Good evening blog followers!
Today proved to be a very amazing day! Spirits were super high as we started our first day at the building site. We woke up early (6:30) and prepared all of the supplies and everything we would need for the build. We discovered while we were there that for this building they require that the person receiving the home has to do all the work raising funds and building the foundation as well as helping as much as possible while we are putting up the house. As we got to the site and were ready to get going building, Nick our site manager pulled out his guitar and lead us in a devotion and worship time reminding us that we weren't here to simply build. We were called to this community to give a greater gift; and that is Jesus Christ. Many of us were super encouraged by this.
We split up the team into four groups: Framers, Rafter builders, Painters, and Community interaction team. The framers felt like they made really good head way through the day. The rafter builders also made really good time. The painters, on the other hand. Were battling with setting allllll of their panels out to paint, only to see a rain cloud in the distance; put them all away (water based paint), put them back out after a really tiny shower. This happened 3 times. They got discouraged. We encouraged them. The Community interaction team had an awesome time inviting all the locals to a soccer game. Around 20 kids came out to play, and we also had a few people visit with local people in their houses or on the road and pray with them or hear about their story.
Today I had an eye opening experience, to how fortunate we are in Canada. I walked down a HUGE hill with a group of kids, carrying buckets to their water spring. Instead of letting them carry their usual buckets (their everyday chores they do at least twice a day); I decided to try it. This proved to be ALOT more difficult than I ever imagined. These kids walk around a mile up a hill with filled water buckets. I stopped 3 times on the way up and these kids tell me they rarely stop. By the end I was completely gassed and every fiber of my body was sore. Its just so much easier to turn on a faucet and I take that so for granted. And meanwhile these kids are making this trip down the hill twice a day. I was humbled and amazed at how a simple necessity like water is so challenging for some people.
On the bus ride home their were a lot of smiles on everyones faces and we were excited to be apart of this great mission that so many have contributed for us to be apart of.
-Andy N and Dominic P.
