Ok… So I’ve been
meaning to get this one out there for you all~ This past month we met this
elderly widow that needed a new home. (I told you a little about her in one of
my previous blogs..) Her house was made out of straw,
and it was literally falling apart. Remember too that the house is about 8ft. by 8ft…and that is for two people to live in. The door caved in when a storm came, and the
roof and one side of her house would leak. She is in her late 70’s and her legs
are in a lot of pain.
She has a grand daughter, Viola,
who helps take care of her. Every day Viola walks
miles to get them water. But because she is so little she can only carry about
2 gallons at a time. It was so humbling to see the kind of work these little
children are doing just for a cup of water, with how accessible clean water is back in
America…
But with
the help of an awesome Australian couple, Brian and Jan,
We were able to do
what we could to make a difference in their lives! We became so close with these two. They are truly amazing people. Brian even began to call Josh a true “mate” by the end of our time together…this, as you can imagine made Josh extremely happy!
Brian was a building consultant in Australia before God
called them to Uganda to start an orphanage. So he knew exactly what we would
need, and how we would need to do it! We built them a MUD HOUSE!
Here are
some pictures of the process~
Step 1: Carry some posts to the desired location..
Step 2: Clear out the location..
Step 3:Dig holes and set the posts..
Step 4: Begin to tie the leads together..
Step 5: Continue tying the leads together..
Step 6: Keep tying…
Step 7: Get some water to make mud..
Step 7: Make some mud! (on the left is my adorable little helper.. Anderson)
Step 8: Begin to pack the mud in between the leads…
Step 9: Throw the mud!
Step 10:Keep throwing! *On a side note.. this is an excellent stress reliever. =)
Step 11: Do it all over again on the inside..
Step 12: Get the roof on!
Step 13: Saw off the excess wood..
And there you have it! That is how you build a mud hut step-by-step… You would not believe how strong and durable these houses are! And they are great for keeping you cool in the heat of the day. This house will truly change the living standard of this woman.
And if you want to see a video of it, our teammate, Matt,
made an awesome one. If you click on this link:http://matthewwilliams.theworldrace.org/?filename=building-a-mud-house-video it will take you there!
It was another month of manual labor, but with this one~ we
knew the purpose from the get go! It was the Gospel in Action.. And on the last
day.. This is what we got to see…..
