Build

Where did I leave off?  We are in Columbus Ohio currently, getting ready for several days of ICOM (International Conference on Missions) and then next week to new ground for us, the GMHC (Global Medical Health Conference) and I wanted to give an update...but not comprehensive, as praise God, that would just be too much stuff to fit in one blog post.  

Not sure I mentioned it prior here, but we did help start the foundation for the walls for the church in Danli.  We could go back in months with another team to get things going further along, but ideally, if we could send them money...they could get it done without our physical help.  The great thing is that four the rest of the foundation and four walls (with space finally for windows!) we would be around $5000.

Then will come the second floor/roof, another $5000 or less to do it right.  I wonder if anyone is up for a chunk of that?  Piece by piece, it will come together. 

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The Milk Project construction continues in Las Botijas, and they are growing through the growing pains that come with a new staff, working with the church pastor, and everyone learning about communication and coordination.  It will come, just needs some time to iron things out, and prayers for flexibility and good hearts in all while they do.  

In Sampedrana, they were working on doing some lice shampooing this month.  Also got to see some pictures of them handing out vitamins.  We started buying vitamins to add, not every day...but we are working on it.  They are expensive as it turns out, especially when gummies won't work with heat.  

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​Lots of rain...more road work.  It seems like we talk about this a lot right?  In Sampedrana, this doesn't just affect us, but all of our neighbors along the way.  

We are working on it. In fact, the guys are working on it quite a bit.  But the amount of time, materials, and money to fix this will take years.  But we try to remember how you eat an elephant...one piece at a time.  

I can tell you this as an occasional driver there...every piece of concrete we can raise enough money to put there, makes me giddy with joy to see every time I go up there.  

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Jonathan reports they are doing some special services to try to reach people in the community in Cantarranas in the evenings during the week now through the end of the year.  

The new plant in Guayavillas is doing better under Javier, with a baptism and some growth...unfortunately the motorcycle we had for him to use to get around and visit more people, but we are working on it.  

vehicle woes continue, which is a pain...but a good pain.  We are driving so much, doing so much with the churches, that unfortunately this is just a byproduct of that.  If we stayed put more, less issues.  Sure, some of the trucks are getting older, and we are working on some replacement plans, but for now, I get excited seeing that the funds have come in for the new clinic construction in Sampedrana (almost done) and Las Botijas (just starting) and the road work.  If we worked in parts of the country that were already well established...we wouldn't have these issues.  But we are working in areas that are largely forgotten by the government and everyone else.  

We are trying to help build something bigger than us, than the areas we serve.