Recap

At this point in the summer, I feel the need to recap what has been done so far at the homes. Most of you who read this might not have anything to compare the progress to since you haven't been here, but just trust me that if I talk about it, it wasn't here before and now it is. If you have in fact been here before, pat yourself on the back and then ask yourself why you have been here and you haven't brought all the aforementioned schmucks on a trip yet. But, when you finish reading this post, close your eyes and try to visualize the homes with all the changes we have made. Don't shut your eyes yet, because I haven't told you about anything yet and you wouldn't be able to read about them with your eyes shut.

Rancho de los Ninos:
This special needs home has gotten a face-lift this summer. The outer wall has been sealed and covered in stucco. We put up a fence that separates the main complex from the large field that lies behind it. Until the second half of the big concrete wall is finished around the whole back of the property, this fence will keep the children safe. It has concrete running all along the bottom and will have razor wire along the top. Speaking of the rest of the big wall, the footers have begun to dug! With the help of a backhoe every once in a while, we have made a fair amount of progress getting footers put in. The sidewalk in the  covered area where the van parks to unload has been busted out so that a ramp can be poured and the house made more accessible to wheelchairs. We put in a sweet sidewalk that runs from the car port around the front of the house to the front door and took out a useless, huge concrete ramp that really just got in the way. We put up a fence that encloses a huge portion of the front yard so that kids can go outside to play without the caretakers having to worry about where the kids are. We installed an air conditioning unit in the therapy room. No need to explain the significance of that. Lastly, we put new platforms on many of the playground structures and painted the roofs and slides in fresh bright colors. Sweet.

Salvation Army:
The wall has begun! Like the wall at Rancho, except not at Rancho. We have been digging holes, squaring holes, bending boots and pouring footers. Progress is being made. We busted out and re-poured the concrete at the main entrance so that anything with four wheels doesn't bottom out driving over it. Behind the offices a brand new concrete pad was poured with four sturdy clothesline poles held fast within. No more stringing laundry from rickety posts or a tree while standing in the dirt. Lastly, we ran video cable from the caretakers' house to each of the dorms and installed video surveillance cameras. These cameras will help the caretakers monitor who is in each dorm, and in particular for the boys' dorm, monitor any hazing or bullying that is an ongoing issue. Super sweet.

FloreSer:
As any intern will tell you, this home has been one of the most frustrating work-wise. The tasks are not largely noticeable, but they are tedious and take a long time to complete. The greatest foe has been a railing that runs along some outside stairs. First all the old paint had to be ground off. Then sanded. Then weatherproofed and primed. Then repainted. God bless anyone who poured their strength and heart into that railing. Group members have also spent countless hours on scaffolding scraping old paint off a huge wall. When they get done they look like someone dunked them in greenish/white powder. Gross. We have also drywalled a new room that will be used as the computer room. The big project has been mounting razor wire along a stretch of wall. It involved building a frame out of wood and then filling it with concrete so that the y-shaped things that the razor wire is strung on stay sturdy. It was been such an adventure. Everything is done on scaffolding for one. There isn't a great place to mix concrete, so we have just been mixing it in the street. In the States, definitely not ok. Here? No one really cares as long as we don't leave a giant pile of concrete in the middle of the road. Once it gets mixed, we put tiny little bits in a bucket and hoist it up (think a bunch of clowns trying to put out a fire) three levels of scaffolding to pour into the molds. Super duper sweet.

Padres y Compadres:
This is the physical therapy center that we visit once a week. Several of the Rancho kids go there for therapy, as it is provided at a ridiculously cheap price. They love on the kids and families who come there by hardly charging, so we love on them in turn by helping keep up the place. We moved a bunch of dirt so they could have an enclosed area with a tile floor. They have a horse therapy program, so we fenced in their corral and put a new floor in the horses' stalls. Work projects are not really the focus here so that is about it, but the continual assistance we provide with therapy and feeding the children has been hugely beneficial.

So, before you close your eyes and visualize, one last thing. Everything that has been accomplished has been by God's good and perfect will through his strength in us. We are just the tools. And one other thing that has been accomplished this summer: the love of God has been shown to children who need a little extra dose of love. Beautiful. Go.