Mission Trip - Day Three - Wednesday December 29th

When we arrived at the mission site, there was a very large truck with blocks awaiting us.  We formed two "work lines' and began unloading the blocks.  We all developed a rhythm to our work  and considering how many people were involved, how heavy the block were, how many blocks there were - no major accidents or injuries!

Unloading hundreds of blocks to be used for walls

I was assigned to the paint crew today.  The ceiling of the Community Center needed a second coat.  After about an hour of working, some on my crew thought that I looked too clean and quickly fixed that with some added paint to my clothing.  Now I looked like I fit right in!

One of the toughest parts of the week was lunch time.  We would always eat in the same building, which had large window openings.  The children of the community would gather in the windows and watch us eat.  When I told my daughter Kathryn this story, she told me that she would probably have had to "fast" at lunch time all week.  A lot of these people really don't know where their next meal is coming from, or that the quantity of food they get leaves them hungry for the next meal.

A couple of "window watchers" during lunch

After lunch, the rest of the paint crew moved outside to paint the outside of the school and new community center.  The sun was really bearing down so I stayed inside most of the afternoon and touched up spots on the ceiling that were missed.  Later in the afternoon, I did go outside and helped paint the school.

Painting the school

In the middle of the afternoon, work had begun on constructing walls and fences around the school (a requirement).  A cement truck showed up and the trenches that had been dug the day before were filled with concrete to act as a footer for the walls.

We went out for pizza!  It was very good and a lot of fun!

Early in the day, the three guys next door approached me about helping them get back at Jon for taking Justin's suitcase.  They wanted me to distract Jon and they were going to come into our room and steal his whole bed.  I played along that I would help - but they didn't know "Cardinal Rule #26" - never conspire against your roommate!  haha

On Wednesday night, I was laying on my bed writing this blog, when Justin came walking into my room, grabbed my smaller travel bag and ran!  I was after him in a second, chasing him through the halls of the hotel.  Up and down stairs.  Remember, this is a 61-year-old man chasing a 15 year old!  He would really pick up pace on the stairs.  I saw him duck down a hallway, and by the time I got there, he had disappeared.  He later told me that one of the rooms in that hallway was occupied by some of the other teens on the trip and he ducked in there and slammed the door.  I eventually got my bag back!  Some of the girls said it was one of the funniest things they have ever seen, me chasing Justin through the halls!