Well I am hanging in the Houston airport with all my fingers and toes. I am sitting with Peggy Jenkins one of the women that went on our trip. She is one of the “chicas de concreta” she lives in Austin and we are waiting our flight. We had another great day with work in the AM and a tearful dedication service for the Hart’s.
The day started with our “reverse migrant worker” van ride, that is 16 gringos in a 12 person van. When you open the doors one falls out.
We started out at Casa B with concrete again and except for the 30+ mph winds it was pretty easy. We had lots of people helping and was a lot of fun because we really got to joke around and razz each other. We got to see walls rise from the ground, pipes laid in the trenches and of course lots of floors. You know I am not sure I have really described the concrete process but it is not “pull concrete truck up and dump concrete on ground and spread” it is far more painful. First you take 10-12 large wheelbarrows of the grey sand and dump them on the ground in a large circle. Then drop 6 100 lbs bags of concrete on top and spread out. Next you shovel everything into a big pile and then spread it back out. Are you having fun yet? Next come the rocks, the stuff like on the train tracks, and shovel 10 wheelbarrows of rock into the wheelbarrows and dump into the circle. Just add water. Maybe 30 buckets of water. Easy part is over now start at one end and just start turning it over and over.then load it back in the wheelbarrow and take it to the spot and dump. Repeat until you hear my favorite two words “no mas”. Sounds tough and it is but there is something about the process that is just so much fun. Maybe it is the people you are working to help or the folks I am working with but it was like a softball game “I just didn’t want it to end”. When it was timeto go I found myself wanting to shovel more concrete. I did not want to leave the guys like Roberto to do the work by themselves. That was something much harder this time around.
We stopped working around noon today and started a dedication service for the new wing of Casa B. The service was an important part of why we were there since the Harts donated the funds for the wing and they were such a big part of the trips to Matamoras. Geoff Hart was a very quiet man and he never really spoke too many words but when he did they were well directed either in humor or in comfort. We started out singing a couple of songs and and then read some verses from the bible. One of the things that struck me from the service was one of the the little girls that Larry and Nancy care for. She is autistic and the sweetest little girl around always good to come over and give you a hug. Well she started dancing and singing in the middle of the service in this little courtyard. As we sung and watched Kayla dance I could not help but think that Geoff would have liked it better that we focused on Kayla and celebrate her dancing to the music. A special moment surrounded by so many similar times just to many capture and share with you. I would like to one day share this with youand want you to consider going with me and seeing what it is truly like because it ain’t what you think. It is so much more
We are starting to drop down towards Austin and my excitement to see Jeannie is growing. Can’t waIt to see her and the kids. I am so thankful for her and how she let’s me do these types of things. I am thankful for each of you and having as part of my life we are truly blessed to have such great friends and a wonderful family. Mom and Dad I want to thank you for putting me on this path. Proverbs 22:6
God bless.
Jimmy
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