Ohhhh my aching back!!!



The Nelson Family

The Dickerson Family

The Baker Family

Ohhh, my aching back!!!  Block is complete!! Our house is up as are the other 3. Tomorrow we pour the floor and then Friday we paint. My family chose green on the outside and blue on the inside.
The block part of the job ends just at the perfect time as I don't think I could lift much more block or concrete. I do love the work though, and the excitement in the family's face as they see their new home coming into view.

Nicolasa and Pedro

The Mom and I getting to know one another even though we speak a different language.  Today she was telling me her 2 year old son, Pedro,  has a big lump in his neck. She asked me to feel it and I did. It is definitely not supposed to be there although I have no idea what it is. I had our worker, Henio, come and translate for me and the woman told him that she took the boy to the doctor and the doctor said that was normal in people in Santa Maria de Jesus. This is how the poor are treated when seeking health care. Everyone in this town does not have a big lump in their neck.  I had Henio tell her about our clinic and I am hoping she makes the trip and has her son looked at. It doesn't matter where you live or what your economic status is, as a Mom, health issues with your children are always frightening. That is something that can be easily communicated amongst Mother's. 

The families have really been helpful and cordial to us as we are working. There is a total of nine children in the family and the father is helping us. We are building for 3 families of which they are siblings. The Nelsons are building for the parents, Bakers for a son and his wife, and the Dickerson's for a daughter and her family.  They are very close knit family and their children seem to get along well.  There is a little boy named Sergio who is cute as a button. I tickled him very lightly yesterday and he took off running, now when he sees me he runs.

The 7 year old girl in my house is named Christel. She goes to school everyday and she tells me she likes it very much. Today she was doing her homework which was writing in English. She had to write the letter "w" and then "wa" and then 'we" in script. She really had beautiful handwriting. Her Mom was standing over her making sure she was doing a good job...another universal Mom duty.

 Christel does her homework as her little brother Pedro watches.

Tomorrow we will visit the Kemna'oj School. We will visit the children in the current location and then make a stop at the construction site of the new school. I LOVE going to the school and see these very happy and enthused children. They are equally excited to see the volunteers stop by.  After the school visit we will head to our work site to pour the floor.
It is going to be a great day!!  Sadly we are winding down as tomorrow will be our 4th day. The end is coming too quickly!!  It is important to take in every moment of this experience. It feeds the soul and makes memories that are irreplaceable or like anything else I have experienced.  This is the 6th home my family has built, and I have loved each and every one. To be surrounded by such beauty in the face of such incredible poverty makes one wonder , why when you wake up each and every day with everything you need right at your fingertips, why would you ever have a complaint about anything. Something to think about for sure.

The view from where we are building