Insight photo by Cynthia B. Astle
Closet ceiling
The ceiling in the Astles' bedroom closet collapsed because of water damage from an upstairs bathroom pipe that burst while they were attending General Conference.
Friends, like all of us who were in Portland, Ore., for the 2016 General Conference, Associate Editor John Astle and I were looking forward to coming home to Dallas, TX, for rest and recovery. When we arrived at our home, however, water was pouring out below the front door. In our absence, a water pipe burst in an upstairs bathroom and flooded our home.
As best we can determine, the pipe burst not long after we left for Portland, because the home inspector found evidence of "microbial growth" -- that is, MOLD. Our house has become an uninhabitable toxic site that will require several weeks of professional remediation.
Because we must move into temporary quarters, generously offered by friends in our sponsoring congregation, St. Stephen UMC of Mesquite, TX, there will be no issue of United Methodist Insight this week. The photo above shows our bedroom closet where the ceiling fell on our clothes and linens.
We hope to be back up next week. We'll keep you posted by email and our Facebook site. Thank you for your prayers and support, and thanks especially to the wonderful Christian friends at St. Stephen United Methodist Church.
Sincerely,
Cynthia B. Astle
Editor & Founder
United Methodist Insight