friend installs bathroom floors and had Wednesday off so he could work on the bathroom end of things.
Tuesday night we moved everything out of the bedroom and two walk-in closets. Karli and the Lease's oldest son, Brandon, pulled up the carpet and staples to get the floor ready.
On Wednesday, while the carpet and bathroom floors were being installed, Karli put in a full day at work and then took the Lease's oldest daughter on a shopping spree. Gabriel and I picked up some storage bins and found a large mirror that Karli might like for over the dresser at Wally World. (She stopped later and picked up that mirror.)
Phew...less than 24 hours before they get home. Karli wants the whole house spotless, including the newly renovated master suite. We still haven't even hung the new curtains. By midnight, those of us who are still awake are getting a bit loopy. Megan is modeling some of Tracie's great outdated fashions we've found in her closet. By 1:30 am we call it a night. Thankfully almost everything is back in the room where it should be.
On Thursday, Karli finished cleaning up the rest of the house and waited expectantly for the home owners to return. Don came into town to run all of the garbage and old carpet to the dump. He made it back just in time! Chris and Tracie got back a little earlier than expected!
What a thrill to meet Wendie Grace in person! Only through God's grace have they been able to wait so long and not lose hope.
After introductions, Chris heads to the bedroom with a suitcase or two. He stops at the door and says, "Oh Karli, what have you done!"
Tracie is in tears because everything that Karli picked out matches the dream pictures she had in her head if they ever got to actually making over the bedroom on their own. We all know how those projects get put on the back burner when you've got kids and life going on around you.
Now Chris and Tracie have their mocha/latte room where they can go to relax and be refreshed. It is most likely something that would have been way down the road in doing it for themselves.
It was a blessing to bless them. It was a blessing to see my daughter's heart in action.
If you would like to contribute to this blessing you may click the CHIP-IN button below. You will be directed to a site that is our way of collecting funds for Chris and Tracie. Funds that will help towards the remodel project and some of their extra expenses in leaving so suddenly to bring Wendie Grace home.
Thanks for helping with this "MAKEOVER BLESSING."
