Our plans when we left the house this morning:
Go to House 1. One half of team would proceed to House 2 to begin laying block. The other half of team would stay at House 1 to put on roof and start on floor. That half of team would get as far as it could then join the other half at House 2. Saturday would follow the same pattern with the result being completion of House 1 and a significant portion of the walls of House 2.
God's plan:
When half of team arrived at House 2 they found the foundation poured, the block being delivered, and the Honduran workers and Pastor Ancelmo were there ready to begin mixing mezcla. As the members of the team and Gerardo approached the foundation we discovered that the foundation was not a square, was not a rectangle, but was a rhombus with no two sides equal or parallel and angles off by as much as 3.5 feet when extended to the far wall. In other words the foundation was not buildable. Further inquiry revealed that the Pastor had decided, against instructions from Baptist Men to alter the plan to parallel the four sides of the lot. In addition the footings had not been dug correctly and some of the necessary rebar was missing.
Our adjusted plan:
After a return to House 1 to explain the situation a discussion began about what to do now. By the end of lunch the adjusted plan was to return to House 1, where for various reasons including the problem with House 2, not much work had been accomplished. In addition, arrangements had been made to start on House 3, but because we did not know if the foundation problem on House 2 could be fixed in time for Team 2 to work on it, we decided not to start on House 3 for fear Team 2 would be left with little or no work to do. We also decided after much discussion not to assist in fixing the problems for House 2.
God's plan continues:
After returning to House 1, we were very surprised when Alexis from Altos de Santa Marta appeared at House 1 with some other men. He had been contacted by Pastor Eduardo, Felipe's pastor and friend of Pastor Ancelmo, to get his opinion on how to fix the foundation on House 2. After a joyous reunion with Alexis (with whom 4 of us and separately Mike and Ginger had worked two years ago), Alexis explained that his team could tear out the messed up foundation and replace it with the correct foundation by next Thursday for less than $150.00. After a brief team meeting we decided based on our complete trust in Alexis that we would pay to have the foundation replaced, so that Team Two could have the option of working on both houses if they so choose. We also decided to concentrate on finishing House 1. By the end of the day, half of the floor had been laid and almost half of the roof finished. As we drove home we looked over where House 2 is located and saw where Alexis and his crew had already torn out most of the mislaid foundation.
We pride ourselves on being the work team and we work hard. God laughs at our pride. Today He stopped our work and took us all out of our comfort zones in ways too many to explain here. But while He had us outside of our comfort zones, here is where he took us:
Ginger was startled from her sleep by Bob when he burst into her bedroom singing his flippin' new Honduras song which he composed in sudden inspiration yesterday.
Ginger and Rosa shared coffee together at the house and began to teach each other their native language.
Dennis in an intense moment of self realization walked outside of the house and stood beneath Rafael, the "Maestro" (the head Honduran mason), as he worked high up on the wall to be there to catch him in case he fell.
Some of us took a walk with our new friend Javier and discovered he had a beautiful house and even more amazingly a beautiful landscaped yard. In one of his rooms he had his Bible and all of the items we have given him this week laid out together. All of a sudden his choosing to sleep on the gravel floor of an unfinished, unroofed house for his blind friend, Felipe, rose to another dimension.
David's translation skills were as provident in dealing with the problems we encountered today as Dr. Juan's skills were in Tom's injury crisis last year.
A group of middle aged (well, old) men ran around like kids on a soccer field where one of them relived childhood glory with a midfield goal as a crowd looked on which no doubt will be long remembered in Limon de la Cerca soccer lore. Believe it or not, Hee Haw also scored a goal, although not in overalls.
Kristen was startled and frightened by a close encounter with a cow and was rescued when her errant knight Bob chased the cow away.
Bob broke out his guitar which led to an impromptu singalong in Spanish and English with the kids and Iris under the trees in front of the house next door.
David invented a new way to get the kids to stand quietly still in line while Bob broke all the rules and handed out Tootsie Roll Pops. With about six kids left in the line, and all the other kids waiting in line holding their Tootsie Roll Pops unopened waiting on David's permission to open and eat them, Bob realized that he did not have enough for all the kids. Bob panicked as he realized that not only were some of the kids in the line going to get left out, but that about thirty more kids were sprinting down the street to get in the line, Bob displayed real leadership by shouting for the rest of us to do something and find something to give to the other kids. Everyone sprinted for their backpacks to find anything they had to give the kids. We managed to scrape together enough Nekots, Nabs, gum and other goodies to avert a riot. Once again the day was saved by Bob's careful planning and quick thinking in a crisis.
A little boy about four showed up with his stark naked younger brother (about two). The two year old fell to the ground screaming with pain from a splinter in his foot. Joel and Kristen rushed over to him as he continued to cry uncontrollably. The minute Kristen touched him he ceased crying and laid his head against her. Later they found out the boys were two of six children whose mother is an addict and alcoholic who neglects and sometimes beat them. Neighbors take in the kids off the street to wash them.
An old friend appeared at an unexpected moment for a joyous reunion and turned out to be a solution for a problem we had considered unsolvable.
We watched a spectacular red sunset in the west from the bridge in Choluteca while the largest full moon of the year rose simultaneously and spectacularly over the mountains in the east wearing shorts, tea shirts, and flip flops as the snow began to fall back home.
Mike S., Bob, Dennis, David and Kristen went back to Deysi's house to visit some more.
Mike S. called Pastor Mejia and discovered they now have their service at 4:00 on Sunday afternoon. We plan to attend Felipe and Iris's church in the morning and worship with our brothers and sisters in El Carrizo Sunday afternoon.
We ate Rosa's steak in gravy with onions and peppers and praised God for Rosa's cooking.
We ended the day with a devotion filled with confession, a discussion of the power of touch, sharing, questions, tears, laughter, major doses of God's love and grace, and each of us singing together, "God is so good; He's so good to me."
So we close tonight humbled and blessed; our hearts broken by the things that break the heart of God, and made joyful by the things that bring Him joy!
May you find peace and beauty in the storm this weekend!
In His love,
Team 1
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Futball !!!
Day 5, just before lunch, some of our team had to go to another work site and we were waiting for supplies... after a short walk to Javier's house, which is beautiful, we walked back the couple of blocks to Felipe's house. Knowing that we had to live up to the legends in Team Two, we cranked up the gringo trash talking and challenged the kids to a futball game. It was awesome! Bob, Dr. Juan, Dennis, Mike, and David took on the kids. Age vs. speed. Our secret weapon was David, despite his previous ACL injury. He did some fancy footwork and scored from mid-field! The kids were in awe.
Pictures will follow.
Day Four - God floods in
After two hard, concentrated days of laying block, today was a day for careful tedious work to finish the walls and gables on Felipe's and Iris's house. Finishing over and around doors and windows, setting up and moving scaffolding, channel block and MORE REBAR in the eleventh row, and lots of special measuring, cutting and laying for the gables filled the day and into the evening as the last gable was completed right at dusk (about 6:00 p.m.). But it was a long day of work mixed with blessings falling like the rain that threatened this morning. That's right, rain was falling on the mountains to the east and south of us while heavy clouds rolled overhead most of the morning making for a significantly cooler work environment --- blessing number one.
Other blessings (in bullet points, Jeremy):
- When we arrived this morning at the site, Hee Haw tried to open the front door and it was stuck. He went around to the back door and looked into the house. In the corner, he spotted our brother, Javier, sleeping on a makeshift pallet with his Bible beside him, where he had spent the night roofless guarding the work site for the house of his friend, Felipe.
- After the clouds finished rolling over with no rain, the sun broke through just before lunch, leading to an afternoon of spectacular white clouds against a clear blue sky pouring over the surrounding mountains. All of us were moved by the grandeur.
- Kristen surrounded by kids, coloring pictures. She was surprised when a voice from behind asked for a page so he could color it and she turned to find Orfilio's outstretched hand, his face shining with that huge smile.
- Kristen turning cartwheels in the street with the kids.
- Joel passed out pieces of gum to the kids. One of the boys, after getting his piece of gum, ran down the street to his house and returned with a banana which he gave to Joel.
- After three previous attempts and four hours today of meetings at the bank with Orfilio, Mike and Ginger finally got their Honduran bank account opened and Mike actually got to lay a block on the wall. The bank account had been a real prayer concern because without it Mike and Ginger had been having to go to different banks every day to withdraw cash from ATMs to transact all the business. As you may guess, gringos carrying large sums of cash in Honduras is not recommended. That prayer answered Mike finally got to lay a couple of blocks on the last gable with us. When Steve asked Mike to turn around so he could take his picture, Mike responded: "Take it while I'm working. Who do you think I am? Bob?"
- Dennis was standing on the scaffolding laying block when he stopped to watch the rolling clouds and Kristen playing joyfully with the kids. He glanced to his right to the yard of the house next door where Iris, wife of Felipe, was watching our team work and play as we built her new house with tears rolling down her cheeks. When Dennis shared this Joel pointed out the strange fact that God had given a man born without irises in his eyes this woman named Iris to be his loving companion in life.
- We met Pastor Ancelmo Herrera Zelaya whose house we will begin tomorrow. Pastor Ancelmo has previously refused to allow Baptist Men to build his family a house until the other families in need in his church got houses. Meanwhile, he and his family have had to live in the Sunday School rooms at his church. Now Team 1 and Team 2 will build his family a house because of the love and support of our church family.
- David had a long conversation in Spanish with Javier today about faith and the Bible. Tonight at devotion he said he began to wonder as he listened in amazement to Javier's beautiful Spanish words that perhaps he was having a conversation with Jesus.
- As the day wound down and we raced against a setting sun, we found ourselves two blocks from completing the gable. Steve had cut the last angle blocks and Dennis and Doctor Juan were on the scaffolding in need of mezcla (mortar). We asked Javier for more mezcla (all of the other Honduran workers had gone home). There was no more mezcla mixed so Javier, assisted by Kristen, began scraping the mezcla from the ground where the mezcla had been mixed all day. Somehow, like Jesus dividing the loaves and two fishes, when Javier finished scraping and mixing the scraps of mezcla from the ground we had just enough to finish the last gable. Fittingly, the day ended as it began in a lesson of faith, determination and courage from this poor, simple, loving, smiling, serving child of God.
In addition to blessings we had our first casualty of the week. David was attempting to cut a five foot long piece of board into two pieces this morning when he made a significant rookie mistake.. First he tried to saw it with a hacksaw. When he made no significant progress doing that he, in a stroke of genius decided to karate kick it in hopes it would break. He succeeded but the longer piece of board popped up and hit him in the forehead above his left eye leaving him with a shallow cut and a big swollen knot. Unlike Tom last year, David never shirked his duty and left the work site. Instead Doctor Juan administered first aid and David toughed it out until he could receive further treatment at the house this evening. The patient is healthy but his pride has taken a severe blow.
And speaking of David, many of you have inquired about soccer. There is a soccer field about fifty yards from our work site where several boys play soccer in the afternoon. Yesterday some of the kids at the work site asked David if he was going to play soccer. David then began to regale the boys with tales of his exploits as a player in the forty and over league in Raleigh and in his younger days in Colombia. However, he then explained that he could not play because of a torn ACL suffered in a particularly brutal game about four years ago. In other words the typical old man ploy. Dazzle the kids with tales of exaggerated past glory and then avoid having to back it up by feigning injury. Pathetic really.
Anyways, it was just another ordinary day in God's kingdom.
We love and miss you all,
Team 1
Bob's Family Portait
The kids are elated at finally having their own personal, autographed copy of Bob's family portrait, except for the girl on the left who seems crushed that she didn't get one.
Team Two, please bring 250 more copies.
Joel got his own copy, but has decided to auction it off tomorrow and apply that profit towards solving world hunger.
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