Mad Construction!

Last month we were blest to have the
Mission St. Luke / Little Man Ice Cream group
from Texas, Oklahoma, & Colorado
come and do some mad construction...
2 houses, 2 kitchens, and 1 bathroom in 4 days!

Day 1: New home for the Juarez family!

This elderly couple (with their daughter and 2 grand-daughters)

were so happy to finally leave their metal housing 

for a new wood home...

(Metal housing causes extreme temperatures:

really hot during the day and really cold at night).

Words cannot express how thankful this family is to have a new home!

Day 2: New house for Petronila & Rodrigo!

This couple may look familiar:

Last year, the Mission St. Luke group built them a much needed kitchen

and now this year, they have patiently awaited for them to come back

and build them a much needed new house:

(Above left) The old house...you know, dried sugar cane stalks for the back wall?!

(Above right) Day 2 morning...demo and leveling the house floor.

The second house was finished by Wednesday afternoon (Day 3)...

many hands make light work!!

Some of you might also recognize this man from last year (above photo)-

Lorenzo, the blind widow who was the first house we ever did!

This year, Lorenzo did his own demolition of the kitchen

(even though I told him we would do it!).

He wanted to make our burden light... such are the hearts of the poor...

always looking for a way to give back.

Kitchen before...

(Day 3) Kitchen finished...

Again, words cannot describe what a joy it is

to seek out the "least" and forgotten of society

and give them what they most need...

Day 4: Our last project that we literally squeezed in at the last moment

was a new kitchen and new bathroom for this elderly couple, Alberto & Zotera, 

who have no way to improve their living conditions.

Alberto suffers from dementia and is frequently found out wandering in the community

and his wife Zotera broke her wrist 10 years ago

and for lack of finances, was never able to be operated on.

She lost her ability to weave and thus her ability to make money.

Providing Zotera with a new kitchen was the least we could do 

to make her life a little less burdensome...

Kitchen before...

Kitchen after...what a difference in her smile!  😊

A big THANK YOU to Butch Mueller from Paynesville, MN

who donated the stove and found workers

to build it in such a quick and efficient manner!

Last, but not least...how about a bathroom makeover?!! 

 

The left photo was the old bathroom that this elderly couple was using

(with a perfect expression of how we all felt about it, compliments to Ronnie 😉)

The photo on the right is the finished product...

all completed within ONE day!

Again, a deep and heartfelt thank you to all who participated in this crazy but blessed week!  

Can't wait again for next year...