We’re very excited to give you the final part to Amos’ house story. His testimony shows how it is possible for a young man to start off debt-free. If you missed Part 1, you can read it here.
I got a used water heater from a neighbor, which is still serving us 10 years later without trouble. I bought windows and a used door from another person. My grandpa procured some interior doors that the company he worked for was getting rid of. Some friends of my wife’s family gave us their used (but working!) washer and dryer. I also got a used fridge and stove. Instead of cabinets, I made shelves from some plywood crates I tore apart but eventually I replaced these with normal cabinets.
Most of the building was done by my family and myself but a lot of others helped. I traded a calf to a carpenter from our church for a couple days of help, and he loaned me a book on general contracting, which was very helpful. We didn’t have high speed internet then, and I don’t recall googling how to do anything. We did all the plumbing ourselves and the wiring too.
The week before I headed to my wedding, some friends from a few hours away drove up and helped finish mudding and painting the drywall on the main floor. The second story had no inside walls framed yet and no insulation in the roof so we lived on the first floor for a while. When I was gone on my honeymoon, my family laid some flooring and finished getting things livable. The house was only covered with house wrap, but a couple years later I put on siding.
I believe that if a person is committed to remaining free of debt and is trusting God to provide, He will do so. One may need to start small and patiently move forward, but life is not about the things we possess. If we are willing to learn, work, and be creative, I think that much more can be accomplished, in saving money and buying, or in building a place, then what might first appear. I’ve also found that often people in one’s church and family are willing to share knowledge and help in various ways, especially when they see a young man with a worthy cause.
- My brother Isaac saved his money and bought some land with a small old trailer house and barn.
- I have a friend, who has steadily held his job with a low income yet bought a fixer upper without debt when he was getting married.
- Another friend works at Culver’s and pastors a small church. He has never had a job for more than a few years and never a high paying job, but he has had multiple homes with no debt.
- A friend, Bob, with ten children, moved here and bought an old cattle barn which he converted into a home so he could have a house with no debt.


In closing I’d like to share a couple specific ideas that have become part of my thinking, and I think probably come from your materials. One is avoiding expensive hobbies like flying planes. Another is viewing computers as tools and not as toys. Thank you for teaching truth.
Amos
“That the generation to come might know them, even the children
which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their
children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the
works of God, but keep his commandments.”
Psalm 78:6-7