What a strange combination. I suppose this is typical of Do-what-needs-to-be-done-hood. I may never know what a 'normal' life is like.
But, I can rest assured that I have been hand crafted for this craziness. Equipped with the skills to get by, and lean on the One who actually has the skills( no not Ryan, though he is handy)
Progress, as you can see, has been steady and evolving. We have progressed onto the north line of the building with footings and stem walls, and we have nearly half of the stem walls poured.
The next step, is to start the plumbing that will go under the ground, and the main electrical lines also. These are two major areas of the hospital construction, and they will require a substantial amount of supplies and materials.
It has been amazing to see all the supplies roll into a shipping container, that as of the 10th of march will begin its voyage down the Atlantic coast, into the Gulf of Mexico, and arrive in Guatemala on the 25th of March. We are excited to see the next shipment of supplies, but at the same time, this is just a big reminder of what needs to be done. The Well Rig also arrived recently. They have already reached 120 ft deep, and have about 500ft to go. We hope the crew can keep up the pace, and avoid any rock that might be lurking below. We can expect another month of drilling, but if we hit rock, we can expect much longer.
It has been great to see progress here, and as we approach March, we also approach the 6 month mark for our relocating to Guatemala.
Because of this we are forced to leave the country. Tickets home are expensive, and with the project moving along, we will lake just a few days to renew our tourist visas in Mexico. I know, MEXICO! I have never been there, and as a Midwesterner, I have only read scary things about Mexico. We have decided that this is the best option for us now, and have done some research and asking around, and feel like we can brave the trip next week. I don't think it is actually much different than Guatemala, but we are looking forward to the change of pace and getting away from the construction for a few seconds.
In other news, we welcomed our new 'puppy' to the family. He is a three year old, 100 pound baby! The neighbors are slightly afraid of him, and when they ask if he is mean, I like to say 'sometimes'. He has been a fun addition to our family. We learned last week on our trip to swim in the river that he enjoys the water. He was fun to play with, but I definitely will say, that big guy lunging toward you in the water is a little unsettling. He is a sloppy, wet kisser. And the kids (just the kids) all love it.
We also ventured out and purchased a cow. We hope to giver her a little time to graze, add some weight, and butcher her in a week or two.
The cow we butchered last November is completely gone, and we have seen a high demand for more, mostly from Ryan.
We are excited to see what the future holds for our family. Our new home, is finally beginning to feel like it, and it is nice to begin to work towards long term goals, and feel as though our future will be slightly less up-in-the-air. Next week, we will see the first work team to come help on the hospital, and we are looking forward to the boost, extra sets of hands, and time to share the message of why a hospital and why here.
Thanks for reading, and would someone please write to me in two weeks and remind me that it is TIME to write an update on here!!!!! I fear time may get the best of me yet again.
