The campfire that the boys had last night was a definite high lite and was totally enjoyed. Some songs and prayer time was included into it also.
They started putting up the forms for the 2nd floor getting ready to pour the cement Wednesday morning first thing. The wood forms have to be 2” above the Styrofoam so that it will hold the 2” floor cement. This will later become our verandah supports to which the metal roof will be attached to the building. Lumber here is precious so we waste NOTHING!
But let me introduce to you a couple of the guys:
We have Eric on the left and Victor on the right. Eric is a quite young man, quick to smile and talk to you. He is taking some type of training and between courses he looks for work to do – like helping us.
Victor has just completed his Gr. 12 this past December and he received his school marks just yesterday – when all of the Gr.12 students for Kenya received theirs. He is hoping to go into engineering. He is a strong Christian leader and you can often here him talking to the other men as he laughs and jokes with them. It is usually Victor who takes the lead and asks for God’s blessing on the tea that is taken each day in the morning. He has also shared in our morning devotion time. He attend the AIC Ramba church (where we sleep each night).
Puis is the man helping to lift up lumber to Randy on the 2nd floor. He is a painter – we couldn’t help but notice as he wears his “work” clothes each day which have many colours on them. He is married with two children, the youngest being 1 ½ months old. He is a very hard worker. I have seen him carry a 50 kg bag of cement on his back from the container to the mixer where most men would be teamed together or use the wheelbarrow. I have told him that he will be painting the outside for sure (I don’t do scaffolding at ALL!… let alone the type that they will probably make for us if we cannot find steel scaffolding)
Wednesday:
Well, today we started out pouring the 2nd floor cement. We have run out of cement twice and have to run to the local store to buy it – they have not been able to deliver fast enough. Randy has been busy adding extra supports underneath as the floor, with the weight of the cement, was starting to sag. Better to keep it straight! After 1 1/2 hrs of lifting from the mixer to the first platform in the hot sun, it has finished me for the day. I then left it up to the men – by that time Randy was finished using them to help him do supports. It is a laborious job lifting 20 L pails of cement (only 1/2 full) up to the floor and then carrying & pouring them out and sending the pails down again to fill. OH, for a pumper truck to move this concrete – in 45 minutes!! However, no sense crying over what is not.
Tomorrow at 7:30 am we say good bye to Brad and Zach as they leave to catch the plane to Nairobi and then leave Nairobi early on Friday morning. We have very much appreciated all the advise, support and help that they have given to us in the month that they have been here. However, we welcome Craig Ozirney from New Life Church who will be with us for 2 weeks helping out. He should be around for the2nd floor panels and the roof hopefully!
Talk to you all soon. And when you think of us – pray for us that we may complete this work in good time. We are booked to leave on March 26th and would hope to move the family into the home before we leave. We feel that we will be very close to that target date but may God multiple the work of our hands and increase the volume of work that is done each day. And we will give Him the thanks and the honor and glory for doing that.
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