Full Day's Work

Everyone was hard at work today, both at the compound as well as at the house site. All the donated products have been sorted and are ready for distribution to approximately 80 families.

I spent most of my morning trying to get an internet connection after typing the blog and choosing which pictures to upload. Everything just seems to have slid backwards here – the internet connection is very weak, there seems to be even more poverty, etc. I checked out the morning gathering and prayer of students and staff. That hasn’t changed, and there even seems to be more students than before. If you’re here when the gate opens at 7 AM, you’ll see around a thousand students pouring onto the school grounds. At noon those thousand leave for home, and another thousand arrive for the afternoon classes. Of course, there are always those children who try to sneak through the gate when Luis isn’t looking.

When I went to the house site after lunch, I was amazed at the progress the team had made. All three houses were framed and ready for siding. By the time we left at 4:30, almost one full house was sided and the roof beams were in place. Bruce said that we’d be ready to paint the first house starting tomorrow.

I met the three ladies who will receive the houses next week. House 1 goes to Berta. She has one daughter who has cerebral palsy. Berta came to Teguc to get medical care for her daughter. She had to sleep in the streets for a while because she could not afford housing. Sometimes people will allow Berta and her daughter to stay with them. House 2 goes to Marcia, who has two children. We didn’t see them because they were both in school. House 3 goes to Elsa. Elsa is the mother of two, a 20-year-old who has 2 children aged 5 and 3, and a 15-year-old son. All five of them live together. I believe they are also amazed at the speed at which their houses are being built.

I wanted to mention that Maci actually like the Honduran tacos we had for supper tonight. I’m happy she found something she liked. I have a feeling she find more foods she’ll like here.

I’ve tried to include several photos from the day, showing a few of the activities. It’s obvious from everyone’s faces that they’re having a great time.

By the way, one of today’s highlights was the moving of a “boulder” from the middle of house two’s yard. Lots of sweat equity went into that project. At one point I thought they’d have to give up, but with great perseverance, the guys pushed it across two yards and into an open area. That will greatly help that lady level her yard so the pilas and latrines can be installed sooner.

Enjoy the pictures!