Thursday February 23, 2006

Cerwin at the Staff Conference this past weekend.

I thought I would use this post to update you on what Cerwin is doing.  This will probably be his year of retirement from Ferrellgas, where he has been driving truck since December 1966 (It was Myer’s Metered Gas when he began).  He will turn sixty-five in April, but plans to work until the end of the year, when he will be able to receive full Social Security benefits. 

The Ferrellgas rig Cerwin drives.

We have been involved in Transport For Christ since the early ’70s, but our world changed dramatically in 1990, when Melvin Mast, Northeast Region Director passed away from cancer, and the Lord called Cerwin to that work.

Because both of our sons were getting married that year, Diane was already married, and Deb was the only one at home, we were able to convert our basement into an office.  Joyce Mast (Melvin’s wife) trained me to take over the office work, which enabled Cerwin to continue driving truck – forty hours a week – which he usually did in three days.  That was a great benefit to the Northeast Region, as he did not need a salary from TFC. 

That meant he had 3-4 days a week where he could do the work of Region Director, plus, he had five weeks of vacation.  That has worked quite well during the past sixteen years.

TFC International Staff moved into the new office and shop complex in August 2005.  The Northeast Region Office remains in our house.

Last year most of his time away from Ferrellgas was spent doing the work of Regional Director or helping with the construction of TFC’s new International Office and Shop complex, near Marietta, PA – especially during the summer when he set up the interior of the new shop where chapel’s will be built.  

Cerwin enjoyed building a large workbench for the new shop.  This year will be extra busy for him (at least until his retirement) as a new responsibility has been added to his work with TFC – Chapel Construction Supervisor. 

The trailer on the left is in the beginning stages of being converted into a new chapel.  One of the first things that is done to a trailer is the removal of the back doors – notice the one on the right still has doors on the back.  Cerwin is loving the new shop.  He has built several chapels in our yard, and helped build others in a rented shop that barely had room for one trailer.  Bill Rumpf standing at the rear of the trailer, is a key volunteer in chapel construction.

This rig will be a mobile chapel for the east coast, and will be set up with a generator and prepared for travel.  Permanent chapels stay at truck stops, use electric from that location, and are not moved unless necessary.  This one will be used for promotional work at churches, fairs, etc., or as a temporary chapel at a travel plaza if necessary.

Cerwin took this photo from the front of the trailer so you can see the window that was installed for the living/office quarters of the chapel.

Jay Stauffer, Cerwin’s co-worker at Ferrellgas, is skilled at welding, and prepared the back of the trailer for a solid wall.  This is the last photo Cerwin has.  I plan to give occasional updates, so you can see how an ordinary freight trailer is transformed into a chapel.