Guatemala 2016 Update – Making Progress One Step At A Time
(Wednesday, July 13, 2016)
Many of you know that I have a goal to build 100 houses in Guatemala before I die.
Some things this goal is crazy. Sometimes I wonder if the goal just isn’t enough.
One thing I know for sure, building 100 houses happens one house at a time. And building one house happens one action at a time.
This morning, I expected to get to the job site and see immediate progress, but it didn’t happen quite like this. It was much more of a deliberate process. We assessed the current state of the house. We discussed our next steps. We broke up into teams. And we started to work. Isaac, Rafael, and I worked on finishing the sills for the house that rest above the concrete block. Leanne and Hannah moved the corrugated metal sheets for the roof closer to the building. And Jose worked on getting the roof structure ready for completion.
In the morning, things seems to drag along. I wanted to see progress. But it just seemed so slow.
For lunch, we walked over to German and Suzy’s house in the pouring rain for lunch. They’ve been working on their house since last time, and it was cool to see what they have done to their place. The sun came out, and we walked back to our house for a few minutes of siesta before going back to work on the house.
When we arrived back at the job site, there seemed to be a greater sense of urgency and purpose as we proceeded. Jose and Rafael worked on a gutter system for another structure in the house, and the rest of us started working on the walls. Before long, we completed the back wall of the house and part of one of the side walls. It was great to see such progress.
We are scheduled to go back to the site on Friday, and I’m fairly certain we should finish up the house in time for a Saturday dedication.
By the way, today was my 20th wedding anniversary. Leanne and I celebrated a couple weeks ago in Vermont, and we celebrated again in Guatemala. 20 years has gone by in a flash. When we were married, I never would have imagined spending our 20th anniversary in Guatemala on a missions trip, but I’m thankful for this experience. I also wonder where the next 20 years will take us.