Update #4 - Tuesday is putting up beams day

Monday was an especially difficult day for Benjamin and I (Laura). A combination of heat, lack of sleep, and car sickness got the better of us both. But God is good! All The Time! He mercifully helped us through it to a much better Tuesday.

We hoisted 23 - 700lb concrete beams up to the top of the walls to start the roof. Then moved about 20% of the 50lb cinderblocks up to fill the space between the beams. After a lovely siesta we headed back out again for VBS. We have spent quite a bit of time bonding with our van mates! It was great to see so many children and their families listening to the Gospel and playing together. One of my favorite parts of today was hearing stories of the connections that were made between team members and local people. Norah made a friend named Jemima on Monday evening, who thought she would not be back tonight - but she was! As an expression of their new friendship, Jemima went to a local tienda and bought Norah some anelote (a local food with corn).

-Laura Milner

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Tuesday morning was the day for the concrete beams to be placed along the top of the building so that the roofing process could begin. By 10:30 AM all of the beams were up and in place. We were then treated to a delicious fruit break that included mangoes, pineapple, watermelon, bananas, and salbutes (a fried corn tortilla topped with egg, pickled onions, lettuce, and tomatoes). After the fruit break, we began putting the cinder blocks on top of the concrete beams to form the base of the roof.

We had another good night of VBS with around 50 children again. It was a joy to see children running down the street smiling and waving to us as we drove in. There were also children lined along the fence of the pavilion full of excitement when they saw our vans. With the help of Lettie (from Shalom Church), Stephanie and some of the youth were able to tell the children of how God Loves and God Gives. After the lesson we helped them make bracelets, play with bubbles, color pages, and jump rope. The night ended with a locals versus Faith volleyball game. To see the men that are helping to build the church all day, then bring their families to VBS in the evening, and then want to play volleyball with the adults shows what this church will mean to this community. Truly an example of how God Loves and God Gives.