Coming Right Along...

My apologies for not writing the past few days. Our work days have been long and tiring. Sometimes we don't get home until ten o'clock at night.
In general, we have many projects going on at the site. Our main project, the largest of them all, is to build the second story of the first building which will eventually become the orphans' home. Additionally, much of our time has been spent moving fertile soil from the outskirts of the work site to the front of the orphanage. We hope to use this as the grounds for a future garden. Another project has been sifting through a large pile of rocks and pebbles for sand. We use the sand to make concrete for various purposes. For example, on Monday we resealed the roof with a thin layer of cement mixed with a water proofing agent. This task was difficult because it rained on and off all day on Monday. Every time we cleared the roof of the puddles of water that collected there, it would rain again, and we would have to sweep the puddles of water off once more (a subtle form of torture).
The leaky roof has begun to destroy some of the ceiling inside the orphanage, allowing mold to grow. These areas will have to be knocked out and re-plastered. The area around the windows have been leaking as well, thus creating yet another side project - resealing the window panes with brick and cement. While the majority of us work on these side projects, the rest spend their time measuring and cutting metal bars (Dustin has been on a three day steel-hacking binge) that make up the columns and tresses for the second floor. Once the pieces are cut, they are welded together (by Kayla and Ernesto), painted (to prevent rusting), and raised to the roof. If the pace maintains, the second story roof will be up in no time!
All in all, though the work may get a bit tedious (especially with minimal tools at hand), watching the project develop through the means of our hands and the sweat of our brows is very rewarding.