Demolition of Home

Yesterday, I was forced to leave the room I've been staying in. Construction debris from the floor above that room fell all over the bed and all the stuff in the room. Fortunately, I was able to remove the television and my phone beforehand.

I guess the demolition has been a long time coming. But since the new rooms of the house are unfinished - there aren't any partitions yet, and not electricity and bathroom - it has been difficult to transfer my things out. It would have been nice if the agreement was followed - before demolishing our old areas, the new areas have to be finished.

And even if you force us to transfer into the new areas - there are a lot of things that need to be done in those areas, which will just force our things out again. After the wall partitions and doors, the lighting and electrical sockets still have to be installed. And then the areas will need a ceiling. And then there's the painting of walls and ceiling.

Things would probably go faster if we pitched in. And in some areas, we have. But some things are best left to the professionals. The work would probably be hindered or slowed down if we ended up getting in their way.

This is the price for lack of foresight. Hopefully, it becomes a lesson ingrained in future decision making. 

No Electricity In Our House

The lights went out. Thinking it was a typical "brown out" or "black out", we waited for about five minutes, thinking that the power would be restored. It was about past four in the afternoon. As the minutes went by, I checked if the neighbors had their power restored. Apparently, they never lost it. The black out was isolated to our house alone.

I checked the main panel board and reset all the breakers. Still no power. We called the power company and asked if there were any issues, perhaps due to payment. We were in the clear. They issued a report reference number and advised us that a crew would check our meter within 2 to 5 hours, depending on the crew's availability. They also advised on hiring a private electrician since they could only deal with the side past the electric meter going to the electric lines and posts.

I tried to inquire with private electricians. The rates were between 1,200 and 1,500 pesos. And that was non-refundable. (They would still get paid by simply showing up, regardless of whether or not our electricity was restored)

Our family prayed for wisdom from God. The decision was to wait for the crew from the power company instead of hiring a private electrician. If the power company crew would advise for us to hire a private electrician (to check on problems at the load side), at least the supply side has been checked and ensured.

I had a voltmeter available so I decided to turn off the main circuit breaker and check the voltage at the supply side of the breaker. It was zero. Just to be on the "sure" side that no load was connected at all, I decided to remove the wires from the supply side of the circuit breaker and measure the voltage from the wires directly. We measured 86 volts. This was way lower than the expected 240 volts standard. It gave me more confidence that the problem was with the supply side and that it was the power company that could fix the issue.

About 6 hours later, the crew from the power company arrived. The rains and the number of customers they had to provide service to before us was the reason for their delay. But we were just thankful. I told them about the 86 volts we measured so they quickly got to work. They simply re-spliced the wires supplying power to our meter and afterwards, the lights in our house were visible once again. 

I thank the Lord Jesus for His mercy and grace. When we only had ambient light from the neighbors, candles, and the night lights helped us see in the evening, everything seemed like despairing darkness. When the lights were restored at around 12 midnight, everything appeared so clear, despite the darkness of night.

Jesus is our light. This experience is a reminder to be patient and to hope in Him until He either brings us home of takes us to His kingdom.