A small team went to help install the roof. We didn’t do much, they wouldn’t let us up on the roof, but we handed up the large sheets of sheet metal we painted on day one as well as clavos (nails). The roof went up pretty quick, by 11 am we were finished and headed over to see what Steve and the other team working on the playset had been up to. Blue paint had arrived and they were busy painting every fourth slat blue. Work had begun on the ladder going to the upper level, the rock wall assembly was well under way, and hole had been dug for a late addition to the structure (a rope type monkey rail). By lunch time we were all hungry and the minute the bell rang we prayed and enjoyed tacos. During lunch, one of the members of our team had a piece of meat get caught and chocked on it. Fortunately Lauren did a quick pat on the back and the meat was out and the person felt fine.
While we were enjoying our lunch the sand arrived which meant the floor would go in at the house this afternoon. A couple of volunteers joined Fr. Tom and they began hauling sand and concrete. They mixed the two together by hand and then added water. Next came the hard part, they had to mix everything until the mixture was wet the right consistency. This is very hard work and especially hard in the hot sun. But thankfully, the hot sun stayed away. The skies clouded up, the temperatures stayed down, and this helped make the work a little bit easier. We were not alone mixing. Several of the local youth (and a few adults) joined in. We did our share, but we were not near as fast at this as they were. With each pile of concrete we prepared, it all had to be hand carried (in buckets) into the house and poured. Slowly the floor took shape. Euclitis oversaw the work inside and using level lines he determined using a water filled hose, he began to use the concrete we carried to lay out a 3 in slab. Work went in spurts. Once he had the height determine using a level, we and a whole bunch of others, carried in bucket after bucket. Even Fr. Tom and Padre Alvaro took turns mixing and carrying. It really was a team effort.
This went on for several hours. We hoped to have the whole
floor in today, but we only succeeded in getting about half of it poured. No
worry, tomorrow morning we will finish it up. While we worked on the floor, a
local contractor squared up the doorways and windows using morter; these
arrive tomorrow afternoon and we need to be ready if we are going to finish
enclosing the house before we head home. I cannot say enough how hard the work
was, but none of the team complained. In fact, when one young lady was given
the chance to go over and work the playset (to take a break from the heavy
work) she was back 15 minutes later, she was really interested in seeing things
come together. As we were wrapping up the afternoon’s work, the contractor who
had been working on the windows and doors began to float the floors to put a
finishing touch on them. Part of his finishing touch was a dried dye powder
which he then floated into the concrete. Using blanco and negro (white and
black) powder he made the floor look almost like a marble sort of; still, pretty
amazing.
Back at the playset worked progressed there as the team
began seeing what the finished structure will look like. It is really coming
together and the hard work of our youth is really beginning to show. By the end
of the day, the last side railing went up, the rock wall was finished, the
ladder installed, and concrete was poured (with the help of the other half of
the team) to help stabilize the additions that needed it. Besides the blue,
there was a lot of painting going on with panels we still have to install and Linda
helped organize some of that. One observation that was made during our
reflection, is that the team is really functioning as a team. Granted we have
our favorite (and no so favorite) projects, but after a couple of days working
together we seemed to be in a groove.
There is something else worth noting, team members are doing
more than just building. A sense of pride is developing about what they are
doing and they realize they are leaving a part of themselves here when they
leave. So we heard phrases like this is “my baby” when describing the area they
have been working in. One might think this is an ego thing, or that it is about
possession; but as we have gotten to know the people of the barrio better, it
is really about the connections, the relationships that have been made. Our
team wants to do the best because they see how much it means to those who live
here. Where the playset is being built, there is constantly a crowd of youth
standing along the fence line watching what is going on. At the house, the
children are always involved and trying to help.
We worked a few extra hours today because the end is in
sight. Nobody wants to reach the last day and not have completed the tasks we
were given. So when the dinner bell rang, we waited as the last member of our
tem to take a shower finished up, and nobody complained. There are times when
some would say let the person wait at the end of the line, but the team did not
even want to pray unless we were all together.
You might think after such a long hard day the team would
want to sit back and relax. However, we were offering the local community
another movie night. The church was packed as we watched “The Little Mermaid”
with the children of the barrio. Some of youth sat with kids they had gotten to
know over the last few days and it was a truly blessed experience. Afterwards,
when handing out the snacks we offered, you could just see the joy in the kid’s
eyes. Language was no barrier as our youth laughed and played with the children
of the barrio. You wouldn’t think a simple movie followed by Doritos, Cheese
Puffs, Kool Aid, and lollypops could have such meaning, but we learned that these
are rare treats for these children.
The people of the barrio are poor. They have very little,
but what they have they are proud of. As one walks through the neighborhood, it
may not look like it at first, but when you go into their homes, when you
really look at the people instead of past them, you can see this. This is
something the team members who have not been here before are learning and a
piece of the trip they will never forget. Today, we met a young lady we first
met in 2010. Her name is Annie. When we first came through the barrio, she was
Padre Carlos’ translator and she had an energy that just drew us to this place.
She worked with us again when we came in 2011 with our youth, so it was really
nice to renew our relationship with her. She is now married and has a beautiful
little niña (girl).
During our reflection tonight on the balcony, as we had done in the past, we shared stories of where our team encountered God. Not only did we see God in those we served, but some saw God in the members of our team. Even though we had seen God in this way before, it was wonderful to hear our youth see it for themselves. When it came time for bed, it got quiet very quickly. It will be interesting to see what the morning will bring.
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