We worked hard. That would be the theme of today! We took our team down to Las Parcelas today - this is the community where Ruby Ranch is located and where all the kids came from that we took to Campo. We have been invested in this community for the last three years. And it means so much to the residents and to our team to continue to build on the relationships and to continue serving Ruby Ranch as project after project gets completed.
We arrived at the Ranch to see two daunting piles - one of rock and one of sand and that can only mean one thing... concreto. Nica style. Mixing by hand - no power tools or mixers. And the piles were at the bottom of the hill and we knew that they had to get up to the house somehow where we are pouring for the patio. This is a little house that is on the property that will first be converted to a dining hall until the large one is built and then later will likely become an office/staff housing combo.
So the shoveling began. The process was to fill these plastic bags (which then ended up weighing about 80+ pounds) and then tie them off and get them up to the house (which is about a 30 foot climb). By God's grace Henri was there with his ox cart. Henri is the Nicaragua version of Chuck Norris. If he ever did shed a tear we are fairly certain it would cure cancer. He shames all of us with his work ethic and strength. And so does his ox team for that matter.
But what teamwork was on display from our team. Everyone jumped right in and start filling bags by the dozens. Then it was off to the house to unload and begin making the concrete. This is just labor intensive work. So many on the team were delighted to see the kids from camp start to arrive after our lunch break. We rotated around between playing with the kids and making concrete.
Most of the team did take the hike up to the top of the mountain at the Ranch. Our team last year worked hard clearing a section that we knew would be an outdoor chapel but we never got to see it completed. Sometimes it is hard working on a project (like clearing land and trees) only to see it become a brush pile. But the beauty of the Kingdom is that it takes many parts to form the body. So teams came behind ours and completed the work. Seeing it finished reminded me that "Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase."
After a full day of work, we were all ready for a shower and dinner or dinner and a shower is how it turned out. But God is good and we will all sleep well tonight.
By the way, I finally emailed some pics so hopefully those will show up on our Facebook page or student website somewhere. The uploads are really slow, so most nights I have just given up. Thanks for hanging with us on this journey. We appreciate those who follow and pray more than you could imagine!
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