Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Martes (Tuesday)

Manual Labor

I'm not sure how it started but soon after our departure to Seatac Airport the two boys, Jake & Jordan, were renamed Manual and Labor. It makes sense since so much of the work we are doing must be done by hand. With strong backs and legs, with youthful endurance, these young men pick up the bulk of the haul and tote part of the jobs. With Bruce and Jeremy instructing them they are also learning much about construction.

Jake (Manual) in orange shirt, Jordan (Labor)  discussing maual labor. 

Installing a laundry room in the garage required a trench dug from the house to the garage in order to install the pipes. Electrical wiring needs upgrading in the garage as well. The foundation on one side of the house needs repair to keep the termites out. The stove in the kitchen has not been heating properly and needs improvement to the wiring and hook up. Bruce, Jeremy, Jake and Jordan are plugging away at this list.

Things take longer because some tools are rudimentary. We were limited on how many tools we could bring on the plane. A battery charged drill for example is being shared and sometimes one must wait for the other to finish using it so it can be employed at another task. A trip to the hardware store or lumber yard is never a quick trip. There is the drive into the village, remembering which street is one way (there are limited signs) finding parking (practically non-existent) transcending the language barrier and converting currency exchange in your head to determine if the price is fair. Jeremy and Jake's Spanish is Beuno. The rest of us.... well.... that smile only goes so far when you really need something!!

Today the guys are gearing up for cement pouring. Did you just picture a large cement truck lumbering up the driveway and backing in with it's nice long trough? Think again. Instead we have bags of cement stacked on the porch and the mixing will be done with a wheelbarrow and a shovel and it will be labor intensive.

mix cement and water, pour and smooth....

Meanwhile, inside the house... the Tia's clean and cook and do laundry. There is a washing machine in the kitchen. Moving it to the garage will give more room in the house and allow Cherie to set up clothes lines and ironing board and shelving. No need for a dryer. The sun works just fine.

solar powered dryer

I have been continuing to process the suitcases of donated clothing, sorting girls from boys and divided into sizes. Colette plays with the children, helping with crafts and discipline and also on paperwork that must be tended to as part of establishing their non-profit.

so many cute outfits!

Team Flavor
 Besides having the nicknames Manual and Labor, Jake and Jordan provide plenty of comic relief. Faux arguments where one speaks in an Irish brogue, the other Scottish are hilarious to watch. Last night Jordan carried on a running joke using the word Juan and seeing how many times he could insert it into a sentence. "Just juan more." he'd say as we either groaned or laughed at his sense of humor and cleverness.The drive home in the dark over unfamiliar roads as we took one of the Tia's home, was nerve wracking so the humor was much appreciated.

Part of being on a mission team is learning to work together and live together. there are going to be times when we rub up against someone the wrong way. Those times where Extra Grace is Required. I like the saying "give me grace in the morning and space at night." sometimes I want both grace and space at the same time and I imagine the same goes for everyone else. Today is probably the toughest hardest longest day we will tackle this week since it's cement day and timing is everything. It's hot by gringo standards and reading about the snow and rain back home sounds almost inviting. But a coffee break and chocolate cake is a welcome respite on this leg of our journey together.

homemade chocolate cake and good smooth Costa Rican Coffee!

At the end of this day we sit back with a satisfied feeling for the work we accomplished. We're doing it all for the Glory of God.

sweeping...

wiring....

pouring cement.

till next time....

1 comment:

  1. Now THAT was quite the day! Love the pictures and the smiles even in the midst of heat and labor--or was that Manual and Labor?

    ReplyDelete

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