Build On . . .

We’re building, and this time the homeowners are even more special.  The two houses we’re working on are for families who care for orphans.  I’m assigned to the home of Agnes, who is pictured here with three of the four children living with her.  And our other homeowner is 80-year-old Mao, who cares for her orphaned 10-year-old grandson.

We’re building right in the middle of a village.  The locals welcomed us with a ceremony that included singing, dancing and drums.  And the village chief is working alongside us.  Children, probably 30 at a time, surround us at break time and at lunch.  They play with soccer balls and jump ropes that we provide.  I brought supplies for bubble blowing, which was a big hit.  And pigs, goats, ducks and chickens roam everywhere as the villagers work at drying and processing their corn, and tending their garden plots. 

The house foundations are in, and we’re building the brick walls.  There’s plenty of work to do.   Family members pitch-in, too, and we take a time to interact, and to learn more about their lives.