Yoder ? A little more than a week after a fire destroyed his business, Melvin Miller expects to reopen soon, thanks to the kindness and hard work of a lot of his friends and neighbors.

A fire Feb. 24 destroyed Miller Cabinets near Yoder, causing more than $180,000 worth of damage.

Every day since then — except Sunday — Amish buggies and Mennonite pickups surrounded the Miller farmstead and people pitched in to help.

“We wanted to get over to show our support to the family,” neighbor Eli Bontrager said.

By 6 a.m. the day after the fire, neighbors were already on hand with food and tools to start the rebuilding. By Thursday, the rubble was cleared and a 3-inch concrete pad was laid.

The trusses on the building were in place by Saturday, and on Monday, volunteers were nailing metal skins to the sides of the building.

“It’s a calling from God,” said Eli Schrock, who lives east of Yoder. “It’s what we are all about — is helping each other.”

On Tuesday, as some people stood on ladders placing metal sheets on the building, others measured wood and climbed up to begin the roofing.

Bontrager said it was important that neighbors show support.

“If one suffers, we all suffer,” he said.

Miller said the amount of help he had received had been “mind-boggling.”

“The only way I’ve gotten through this is with the help of the Lord,” he said.

“All this tells me, he’s still in control.”

Miller said he hoped to reopen within six weeks.

“I’ve had 100 percent support from all my customers,” he said.