03/27/2012

Apparently no one heard our alarm this morning, so we awoke to Dean Vilchez knocking on our door telling us we had 15 minutes. We scurried about, until someone checked their watch and realized we had 15 minutes until breakfast. We then plopped back into bed and eventually rolled in for breakfast. After breakfast, we gathered our gear and put on sunscreen before heading out to our work site. Apparently the guys were late again and this didn't make Dean Vilchez happy.

We arrived to the work site and began to mix more concrete. I jumped in and started helping the contractors take the re-bar and make the rectangular support beams for pouring the main slabs of concrete. We started with two long re-bar rods, and then from thinner rods, we cut shorter segments that were bent into squares. These squares were spaced evenly between the re-bar rods, and then wire was used to secure the squares in place. Once one side was secured, the entire segment was trimmed, meaning any loose tails for teh wires were twisted together then cut off. Upon completion, the entire segment was rotated 180 degrees; 2 more long re-bar bars were inserted between the squares connected/secured and then the wires twisted off.

I spent most of the morning making these and teaching others how to make them. I then helped put some concrete between some blocks. The big adventure was figuring out how to transport the big pile of bricks from one end of the soccer field to our work site. While - well wait, it should be noted that these blocks/bricks we have been using weigh about 100 lbs each and are large. It takes two people to lift and move them. So while some people paired up and started hauling bricks manually, I found a working wheelbarrow.

I then met everyone at midfield and loaded 2 blocks into the barrow (cuz that's all it could hold). I then took a running start and pushed the wheelbarrow to the other side/the workplace. The contractors and our students liked the idea, so we started rotating groups to push the wheelbarrow. However, Dean Vilchez's cousin showed up and saw us struggling to haul the bricks over to the worksite. He left and returned wtih a truck, so we loaded the remaining blocks onto the truck and they drove them across the field. We then began to put up the third layer of bricks before we headed home for lunch.

Lunch was spaghetti, salad, and toast. It was so good! We then had some time off so we went back to the room and slept. The girls think all we do is sleep when we are free, and that's pretty true! Haha... we we woke up and returned to the work site, where we sat around waiting for more cement to be made and for the workers to finish the foundation. We continued the third layer, of bricks, and were amazed by the contractors' strength. One lifted and carried 2 sandbags across the soccer field by himself. These sandbags - I bet is as heavy as 2 bricks, and this guy was carrying them on his head and acted like it was nothing.

After dinner I returned to my room to write my journal, then went to worship, followed by some time with the kids. I was going to help the girl with her violin, but Jaylene played the violin that night and was holding all the kids' attention. I was more than fine with that, so I instead played games with the kids. Soon we got a phone call from Anne Maria, the head director here at the orphanage. She was driving a truck back from Leon (about 2 years away) when the tires blew out. She had to leave the truck and hitchhike to the nearest town in order to get cellphone reception (that's where she called us from).

This was because the truck broke down in the middle of nowhere. Anne Maria wanted a few of us to stay up until midnight to help unload the truck when it arrived. Because we were fearful that we would not be able to go back to sleep after waking up at midnight to unload the truck, Dean Obed, Crystal, Veronica, Suzy (from the orphanage) and I stayed up until midnight. Little did I know my night was just beginning.

- Richard P.