Moving Along

Waiting for the second floor to dry and cure has given us an opportunity to do a bunch inside of the bottom floor. Over the past couple of days we have done a great deal of the plumbing, worked to raise the level of the floor, and started blocking in the bathrooms. Outside we have build the form and are ready to pour the stairway. By the end of this week we will be well on our way to having the first floor completed. Early next week we will be blocking in the second floor and will be ready to put on a roof. Our plan is to finish most of the project by somewhere around May 24th.
The community is very excited about our work and our progress and we hope to deliver a place where lives will be changed. Tonight or whenever you read this, please say a prayer for this little community. There are a lot of things that are severly impacting the lives of the people that live in Oriente. Food prices lead the list. In just a few months most of the everyday foods that are so very important here have gone up in price - significantly. For instance, eggs are up more than 50% in the past year, beans have doubled (or more), rice is crazy and still going up, corn is being made into fuel instead of tortillas and the cost is through the roof for people that survive on tortillas. On top of food prices, fuel prices are driving the cost of everything else up. Because of the crazy way that this country buys fuel, there is a sever shortage of diesel and that is keeping the water delivery trucks from making it into this community. Today there was only one water delivery (compared to a normal 5 or 6) for the whole community. People everywhere were looking for water today.
Even with all the problems that face this little community, the people are always smiling and happy to spend time with friends, family, and others. I would encourage any of you to come to visit us to meet the people that I have grown to love.
Be a blessing to somebody today.
Marc