Work. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. With the summer teams in full swing this is essentially my life. From the middle of July until August 2 there are 7 weeks. 6 of them will have construction teams, mostly youth construction teams. On the weekends the staff gasps for air before we plunge headfirst into the next week. However, this summer has been a blast and SO SO SO much progress has been made on the wall. The Dominican construction crew and myself have the wall down to a science and it’s oh-so-much-fun bossing around teenagers! Contributing in the last month have been groups from Pine Hills Church (Ft. Wayne, Indiana), Lakeside Church (Florida), Crossroads Church (Wauseon, Ohio), Greenville South Carolina, the “Johnson” team, and 2nd Presbyterian Church (Roanoke, Virginia).
The “tag team” method
Almost every group has been digging holes, working with re-bar, forming and pouring footers, laying block, and pouring columns (In that order!). We’ve almost completed the whole western side of the wall, and aim to finish it by early August! Who said kids these days don’t have a good work ethic?!?!
Ahh, sweet progress…
The front patio at the guesthouse also got a makeover as back-to-back teams worked on busting up a large section of concrete and re-pouring it to make it look like new.
Half of the new patio floor
As we are approaching the half-way point of the summer teams it’s easy to feel tired physically, mentally, spiritually. But God has His ways of keeping me going. Team members that are also family or close friends. An encouraging word from a Sanjuanero. Attending the translators’ Monday morning bible study. Eating marshmallow cream by the spoon jarful that was brought down by a friend (Thanks MT & TC!). Watching group after group work tirelessly with an energy that never stops. That’s what sustains me. He can sustain you as well. You don’t have to be a missionary to feel tired. Open your eyes, ears, heart, and seek God. You will find him and he will sustain you.
