Hey Everyone! We had a fantastic first day of work. The time went by so fast that I didn’t even realize when it was time to stop for lunch. This morning we began work on plastering and painting the two brand new rooms that have been added as a second story to school at Salud y Paz in Comenchaj.
We cleared out all of the left over rubble from the previous team and then began mixing the plaster right on the floor of the first room where we started working. That was a job in itself; we had one team whose only job all day long was to sift gravel out of sand so that the sand could be used to make the plaster. We finished the plaster on 85% of the first room and we’ll finish the rest of it tomorrow before beginning the second room.
Others painted the wooden rails that formed the perimeter of the second floor balcony while others were put to work on the “Save the Nails” campaign. They reuse everything here, so we were asked to remove nails from old boards so they could be used again in the future. Several of us also spent time playing with the children from the school.
By the way, the septic system that we installed last year is completely up and running; and it has been a great blessing to the clinic and school. In years past, when it would rain for days on end, the system would back up and overflow into the yard and the conditions were less than desirable, but now the tank that we installed handles everything wonderfully no matter how much rain!
In all, it was a great day and even though our backs are sore and our hands hurt, we are excited to do it all again tomorrow! Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers this week. If you want to send any messages to the team, leave a comment on Facebook or “Tweet” us @fumchurstyouth. The internet is too dodgy to send pics and videos, but I promise I will load them all the minute we get back home.
--Matt Ybañez
Here is a journal entry from Connor Teague:
July 16, 2010
Wow. This place is just truly amazing: the cool air, lively culture, and mix of old and new friends. The scenery is truly right off of a postcard with amazing greenery, historic buildings, and shabby market streets. The seemingly always present smiles on the faces of everyone down here is just another reason to say God is everywhere and in everyone.
Ok, so first thing out of the airport we see about 100 faces looking at us from behind a retaining wall, which kind of startled me because of the sheer number. But as we crossed the street with luggage in tow, the most wicked looking school bus comes rolling up with the words “Super Niña” on the side. This is gonna be fun was the first thought I had. After we loaded onto the bus, we zoomed down crowded streets filled with a billion other buses, motorcycles, and strange looking vans. Soaking in all of the new environment, we rode for about an hour on bumpy, unforgiving roads. Upon arrival in
After all that has happened today, I am so excited to see what great wonders God has in store for us the rest of the week. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to spread the love of God. God bless everyone that has been involved in making this trip possible.
--Connor Teague
