What a busy Sunday! We were picked up early this morning, and headed straight to the property. Everyone got busy working on projects. April, Ale, Corrinne, and Elivia went straight to work painting the interior of the house. We had purchased all the paint and supplies we would need for this project on Friday. But we had forgotten to get a tray for the paint rollers, so Mary let us use her plastic baby bath she keeps for when her kids visit. It worked perfectly!
Barbara, Ksusha, and Elisabeth gathered the pick, shovel, and rakes and headed out to the fields to start clearing the area for a burn pit for trash. We needed the burn pile moved because the smoke was blowing into the house. The soil is very rocky and hard here, so it was hard work. Luckily, we were also joined by Gabriel, our neighbor who helps with repairs and does some yard work. Everyone worked hard, but Gabriel was amazing! We took wheelbarrows full of dirt to the old burn pile and began filling in that hole. We dug down about 8 inches in an 8x5 foot area, and next we gathered rocks from different areas on the property and built a small wall around it, about 12-18 inches high. It may not sound like much, but it was very hard in the hot sun! When we were done we went back to the house and helped paint the second coat!
Shannin, Kaylene, Doug, Juma, and Sonya sat outside in meetings most of the morning. The Small Steps board needed to go over several things. When they were finished they also helped with the painting and began unloading all the supplies we had brought over in suitcases for the house. There were lots of donations! Thank you to those of you who sent those!
While all of our group was working, there were some hired helpers who were digging out the fish pond! Wow, we thought the trash pit was hard! They were digging down 2-3 feet! The pond is going to be a big size, much bigger than many of us had thought! It will be perfect for helping to sustain the orphanage financially, as well as feed all our kids! There were several other small projects that were done today, and we all feel good about the work that was accomplished!
Oh, we don't want to leave out the best part of the day...Mary cooked lunch for us! It was delicious! She cooked the beans in the outside kitchen, which is a small shack she built! They use the outdoor kitchen to cook items that take longer, like beans, by making a fire and letting them simmer all day. This helps keep our fuel consumption down, since some items can take a long time to cook, but also helps keep the kitchen cooler! Mary made us several dishes, including one that none of us had ever had--banana soup. It was yummy. She made a salad with tasty avocados, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers. There was also rice, a meat dish, beans, and tons of fresh fruit, including mangos from our yard!
Everyone was beyond dirty this evening, and hit the showers as soon as we got back! Again the evening is filled with visiting and talk of our day tomorrow, which will be shopping at the market for all our household items, for the ladies of the group! The men have opted to work on more projects at the house! ;)
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