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Jenelle Keene - Sunday, 1 August 2016
Jenelle Keene - Sunday, 1 August 2016
Today I had the good fortune to experience
my first Habitat build day. It is our 3rd
day in El Salvador, so I was not at all surprised that the people we met
everywhere were warm, friendly, and generous.
I was nervous and excited to build. I was unsure as to what we would be
doing and what the process would be like.
When we arrived, we dug “trenches” and moved dirt for quite a
while. Then we mixed a cement with a
gravel-type product and tamped it into the trenches. The final part of the day we spent moving
cement blocks as a team. The “foreman”
of the job is a quiet and hardworking man named Juan. It was unbelievable to watch him work. He had few tools on the site, but there is no
doubt that he is a great craftsman. As
newcomers, he could have easily said we were frustrating or slowing him down,
but Juan patiently assisted and gave us tasks as needed.
Everyone worked very hard, took turns with
various duties, and pitched in throughout the day. We shared sunscreen, bug spray, snacks, and
laughter. It was such a joy to meet the
family who will live in the house. The
father and his 10 year old son worked with us all day. Javier, the son, was particularly
amazing! He smiled, he laughed, he
taught us some Spanish, and we taught him a bit of English. He even shared candy with us. He worked as hard as the adults and never
complained. There were moments that we had to work harder to understand one
another, but there was a common purpose and a team spirit right away. I suppose our mission group is the same
way. It is hard to describe what being
here feels like, but I am so glad that I felt called to come. I am very thankful for Jim’s leadership and
to everyone from GSLC who helped make this trip and all the ones before it
possible.
In Christ’s Service,
Jenelle Keene
Dean
We looked around for the tools that Juan
had for himself and the crew, and they were very few: Hammer, nails, boards, string, tape measure,
shovels, pickaxes, wheel barrows, small spades, and buckets. For a level, he uses a clear, long, plastic
tube which he fills with water. If held
properly, it can use it as a level between two points, typically the corners of
the house.
Our workday schedule is:
7:30 a.m. Breakfast
7:45 a.m. Departure
8:00 a.m. Begin
Work
10:00 a.m. Break
12 noon Lunch
12:45 p.m. Resume
work
2:00 p.m. Break
4:00 p.m. Done
for the day
We did visit the Women's Co-Op, which was started by Habitat for Humanity.
Glenda talks about the co-op and how they issue microloans to local families.
Juana and Beti explain that they have made some 60 microloans. The co-op is made just like a standard El Salvador Habitat home.
Francis introduces Juan, the site boss. He is a contractor working with Habitat.
You can see the foundation trenches which were already dug when we arrived - thank goodness.
The bricks arrive and are downloaded.
Jim works on rebar for the foundations.
We mix the stuff that will be used on the dirt at the bottom of the trenches.
A couple of scenes from the Ahuachapan marketplace that we drove by on the way from the work site.
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