El Salvador, the last day

The work week ended today. It was a great week. The volunteers were outstanding and the event itself was a joy. There are way too many people to thank for its success, but Mike Bonderer and Carmen Gallardo get special mention for the amazing job they did in getting the work site mobilized, tending to the volunteers and getting the houses built. Jim and Margaret Favre worked overtime to get the flight arrangements coordinated and helping keep the volunteer services afloat during the week. Holly Chapman and her team of photographers and videographers kept the world aware of what was happening in this little corner of the vineyard. And we can’t forget Trish Stoops who spent a year and a half preparing the way. Events like this don’t just happen, and we are blessed to have such dedicated staff and volunteers working quietly in the background so that the whole thing appeared seamless.

But the stars of the week were the volunteers who, after paying their way to get here, worked tirelessly and without complaint. Leaving hearth and home to spend a week in a foreign clime where the language and customs are different takes a special kind of soul. I’ve been at many builds like this, but can’t remember one that was so congenial and free of stress. It’s as though we were all specially chosen to spend a week together. Millard led the way, spending every possible minute on site, scaling the walls, laying block, and demonstrating servant leadership in action.

Of course none of this would have been possible without the sponsors. LeRoy Troyer, Bill and Mary Lou Johnson, Doug Miller, Marlene Muse's church, John Schaub, the Fuller Center Bike Adventure, Webster Parish LA Fuller Center, the Chattahoochee Valley Fuller Center Project, Patrick Gibbs, Jr., the 1st Congregational Church of Manchester VT, Jeff Cardwell & Lowell Stutzman, Tom Dineen & Jim Killoran, Linda Walker & June Ewing, Jim McLean, and Paul DiGiammarino all sponsored or co-sponsored houses for this event. A number of these folks were with us during the work week, donating sweat in addition to dollars, and ten of them are members of our Board of Directors. What a gift they’ve left behind.

There’s still some work to be done on the houses, but we expected that. The doors and windows are installed by the manufacturer and that will happen next week. The first couple of houses are ready to move into, though, so we’ll have families on site very soon. The water and sewer systems still need work, but otherwise things are in very good shape.

The families have been a joy to work with. These are people of very humble means, and work demands kept some of them away part of the time. But they were with us when they could be. There were always children around—volunteers and children seem to find one another. There were many tears and expressions of sincere gratitude during the house dedications. We built 16 houses this week, but there are 22 all together on the site and 19 families have been selected. 18 of the families were able to get time from their work to be with us for the dedications.

We ended the day with a meal and a closing ceremony. Like everything we’ve done this week it was a very personal event, with volunteers and homeowners invited to share their thoughts as the week came to an end. Time now to start getting ready for next year’s Millard and Linda Build which will take place in the Chattahoochee Valley. For my part I’m ready to get home, hug my wife, pet the dogs and get ready for the next adventure. North Korea called and wants us to come back, so I’ll wash my undies and get ready to take off again.