After a long week of frenetic activity, the last two members of the work crew took off this morning and are now flying back home to their families. Now, I can sit back, sip a cup of coffee, and do all of the bookkeeping that is needed to make sure we can report accurately on all that we did and how the money was invested in the Lord’s work back here. You can check out the photo albums on facebook and in flickr to see all that they got done. But let me share some of the highlights with you.
At first I was beginning to wonder about how this work crew would go as it seemed like we were having all sorts of problems. Our Colombian worker was injured in a construction accident and I had difficulties finding an available worker. Then, Susy and Brian’s flight was canceled and they were bumped to the red eye flight. That messed up our travel plans down here as we were planning on all climbing on a bus that same night and heading to Villavo. Then the Delta flight bringing a second group of the work crew was delayed for two full hours, meaning it was mid-night before they got in. As a result, the main group got to Villavo at 5AM and I picked Susy and Brian up at 6:30AM and then the three of us headed to Villavo in my 21 year old jeep. It made for a very long day and a very tiring trip for everyone.
But once we got to Villavo, things started to come together and all was working out well for us. On Saturday we simply rested up and surveyed the work and decided who was going to do what. There was no pressure on anyone to do anything unless they simply wanted to. On Sunday we headed to church and spent the whole morning in a trilingual worship service: Spanish, English, and Colombian Sign Language. Then we all headed out for some delicious Colombian roast beef. Sunday afternoon was also a rest and recover time. By then most of the work crew was rested up and recovered from their trip and ready to work.
Monday morning we started laying block on the Hostel building and installing the electricity in the second cabin and beginning to paint it. Soon the progress was evident. On Tuesday we headed into town to visit the Christian day school and for several child sponsors to have the opportunity to meet their kids. It was a fun morning as we rumbled along in the cramped old bus we use for our school and then we headed back out to the camp for lunch and for the afternoon. We worked on the project as the doors and windows arrived and we installed those while the block laying crew raised the interior walls of the hostel building. In the evening the elders from the Villavo church came out to share with the work crew.
On Wed we laid block and painted and also began to cut the brush and weeds that had grown up on the lot in my six month absence while the project was halted due to lack of funds. We ordered another load of blocks as the new walls were going up fast and our builder installed the last of the doors and windows with the help of the crew. By Thursday it was back to painting and our electrician had enough walls in the new building to begin roughing in the wiring.
Thursday and Friday were more of the same as the project progressed by leaps and bounds on all fronts. The second cabin had two coats of paint with all of the doors and windows installed. The new construction had the walls to nearly full height and much of the roughed in wiring done. The transformation in one week was impressive as God had used this work crew to do incredible things in a very short period of time. I think we were all amazed. We extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to each and everyone of them and to all of you who sent them to us and supported them with your offerings and prayers. God has been praised in deed and word through this year’s work crew!
If you would like to head down on our next work crew let us know. We need people of all ages and skills to help us with the Camp Expansion Project. We’d love to see you next February or next summer!
Work Crew for February 2013