One of the most rewarding projects during the summer is building houses for folks who either have none or are living in a thrown-together hut. Oftentimes we help the family move their belongings out before the old "house" is torn down. Other than a couple of pieces of furniture, their belongings usually can fit in a couple of trash bags. What we build is not a mansion. In fact, here in the States they would be called "sheds" but where we build them they are some of the best houses in the area. On a good day, one can be built in 6 to 8 hours at a cost of around $2,000.00 US dollars. They are usually 16 feet by 18 feet using either wooden lap siding or tongue and groove siding. The floor is built with the same siding, it turns out quite smooth and nice. The door and "window" are very simple. The village mayor usually supplies the tin for the roof.
VISITING THE HOSPITAL
Physically it’s not demanding. Emotionally it can be draining. Despite the despair for some, we try to bring some joy into the children’s and parent's lives. Sometimes it gets out of hand because the children get so excited, especially when we bring out the bubbles and everyone starts trying to catch them. We do try not to annoy the doctors and nurses. I think they appreciate us being there, after all, they do keep letting us return.
Occasionally we are able to donate some kind of machine that the hospital needs, thanks to folks in a US hospital and the knowledge about shipping through Healing Hands International.
This young girl had been hit by a car, not an uncommon occurence. She seemed to be pretty depressed when we arrived and for good reason. She had been in the hospital for weeks the skin was scraped off her leg during the accident and one of her legs was broken. She wouldn't eat much at all. I was thrilled when we got her to smile. I hope things turned out well for her.
Building Schoolrooms and Bridges
There is so much more. On the left we're mixing concrete to build a classroom. The children who use it had to walk several miles up some steep mountains to get to their school. Now they and their teachers are thrilled it's in their own village.
On the right, we rebuilt a bridge for this village. Okay, it doesn't look that great but you should have seen the one we removed. It was made out of a few boards and tied together with barbed wire. When it rains, that creek is dangerous and kids have to cross to get to school.
In 2008 we started taking sandwiches and water to the city dump. There are people who live there who go through the trash looking for things to sell. This summer we will be taking hot food for the men, women, yes, and children who live there.
A few years ago we stood on a run-down plot of land covered with grown-over mango trees and other miscellaneous stuff. There is now a children's home housing and caring for 14 children (as of August 2009). There is also a small medical clinic taking care of the sick, a church building reaching out to the spiritually sick, and perhaps in the future a facility to train women how to make a living by learning a new trade.
