Over the past month and a half I have been apart of the construction crew. Each day we would wake up, walk 1/2 a mile to cram onto a small van full of people, and head up Volcano Agua to Santa Maria de Jesus. We then would walk through the filthy streets (literally..trash and donkey crap coat the ground) until we arrived to our site. My team of 4 would work with Hector, Victor and Miguel, the professional construction crew, to build a house for Juanito and his big beautiful family. Before we started, Juanito and his family of 9 were living in a one room house with one bed. There were sheets of metal and wooden planks for walls and one large metal sheet for the roof.
(Above you can see a before picture and a picture after one months work. Still work to be done but it was such a blessing to be apart of the progress!)
The first few weeks our task was to build the foundation for the new house. We pick-axed the ground to make dirt, then wheelbarrowed it across the street to Juanito’s property. After days and days of this, we finally packed down a level foundation for the house. It was so amazing to be able to physically see our progress..and even stand on it! The next weeks were dedicated to making the metal stakes for the wall structure, and then finally putting up the concrete walls. Even though each day demanded intense physical labor, I was always so eager to make our journey up the Volcano. We all quickly connected with the construction crew and with Juanito and his family. From day 1 I grew close with Hector. Not only is he a respectable man with a goofy humor, but He is such a man of God. His heart radiates selflessness and it was always so evident. Some days as we were working under the hot sun, Hector would surprise us with a fruit popsicle which are the most delicious popsicles in the world. He was always so quick to serve us in any opportunity and so was Juanito’s family.
Even though Juanito and his family lived off $2 per day, they would serve us. Our purpose was to go there and serve them, but they served us and on a whole different level. On our last day we arrived prepared to say our final goodbyes. Amadia (Juanito’s wife) immediately sent her daughter to the store to buy each person on my team two bags of chips and a coke. This simple snack conveyed such deep generosity. They were willing to spend a whole days work worth of money just to buy us a snack. They gave what they could…well more than they could, and they did not hesitate one bit. It was hard to accept their gift knowing how much it cost them, but then I realized I had to receive. This was their way of loving me and I wanted to embrace that love.
Before we walked out through the door one last time, I turned and gave Amadia a hug. As soon as her body embraced mine, tears started to stream down her face. She cried words so tender yet passionate, most of which I couldn’t decipher, but the ones I could were so full of love. She kept repeating “God thank you, God thank you. God please bless them.” Little did she know, God was answering her cry in that moment, and God was using her to bless me so fully.
Like I said before our purpose was to go and serve this wonderful family, and to pour out the Love we have from the Father onto them. For a month I went to that site everyday and did just that-pouring out day after day physically and emotionally. But when I left that place for the last time I felt more full then I did when I arrived on that first day.
