Mel described the process for making mortar and it sure is different than what we are used to!
It starts with 7 buckets of sand that must be hand sifted in a 2x3 foot screen. Then, the sifted sand is mixed with a 100 lb bag of mortar and about 6 gallons of water. On the ground. With shovels. It's a cumbersome process, but that's the way it is done in Nicaragua.
Buying supplies is an endless task.
This is Richard making sure the brick wall will be straight and true.
Back row: Richard, Mike, Mel, and Todd, plus Horacio, a relative of Juan Bautista, the pastor of Alfa y Omega. As often as possible, the team tries to hire local labor to help out and finish projects where necessary. It is a good way for them to help the local economy and to meet new people to share the Gospel with (as long as an interpreter is present)
As of today, they are about 3/4 of the way through with the brick wall. They expect to finish it tomorrow and then move onto installing a metal roof on the front porch.
When asked about his experience here so far, Mel said it has been "absolutely fantastic, the experience of a lifetime. Everyone should see it." Mel also shared that this has been "eye-opening, what really tore me up today was the kids, when we were handing out toys, just the small amount of food, it was like christmas to them." (In regards to distributing food packages to the families of the Dream of Louisa students.)
Mike has also been working on the farm, improving the care takers house. In addition to the brick work, he's been working on some plumbing projects as well. His reason for coming to Nicaragua is because he flet God calling him here and as he described it, "I wasn't going to tell him no. It was amazing, the preparation and the way everything worked out to get me here - no hitches whatsoever."
Already he can see that his walk with Christ has been strengthened, much like Paul had hoped for when he wrote to the church in Rome.
Todd normally works on tiling projects when he is here, but since he has finished those jobs up, he is joining this crew to work on some of the plumbing projects around the farm. His work has mainly involved moving spigots, repairing hose bibs, and assisting on installing brick covers to protect everything. If you want to know more about what Todd has been doing in Nicaragua, you can check out his personal blog - Project Nagarote.
Finally, David and Joel have been working on an electrical project for Alfa y Omega. Initially the plan had been to repair some wiring and replace a broken fan. Instead, they found that the entire church needed to be rewired. So they have spent the last 2 days installing conduit, wire, and new ceiling fans. They estimate that it will take another 1-2 days to finish up this project.
I think all of these men can attest that the most important thing to pack for any mission trip is a flexible schedule!
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