Monday

We started the day at the Oasis with a hearty breakfast - and at about 8 am we headed to the jobsite and worked on the 2 home builds that we started last week. We nailed off tin and finished the walls on both houses. We worked with the home owners on some interior details on each house including door and window placement and size - as well as planning out for  interior walls to divide rooms. Most of the ladies on the team went back and forth between the 2 houses and painted the exteriors of each house. With the exception of Will who entertained almost all the children in the neighborhood with games and treats. - We left the jobsite and headed into town for icecream at noon and took a break for a hearty lunch back at the Oasis. After lunch we went back out for a few more hours to finish up the roof and doors because of the forecasted rain. A Bible verse on my mind today - oUnless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.
Psalms 127:1 
     At about 3pm we went back to the hotel and sorted food to get ready for passing out food and care hampers to families in the community. This gave us a opportunity to visit some of the most needy in the area. We had an opportunity to pray and sing over these families and get to know their stories. We heard of a lady who had recently lost her husband. We heard the story of another lady who became blind during childbirth more then 6 years ago because she couldn't afford the surgery required to fix her eyes - and we heard of this blind lady's husband and how he recently suffered a stroke. These visits gave us an chance to take time away from the busyness of the construction site and take a moment to see and hear how the people live.
     We are thankful to God for His grace thus far to our team. All are healthy. We are having a productive trip. We hope that by being in these communities and building these houses and interacting with the locals - that through it all God's goodness and Grace would shine through. We are thankful for the prayers and support of all who are following our updates. Pray if you are able - that we would have more opportunity in our last few days here to share the good news of the gospel to the people we come into contact with. 
     This evening we had a high end sea food dinner after the home visits. After dinner we had our daily debrief -  we went around the team and shared our impactful experiences from today - the common theme was hearing how the home visits affected the team. The food cost was very little but for these families they will have food now for weeks of even months.
      At 8 pm some of the team took the hotel shuttle back into town to have a look around and buy some souvenirs to bring home. 
Blessings and good night... from us to you from half way around the world.