Monday & Tuesday

Our schedule for Monday and Tuesday was very much the same. We woke at 6 a.m. Breakfast at 7 a.m. Then on the bus at 8:15 a.m. for the 15 minute drive to Cielo. Our work for the first two days was pouring headers on the homes of Marco and Luis.

Marco and Luis are Hatian employees of Mission Emanuel who have been working with the mission for 7 years. Marco and Luis are some of the hardest working people I have ever met. They have helped build 50 of the 55 homes the mission has constructed. Never once did they ask to have a home for themselves. This year the mission decided that it was time for them to have a home built in the community where they have worked so hard. It is very meaningful for us to be doing this. For me, Marco is one of my favorite people in the DR, and I am honored to help build his home.

So what do we do? One group mixes concrete on the ground in the road. This takes about 2 -3 people. They then fill small buckets that are then passed up a line to the person who then pours the concrete into the forms that form the headers that connect the whole cinderblock house. It is that simple. But of course you add in blazing hot sun, heavy buckets, an make shift ladder up and incline, and 4-5 hours , and it becomes work.

But of course there are numerous breaks for water to stave off heat stroke, and there is time for joking and getting to know those who are helping out. Here is a picture of me explaining to Steve Rowell what I believe the weather pattern will be for today. They all wondered which meteorological school I graduated from.

My biggest concern of the last two days was not to over do it. Last year, when we were doing cement bucket lines, I injured my back significantly to the point that it hurt all the time. Each month since last October it has gotten slowly better, and I did not want to re-injure it. So far, so good. I have been wearing a lumbar support thing that I believe is helping. A little advil and ice at the end of the day have also helped.

This evening we are going to see a game between two of the premier baseball teams of the Dominican League. As you may know, the Dominican Republic puts out very good baseball players - many who play in the major leagues. They often return to the DR during the off season to play in this league.

Well that's it for today!