BUILD A NEW HOME in THREE DAYS !

"Day of the Bible" is the last Sunday in September. This billboard says "Read the Bible", "The Words of God".

This is a Billboard that we saw recently. It says

"The Nation that Loves God will be Blessed". "The Hondurans want to Live in Peace with God and Democracy".

Time continues to fly by. September 12th. makes fifteen months for us here in Honduras. Jesus and Jennifer were able to be back in Holly Springs for five weeks during the summer, and they had a great time. I know what they miss most of all from back Home is Grandma. So it was great that they were able to spend some time with her, my sister Linda and her family, and my oldest daughter Ashley and her family. As well as with some of our other friends and family. My mother's family had their family reunion while Jesus and Jennifer were there, and our Church had Vacation Bible School. The children at Bible School donated money for projects here in Honduras. They collected $340. !!! So far we have been able to install electricity in a Home, install a concrete floor, and give a months supply of baby formula and diapers. There is so much to do here. Everywhere we look there are people in desperate need of basic necessities and care that people in other parts of the world take for granted every day.

I am very excited about a project that we were able to work on here in August. I had participated in Home building projects here in the past, but this was the first one that I managed myself. For over six months some friends we met from N.C. have been wanting to come to Honduras to build a Home for a family. Everything came together to make it possible the week of August 17th. - 22nd. Brad with his 17 yr. old son Daniel, and Chris with his 17 yr. old son Dylan, had raised the funds needed for the project, bought their tickets, and traveled to Tegucigalpa for a week of fellowship, sharing God's Love, and hard work.
(NOTE: I have tried to figure out how to put these photos where I want them, but haven't figured out how to do it yet. After several times of downloading, trying to move around, then having to delete them and start all over again, I have decided to just let them stay where they are and try to write around them the best I know how.)
The first photo at the top of this page is the lady of the house, Martha, and her fourteen month old daughter Jessica. The second photo is of the house where they lived, the day we first talked to them about building them a new Home. The photo below this shows the house again. The tarps you see hanging on the poles to the left is where the family bathes, and uses the bathroom. A bath is dipping water with a bowl from a five gallon bucket of cool/cold water, and pouring it over yourself. This is one of the very largest neighborhoods in Tegucigalpa, but there is NO water or sewer system. Water is sold from small tanker trucks that drive through the neighborhood. Most people store water in anything from plastic bottles, barrels if they can afford one, or some have built small tanks from bricks and cement. The amount to fill a 55 gallon barrel cost 30 lempiras, or roughly $1.58. That might not sound like much, but $1.58 is hard to come by there.

The photo below shows the inside of the house.

Below shows a better view of the large gaps between the siding. Yes, that is sunlight coming through the walls. The siding was the thin strips of bark that are cut from logs. They have it covered with scraps of plastic to help keep out the dust, weather, insects... This photo was taken after they cleared everything out of the house to have it ready for us to tear it down.

Below shows part of the ceiling. Yes, that is sunlight coming through the ceiling too. It looks
bad in the photo, but as with most photos, it doesn't really capture just how bad it really was.

Below shows the whole family. The husband/father is in the middle with the blue shorts. His name is Jose, but everyone calls him Leeto. When I was looking for a family to build a Home for, I really felt God was calling me to help a fellow brother in Christ. I had met Leeto and his family about a year ago when I was working with a Medical Brigade at the Church they attend. The baby was so sick, she had to be taken to the Hospital. Asthma, bronchitis, and high fevers have been a constant problem for Jessica all her life. The condition of their house had to be a contributing factor to the almost constant health problems.

This photo was taken just after we tore down their existing Home. To us, it was a shack, but to them it was the only Home they had. I think of the faith they must have had. To let a few strangers come and tear down their Home, with only our word that we would build them a new one.

The next two photos show as we begin to frame up their new Home.

The first day we got it framed, and the roof trusses set ready for tin. It took half the day to get the corners set. There is so much rock/boulders in this area, it is extremely hard to dig down into the ground.

The second day the roof was on, the siding was almost finished, and thanks to the kids from H.S.B.C. Bible School, we installed electricity. They had a extension cord run from a neighbors house that they used before, but we ran a proper line out to the meter at the next street up (approx. 90 feet). We installed a breaker box, two sets of outlets, and a light. There is even a real light switch next to the door, so they can turn on the lights as they go in or out.

It was so great to see the family as they came out to watch the progress. The lady holding the baby (7 days old) in the next photo, lives in the house next door.

Next is the new concrete floor. There were so many huge rocks that the floor had been five inches out of level. We only had a limited amount of time to complete the Home, so we ended up using twice as much concrete as we would normally use in a Home, to get the floor level. That is definitely the strongest floor we have ever poured. Again, thanks to the kids at H.S.B.C. Bible School for helping make this possible.

We used over twice as much lumber to build this Home as is typically used in this area. Many times 2X4's are used for the corners, then other 2X4's are split in half to use everywhere else. We used 4X4's for corners, and 2X4's everywhere else. We tripled the amount of studs, and doubled the amount of supports and roof trusses. (This is rough cut lumber so 2X4's are really larger than 2X4 inches, and 4X4's are larger than 4X4 inches.)

The next two photos show a concrete gutter/curb that we poured along the back two areas of the Home. A tremendous amount of water flows through this area in the rainy season. Water coming into the house had been a constant problem before, but I think we've got that taken care of now.

As we finish up on the third day, the family gathers around to see their new Home.

The Grandmother is on the left, three granddaughters, then Martha, Jessica, and Leeto.

Next shows the happy family with the keys to their new Home! Most houses in this area only have a padlock on the outside to lock the door with. I wanted them to have a real lock set installed so they could lock their new door from inside and outside. Easy to open, and easy to keep secure.

Leeto worked with us all three days. Every day we spent with him and his family, affirmed to us that this was where God sent us. This was the family God wanted to bless with a new Home. The concrete floor and gutters were the last thing we did, so Leeto and his family could have moved in Friday afternoon. The floor would have been hard enough by then. But they wouldn't move in until Saturday. Their Church was going to hold a service at the Home Friday night, to bless the Home and dedicate it and Leeto's family to God. How wonderful that was, to recognize that this new Home did not come from the hands of men, but it was from God.

Special thanks to Brad, Daniel, Chris, Dylan, their Church, family, friends, and everyone else that worked and contributed to help make this project possible. Thank You also to the children from H.S.B.C. Vacation Bible School. Your contributions helped make this project complete. I pray that more people will answer God's Call in their lives and go where ever He sends them, give as He directs them, and share the good news of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers, as we continue to make ourselves available to God to do His Will through us.