Day 4: Tues., August 2, 2011

We gathered for breakfast and morning prayers.  Afterwards, half of the group went to the Hogar Escuela – Heredia site to plaster, sand, and seal the concrete walls of the new school.  The other half stayed at Diocesan House to sand, wipe and varnish the house overhangs/eaves to prepare for the new gutters. 

The DH group used power sanders and manual sanding to prepare the eaves.  All was going well until 2 p.m. when some of the crew accidentally knocked an outdoor faucet off the wall.  Water came spewing from the spigot, pouring into the ground gutter, bringing all work to a halt.  After locating the water main, the crew turned off the water so the faucet could be fixed, leaving Diocesan House without water until its repair.  Thanks to a strategically placed block of wood, some plastic, and a little superglue, the group was up and running about ½ hour later.  They finished sanding the eaves along one of the walls and applied a coat of varnish, ready to pick everything up tomorrow.

The Hogar Escuela – Heredia group arrived at their worksite around 9:30 a.m.  The group shovelled dirt and gravel and used cinderblocks to sand cement walls in the bathrooms, kitchen, hallways, classrooms and the building exterior…every wall except two that had been plastered recently.  The sanding was especially challenging due to the deep holes in the ground in the bathrooms and hallways and the downpour that disrupted some of the work in the afternoon.  Fortunately, the group found a way to pass the time during the rainstorm while waiting for the bus…throwing rocks in a bucket.  J 

Hogar Escuela – Heredia is facing worse conditions than the school in Barrio Cuba, and is located in an area with more poverty and fewer resources for assistance, but a neighbor a few houses down from the worksite supports the efforts of missioners by inviting them into her home and serving them lunch and snacks during the day.  Samuel and Francisco, two contractors who live in Heredia behind the school and sometimes in a small shack on the school’s property, were friendly and helpful throughout the day, guiding the group through their project.  Their kindness in the face of their adversity inspired the group and encouraged them in their work. 

The group returned to Diocesan House around 5 p.m. for showers and free time.  After dinner and Compline, the group was asked to think about change…change observed, change in expectations, or change in sense of purpose while on the trip…and where God is in those changes.  The team seemed excited about surprising revelations and observations over the past several days and looking forward to more work and discussion.