DAY 3—Today we worked, and it felt great. We’re between projects here. We had to step back from the work we’d started earlier at Saint Joe’s and don’t have all of the permits to start work yet at the new site at La Moras de Sta. Clara. We have a crack construction crew down here and wanted to keep them busy. As we’ve gotten to know them all better we’ve learned that most of them live in houses that qualify them for our program. So during our hiatus between initiatives we’ve been doing some Greater Blessing work on their houses. Charity, they say, begins at home, so we’re taking care of our own while we wait for the paperwork to take care of others.
This week we’re working on the house of our superintendent, Pedro Chicas. Pedro and his wife Bacilia have three kids and, Josue (11), Melissa (9) and Alexi (2) They live in a one room block house with few facilities, so we’re adding on a couple of rooms and an indoor bath. Today we mixed mortar, laid blocks, cut and shaped rebar and made a big dent in the project. The masons were impressed, if not by our skills by our willingness to do whatever had to be done. It was a great day of work—not too hot, good company, fruitful work and a great spirit. For those of us who spend our time in administrative efforts, as important as those efforts might be, it was a great blessing to end the day with dirty hands and a sweat stained brow.
We had another wonderful dinner thanks to Carmen and Yolanda, but had a delayed start because a huge sea turtle had come ashore to lay eggs and we had to check it out. Some local folks were protecting her so we couldn’t get too close. They said that once the eggs were laid we could return, so we ate and then rushed back to watch the new mama head back to sea. Apparently sea turtles aren’t burdened with maternal instincts. By all appearances her parenting duties were done. It was a great thing to be a part of though.
Everyone seems to be acclimated and un-jet-lagged, so spirits are running high. Tomorrow we should get the floors in and the rest of the walls raised. If the roof gets put on Thursday we’ll be close to done. What a ministry—house by house, one house at a time we are able to be a part of a life changing experience, not just for the family that will live in the house, but for the good souls who give of their time and talents to make it possible. What a blessing.
This week we’re working on the house of our superintendent, Pedro Chicas. Pedro and his wife Bacilia have three kids and, Josue (11), Melissa (9) and Alexi (2) They live in a one room block house with few facilities, so we’re adding on a couple of rooms and an indoor bath. Today we mixed mortar, laid blocks, cut and shaped rebar and made a big dent in the project. The masons were impressed, if not by our skills by our willingness to do whatever had to be done. It was a great day of work—not too hot, good company, fruitful work and a great spirit. For those of us who spend our time in administrative efforts, as important as those efforts might be, it was a great blessing to end the day with dirty hands and a sweat stained brow.
We had another wonderful dinner thanks to Carmen and Yolanda, but had a delayed start because a huge sea turtle had come ashore to lay eggs and we had to check it out. Some local folks were protecting her so we couldn’t get too close. They said that once the eggs were laid we could return, so we ate and then rushed back to watch the new mama head back to sea. Apparently sea turtles aren’t burdened with maternal instincts. By all appearances her parenting duties were done. It was a great thing to be a part of though.
Everyone seems to be acclimated and un-jet-lagged, so spirits are running high. Tomorrow we should get the floors in and the rest of the walls raised. If the roof gets put on Thursday we’ll be close to done. What a ministry—house by house, one house at a time we are able to be a part of a life changing experience, not just for the family that will live in the house, but for the good souls who give of their time and talents to make it possible. What a blessing.
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