House Construction - Carly Bone

Hello friends and family!

Today a group of 4 of us; Raven, Louisa, Ashley, and myself had the opportunity to help lay the cement floor in a house that is currently being built for a Guatemalan family in the mission's neighborhood. The first thing we had to do before we could begin putting down the cement was level off the dirt. This required us to remove the excess dirt and transport it to the nearby carpenter shop where it could be reused as fill dirt. Following that we collected wheelbarrows full of sand and rocks and brought it back to the area where we needed the cement. We then mixed in the cement powder and the sand and rocks into a big pile on the ground. We transported conserved water from a near by rain barrel, and by making a hole in the cement pile, poured it in with the sand and rocks. We mixed the cement manually using shovels until it reached the appropriate consistency. Our Guatemalan friend in charge of the project explained to us that this was the best way to make the cement because of the quality and its ability to hold up much longer than machine mixed cement. By the end of the day we were tired, dirty, and sweaty to say the least but it was more than a blessing to step back and look at the work we accomplished for this family. We saw a patch of dirt transform into a floor of a home that will serve as both shelter and a place for a family and their friends to enjoy each other's presence. We thank God for our strength and abilities and also for the opportunity to take part in this project. 

Love and blessings from Guatemala,

Carly