Tuesday Update Two, July 30 - Construction of Walls at Other Build Site

Tuesday Update One, July 30 - A Trip to the Grocery Store and Two More Stumps Removed

Construction Begins - Monday, July 28

Today, we split into two groups to work at two different sites.  The two groups are:

Habitat Leaders:  Arely and Josue, substituting for Francis just today.
Jim
Greg
Jason
Joe
Maggie
Nicole
Walker
Sara

Habitat Leader: Carla
Dean
Nicki
Bob
Shaun
Jenelle
Marilyn
Jake
Ruth

The activities of Carla's group are described here.  We'll swap tasks on Thursday so we can visit each other's work sites.

 Carla, a native El Salvadoran, has a Master's degree from Saint Cloud State University in Minnesota in teaching English as a second language.
She will guide our construction efforts today.

We get to the work site and Jenelle ponders the tree stump we need to remove.

Ernesto, an assistant mason, will help us.

Abraham, the head mason will direct our work.

Marilyn reviews her Spanish with a young boy in the neighborhood.

Jake works on moving a wall off the lot line.

This is where we eat lunch, which is driven in daily by a representative of a local business.  This is the outdoor area of the home of a relative of the future homeowner.

With Shaun Keene looking on after hours of personal digging and chopping, the stump finally is broken loose.  This is an old mango tree that had died, and was located where the foundation of the house will be.  We worked all day removing this, and the local masons, our immediate work supervisors, were very happy about it.  After completing this task, one has a lot of respect for an old mango tree that probably saw a very long life of being a very tough tree.

Preparing to drag away the loosened stump.

The stump is going to have to be pulled out with several people and a rope.

Ernesto gives Shaun the credit for conquering the mangrove stump.

Sunday, July 28 - Worship at Cristo Rey and Lunch at a Crater Lake

 The entire group at a lake later in the day.

Back row:  Jason Fisher, Jenelle Keene, Marilyn Dudley, Jake Meyer, Jim Hack, Shaun Keene, Greg Fisher, Walker Smith, Bob Clark.  Front row:  Joe Chamley, Sara Smith, Maggie Paul, Dean Olson, Ruth Meyer, Francis Padilla from Habitat Para Humanidad El Salvador.  

We are at Coatepeque Lake, a fairly large and very beautiful crater lake.

Cristo Rey Inglesia Lutherano

Christ the King Lutheran Church in Santa Ana, El Salvador.

We helped dig the foundation for this church in a build trip here in 2014.

Kids and adults before worship at Cristo Rey Inglesia Luterano (Christ the King Lutheran Church) in Santa Ana.

We get organized for worship at Cristo Rey.  Another group from Charlotte, NC, joins us like they did last year.  They are 26 in number, all organized by Thrivent leaders in North Carolina.

We are pleased and pleasantly surprised to see Pastor Carlos again!  His health is now better than it has been in several years after some adjustments to his heart health plan. Pastor Vilma, his wife, joins him at the altar.  He gave a very thoughtful sermon on the importance of persistent prayer, based on today's Gospel.  He preached without notes.

Marilyn Dudley reads scripture.

Jenelle Keene reads a lesson.

Pastor Todd from a church in Pineville, NC, co-celebrates with Pastor Carlos, Jason Fisher, and Pastor Vilma.  Beanie Baby gifts from Good Shepherd are at the foot of the altar.

Marilyn Dudley blesses the children of the church not yet ready for communion.

Several of us appear with the kids after the service.

Pastor Carlos, Dean Olson, Briseida Cruz, Jim Hack.  Briseida recently completed her Master's degree in theology.  She now enters a two year program to become a full pastor.  One step in the program is to be a Deacon Pastor.  She will serve at both Apostles of Christ Lutheran Church and Lamb of God Lutheran Church in Soyapango, El Salvador.  Her mentor (and fiance!) will be Pastor Rafael, also of both churches.

The crater lake.

One of the family members, Camila, for whom we are building a house.  She is playing with Marilyn's very globe-trotting travel hat.

 Some of us took a boat ride around an island in the lake.

Some of us went swimming in the cool (but not cold) water.

The scenes from the boat ride were quite striking.

Some of the properties seen from the lake.  Habitat rents out the space we use for their volunteers.  We were 16 in number, plus another group of 26 for a total of 42 at the lake. 

Sara Smith plays with Camila. 

Our ultra-modern Remfort hotel in Santa Ana which even has a pool.