Construction on new orphan facility #1

Hello my friends,

I wanted to take a minute and update you guys on the progress of the new orphan facility here in Teopisca, Chiapas. As I told you in an earlier email, we broke ground on the facility on Thanksgiving day. We have been steadily working on the first phase over the last 3 weeks and we are making good progress. As you will see from the photos, we have received much help from little hands. I think that it is good that the little ones help out on the project as they will be able to look back and see that they had a part in constructing their new home.

We are further along than what the photos show but I thought that the number of photos was sufficient for this first post about the facility. I will try to update everyone on the progress of this new orphan facility on a more continual basis as this may keep everyone ´involved´ in the project with us.




The first 7 pics show the progress from day to day and week to week. It doesn´t look like much but when you consider the amount of time it takes to dig each hole and get everything marked out...it takes some time to get where we are now.

The pic with 4 of us digging in one spot was the groundbreaking on Thanksgiving Day.

The last pic of the first 4 shows all 17 holes that we dug out!!! I am glad that is over!!















































These 3 photos show us clearing off the land before we started marking the property and digging the holes....with machetes of course!!! No lawn mowers here!

























This pics show Señor Augustine, the main man in charge, getting everything ´surveyed´and ready to go...he has been doing this for 30 years now...since he was 14!












































This was the progress of the first hole I dug...and 4 1/2 hours later I was finished...man, if it had not been for my little helper Maki, I might not have have finished for another few minutes...so after you look at these photos of the progress in just one hole, you can see why it is good progress to dig 17 holes...most of the holes were over 3ft x 3ft x 3ft...
































































Some pics of various workers doin their own thing...

My Pastor C who is the man that adopts all this children....and Elias who just sold his business in Tuxtla Gutierrez to come here to Teopisca to work with pastor C and help with other ministries...















Rigoberto...one of the two young men that I disciple every Sunday night













Rigoberto´s younger brother Miguel...and Jerimias who was just saved about a year ago and attens our church...
















Here are some pics of all of the helpers working on the project........HEY who is that white woman in the middle of the photo...oh, that is Sarita´s mom who came to see what was going on in Teopisca...so we put her to work!!! That´s the way we do it down here...if there is an extra shovel, you better be ready to work...

Kids being kids....
















And big kids being kids....Elias and his wife, pastor C and his wife , and then of course it is yours truly and my bride Sarita...or should I say it is yours truly, Sarita and baby Keeling!!!!























YA....NADA MAS!!!