Monday, April 30, 2012

Let the building begin...

Today we began the building of 6 houses; 3 this week and 3 next week! Take a look at what we're facing...


Foundation work


Moving stone


More foundation work and a 'few' block to unload


The first pile of one meter long blocks


The second pile of blocks


The third and last pile of blocks for today; all 867 of them!

We dug and poured one foundation, have another 2/3 dug, off-loaded all those blocks and have all to do over again tomorrow.
Words for today: tired, spent, exhausted, & sore!


Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Satan tries to steal our joy...

With all of the incredibly good news we received yesterday...the FedEx donation and so many of you stepping up on the bathrooms we should've expected the enemy would've tried to steal our joy.

Yesterday must've been "good neighbor day" in Honduras because someone "borrowed" our palm tree from the front yard!!! Yes, that's why we live behind a 10' concrete wall topped by razor wire, topped by electrical wire!

Welcome to San Pedro Sula!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Great news for Buen Esperanza!!!


I've just come from a meeting where I learned God has sent us a new donor for the Buen Esperanza project. FedEx wants to pay for 6 homes to be built by May 11! It is just amazing to see how God is moving through this project from it's inception in our hearts to the physical building of homes to families accepting the Lord! We were going to be at a standstill until our next team mid-June and now we will have 7 homes completed by the time they arrive! 

There is one caveat: FedEx is paying for the old style home w/o a bathroom and our Honduran partner, Cepudo, was only going to build that type of house. We told them we couldn't drop the bathrooms now and that we would raise the extra money needed for the bathrooms by mid- June. The cost is $200/house or $1200 for all 6 homes! Normally that would be $18,000.00, but now we get all 6 for $1200.00. 

Please take a moment and ask God if He would have you sponsor a bathroom or part of a bathroom. Will, Joyce, and I are headed to the village shortly to meet with new home recipients and give them the good news. Tomorrow we will begin tearing down old shacks and clearing the land for the work to begin on Monday!  This is a lot of work in a very short period of time, but we can't miss this opportunity God's given us! 

God just continues to amaze us in ways we couldn't even imagine through this project. Celebrate with us and don't forget we only need $200/house!!!

Finished home with the happy family!



This view shows the bathroom added on (unfinished)



Saturday, April 14, 2012

Joy comes from giving...

Joyce, Will, the Kids, and I were blessed to be able to bring mobility and comfort to one of our new friends in Buen Esperanza.  To see the smile on his face is worth more than any monetary blessing...and the next home we will build is HIS!!!


Happy to give up his two canes!



Sometimes happiness is a new ride!

Friday, April 13, 2012

A very proud first...



Mauricio plays and sings a solo in our church in San Pedro Sula.  His first time and he did a great, great job!!!

Happy Birthdays....


Mauricio & Rosa were born on the same day, one year apart: April 11! Wednesday we celebrated gaining another teenager (Mauricio turned 13) and one moving to the brink of teenage years (Rosa turned 12)! 




Monday, April 9, 2012

Mash - Honduras

After taking Will to the emergency room for coughing up blood we had to put him in the hospital for three days to get a lung infection cleared up. We brought him home yesterday afternoon. This morning I got to return to the emergency room with Pedro...seems Angel decided to give Pedro a shove, causing him to fall and crack his head on the tile floor. The result: 3 stitches!

Tough as nails!!!


Saturday, April 7, 2012

Buen Esperanza's first home....



A pictorial review of our week with Jim Wulliman, and the progress of our first home in Buen Esperanza!

Jim & his adopted family

The walls are going up & Jose is a new Christian brother!

Jim & friends dig a ditch in almost impenetrable ground!

The walls are up and the header is being formed.

Angel works the pump.

Does this resemble your stove?

Those buckets are full of heavy, wet cement, but it looks like Will & I are in step!

Mauricio works 5' down in a meter square hole!


Nearly finished!

Jim, Will, & I finishing off the inside!

A heat beater! Joyce & our kids purchased, set-up, and filled a pool for the local kids!