The bible has several references to the early and latter rain, also called the spring and autumn rains. Deut 11:14 is one example: “then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil.” In Singapore, it can rain anytime so rain is rain. Only here do I learn that the spring and autumn rains are very important to farmers for sowing and harvesting. Of course I am happy that during these two seasons, God takes care of the watering when the seeds and young plants need them most.
This year we were watching the autumn rains very closely but pleading with God to delay them. YK had ordered a garden shed kit and we needed to erect it first. The kit arrived while David was visiting so we could not assemble it earlier. A shed is about acquiring another storeroom. Our garage was bursting with, among other stuff 4 large luggages, 4 pairs of snow boots, YK’s woodworking tools, 2 lawnmowers and tons of gardening paraphernalia. There was even a box of Val’s old books which she had shipped to Singapore and we had shipped back when we moved here.
In our yard there was just the right spot begging for a 10′ x 8” shed. It was a dead space behind our neighbour’s two sheds and so shady that nothing but weeds grow. All the contractors YK contacted would only build a smaller shed as that the space was too snug for them to manoever in. Our only experience came from building lego sets and model kits but we decided to roll up our sleeves and build the shed ourselves.
The kit arrived in two massive plastic packs. The assembly instructions said all it took was two days to put it together but I did not for a minute believed them. While YK tried to lay the perfect foundation, I painted the exterior of the shed to match our house. Applying two coats of paint on 9 wall panels and two doors under the hot sun was not my idea of fun. Our neighbour’s brother-in-law, Chris, noted my amateurish efforts and passed me a long roller and some painting instructions. After waiting for more than a week for the foundation, we finally could lay the timber flooring on it and erect the walls All of which called for a lot of hammering. In my lower secondary days, some crazy MOE policies made woodworking and metal work classes compulsory for me. I liked them as much my children liked studying Chinese. At long last, my rusty skills were called into use. My woodwork teacher would be pleased that I could still hammer the nails instead of my thumb.
All our muscles were complaining but the hardest part was ahead. With the walls up, I had to hold up the rafters while YK secured them. Chris must have seen me perched precariously on the ladder because he popped his head over the fence to offer help. We had been sending SOS calls to heaven because the roof would not fit on the rafters. God’s answer was to send Chris. Chris explained that the building was not properly squared and since we could not ‘undo’, he showed us how to cheat by cutting the roof to fit. That ruffled the perfectionist in me but with the sky threatening rain and fatigue setting in I could hardly protest. YK was so tired he actually took a tumble one day. Thank God he fell on top of me and not into the very thorny blackberry bushes. The bushes tore a big gash in his T-shirt while I suffered a big black bruise on my arm. After the fall, we decided to hire Chris to lay the shingles on the roof. We just learned he was out of job and helping his contractor brother. Instead of letting YK dangle from the roof, this would be a win-win for us. Together with his son, Kriston, Chris laid the shingles in under two hours. Chris refused payment but we made Kriston very happy with a hundred dollars. That afternoon, we watched the rain pelting hard on the new roof. We made it just in the nick of time. The rest of the touching up like adding trims, caulking and filling in the big gap (where it did not square) could be done more leisurely when the weather permitted.
Chris said he could have built the whole shed for us. Too late or I would have gladly let him. YK however enjoyed the whole experience, steep learning curve, hard work and all. Despite the mistakes and imperfections, he looked at the shed with much satisfaction and fulfillment.
It was too much of a coincidence that Chris happened to be visiting at the right time, and was so helpful. Or that the rain started falling only after we were done. We cannot thank God enough for building with us. Truly, unless the Lord builds the house, we labour in vain to build it. (Ps 127)
We certainly bit off more than we could chew in this big DIY project. Can old dogs still learn new tricks? Yes, but first we had to shake off our rigid kiasi kiasu mindset and embrace the more forgiving culture here that says to us: ‘Failures are not fatal’ and ‘Celebrate attempts, not just achievements’. Then add a big dose of perseverance and topped it off with lots of help from God.
