Last night, in the midst of welcoming our entire team to Guatemala, we received information regarding our crew assignments. Most of us had an idea of where we might be placed, but we all come to this mission willing to serve where needed. Obviously, Ray and Sherry, both doctors, are on our medical team. Erin, their oldest daughter, is also on that team with them. Lacey too. Rod, who has done nothing but concrete work since his first mission 4 years ago, is on the concrete team. No surprises there, huh? He will lead a team of 4, and their job is to pour concrete floors in the homes of the poorest villagers. This job is probably the most exhausting job of them all, and perhaps on of the most challenging. His tools are simple: shovels, hoes, wheelbarrows, gravel, sand, cement mix, and water. And lots of muscles. His crew starts at 6:30 every morning.
Maxine will be helping with all of those 100s of pounds of donated items, sort of over-seeing the distribution process. She will love being a part of that amazing experience. Carole will be assisting with the medical clinic in whatever way they can use her.
Most surprising to our team, was that some of us are assigned to a brand new crew this year; Stove Construction. Lisa and Michelle and leading stove crews --Lisa in the AM and Michelle all day long. We will learn how to assemble them, and we will work in the homes every day to build as many as possible. Each job takes about 2 hours, start to finish, so we hope to build 3 a day, with 40 installed by Friday. Lisa was a little worried, as construction is more challenging for her that it is for some others. When she heard that her tools were ultility knives and machetes (to smooth bricks, and cut holes in the roofs to vent the pipe), she imagined all sorts of medical emergencies for herself alone! They say is it like putting a puzzle together, each part intricate, and delicately placed. But when finished, the family's lives will be improved immediately. No more smoke filled rooms. 2 days less gathering wood to burn. A huge part of our team will be on these projects, and we trust that God will give us the ability to serve our crews to the best of our ability.
In the PM, Lisa will once again lead VBS, with now an estimated 150+ children. Some of her crew is comprised of our gang, and many from Virginia. They have been placed in a beautiful little church in the middle of the village, so at least we have safe, adequate shelter from the afternoon rains, that have been downpours at times.
So this week, we add to our resume all sorts of new job experiences. Tune in for more details.
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