Friends and family,
I hope this letter finds you on a joyous Easter Day. Hopefully with loved ones and taking an opportunity to reflect on what the day means and to make time to create some great memories as well. My day started out very well, in a warm bed, in the Art Factory, waking up and taking a moment to reflect on my time here thus far. These are some of the thoughts that I had.
After my last post I had mentioned an upcoming trip to Paris with Rick, Mary Beth, my Dad, Mallory (Rick and Mary Beth’s Daughter), and Ashley (Mallory’s roommate). It was amazing. We left on Saturday the 20th and returned on Tuesday the 23rd. The Holladays, Dad, and I stayed in a bed and breakfast in Montmartre, a section in Northern Paris known for it’s art and artisans. Mallory and Ashley stayed with a friend who lives in Paris. During our time there we were able to see the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, ride the funicular, and a number of other sites in passing. The opportunity to see so many historical landmarks and works of art was overwhelming, but the greatest part was that I got to share the experience with my dad. We climbed the stairs of the Eiffel Tower together and studied the tile in the Notre Dame. Being able to share my time there with him was priceless and will be a lasting memory. Blessed to have great friends like the Holladays and Jennifer Goss who had some knowledge of the city and the museums. Safe travels there and back and a great get away hands down.
The day after we came back a close friend of mine, Toby Piering, came to visit for a few days from Lyon, France. It was great to spend time with him and he lent a hand around the factory. A great help and a great visit. Nice to have a bit of home away from home and to reminisce about growing up and to share some great time on the other side of the world from where we grew up.
We’re getting closer to completion on the bathroom we’ve been working on. I don’t remember how much I’ve mentioned about the bathroom or where it’s located in the factory, but I’ll cover all that now. The bathroom is located in one of the apartments in the factory. Art and Becky Melli are the current residents and their daughter and granddaughter are staying with them for a few months while their son-in-law is on deployment with the Army. The bathroom is at the end of the apartment and will be an additional full bathroom for the unit allowing for when visitors and guests are there they’ll have their own space. The Mellis are involved with Youth for Christ International and are an amazing couple with a heart for ministry and youth. They also have a huge gift in hospitality and are always welcoming guests to stay with them. They’ve continually expressed their gratitude to Dad and I about our work so far on the bathroom, which has been a great affirmation to our being here, but unnecessary since we’re just doing what God has called us to. We all hope that this room, albeit a bathroom, can be a blessing to the many people passing through the Art Factory and the Melli’s home. We are to the stage of plastering the walls and do some finish work, we have a little bit of tile to finish and I'm working on building some vanities out of some old beams I found. There will be two separate matching vanities that will be basically pieces of furniture with the sink mounted on one of them.
While most of our time has been spent on the Melli’s bathroom we have started and finished a few other projects around here as well. We renovated a room that was once the laundry/storage room into a 2 bed guest room. New insulation, electrical, lights, wood wall coverings, and some paint were all installed. We were even able to finish it just before Mallory and Ashley arrived, allowing them their own space during their visit. Since the laundry room was now a bedroom we moved the washer and dryer into the adjacent bathroom. Originally this bathroom had two stalls each with a toilet and one with a urinal as well (awesome). There were two wall mounted sinks and a cabinet for storage. Now the room has no stalls, 1 toilet, 1 urinal (awesome), the washer and dryer, a claw foot tub (found for 5 euros) and a vanity (found for 15 euros) with a marble top, and pry older than everyone here added together, which we added a surface mounted sink and faucet. A real transformation and a great bathroom for Rick and Mary Beth to use for now until their house is finished in another section of the factory.
Dad’s time here has already ended for this trip. He managed to stay for over a month, almost three weeks longer than originally anticipated, and still wasn’t completely ready to leave yet. We dropped him off at the train station last Friday morning in Basel, where he caught a flight in Frankfurt, bringing him back to Oregon. Thankfully it sounds like work is picking up a bit back home and we should have something to do for a few weeks. Thanks for the prayers in those regards, please pray that this continues. I think Dad would agree that we both got as much or more out of this trip as the Holladays did. I believe this was the best place for Dad to be after all that has happened the last few years and he felt rejuvenated and was able to do some reflection and forward looking as well.
I have another 10 days here before I head back and I’m already have mixed emotions of returning. I’m excited to be back home to see all of you and share photos and stories. To be able to get some work in and enjoy the spring and summer with friends and family, but I will also miss the home I’ve developed here, the relationship I have with the Holladays and with the other people and families in the area. The idea of returning to the Art Factory in the near future is becoming less and less of an idea to my dad and I and more of a reality and working towards how to make it happen. We feel God moving in this place and a call to use our God given skills and talents to help the Art Factory how we can. Please pray for us in seeking wisdom and direction in this area, and be it the desire of God, then also to find the means necessary to make it happen.
While these were all memories of the past few weeks and great as they were, as I reflected this morning I thought of mom and not having her here to tell these things to. I fear that heading home will be harder without her there, but know that I can’t use my time here to escape from that reality. I know that she’s with me and that she’s been experiencing these things with me through heavenly eyes, it’ll just be hard to adjust to her not being around physically. I miss her and love her and know that she was proud of where God has called me.
Thank you all for taking the time to read these messages and for the prayers and support that you’ve sent my way. I couldn’t have made all this happen on my own and still can’t. You’ve all been blessings to me in multiple ways and again I thank you for that. Please pray for the next few weeks as my time here wraps up. Prayers for:
Safety while working and in travel
Blessings to the Holladays and the Art Factory
Direction in my own life in terms of returning to the Art Factory and where God is leading me
Ease of returning to work and being back home
Blessings to you all,
Tyler
PS If you have any questions of thoughts about anything I’m doing or going to be doing, please let me know, I gladly welcome feedback, comments, and questions.
