Tuesday SOL 11/18/14 - Guatemala 2014 - #2 - The Build

The build was very similar to last year, although we didn't have a big hill to climb, we were still building at an elevation of 8000+ feet above sea level.  The temperatures were in the high 40's in the morning to over 70 by the afternoon.  We were much closer to the sun and it is the beginning of summer in Guatemala, so it was very intense.  Even though the forecast before we left home predicted rain and clouds every day, God blessed us with exceptional weather - not too hot or cold and no rain.

When we arrived at our build site, the first thing we saw was that the footings had all been dug.  Hurrah!  I know my brother was not looking forward to digging again this year.  The head mason was Umberto and he had his son, Marco (13 years old) and four other apprentice masons helping him.  He gave the instructions to Willie and Fredy and they in turn gave us the assignments of what needed to be completed first.  Since all of us had been on the build last year, we were familiar with what they wanted, although each mason has a different way of doing the construction.

First came the rebar that needed to be cut into pieces approximately 6 inches long, which then needed to be formed in the shape of a "C".  Allan got busy on that job.  Naomi and Elaine (until she got called away to help Deyse color) started cutting the wire to tie the "C" shaped rebar onto two pieces of rebar which would then form a ladder that would be put in the foundation forms and also placed in the "U" block rows.

We stacked blocks to make a platform to tie the ladders.  We marked the rebar every 9" where the "C" rebar was to be tied and I got to work on making ladders.  We needed 26 ladders to complete the house. 

The masons needed boards for the forms for foundation.  Some needed to be cut, Allan tried his hand at it, then Willie came to help, finally one of the masons took over.  Was it the saw, was it the wood or were Allan or Willie just inept at sawing a board?  Maybe a combination of all three.

Others did some shoveling and filling in around the boards.  Someone else tied rebar in the footings and someone else did whatever the masons needed (that we could do).

Cement mixing was next on the agenda.  Some volunteers mixed, but the masons were really fast at getting it accomplished.  No cement trucks or mixers to be found - just lots of strong muscles and backs!

We worked from 9:00 to 4:00 and felt a great deal of accomplishment that first day.  Five rebar ladders were complete, the majority of the footings were poured and the first row of blocks had been started.  We were tired, but felt so good to know that we were building this house for a wonderful family.


The rest of the week was spend doing much the same work.  Although by day two, we were moving blocks into the rooms and by Wednesday, I had started my "favorite" job - chopping the ends out of the blocks to make "U" blocks.  They let me use a machete!  Scary thought, but it worked.  By the end of that day, my arm hurt so bad that I couldn't lift it over my head, but by the next morning I was back at it.  I could do that much easier than moving blocks, but I did that too.

We took breaks, we played with the kids, we laughed, we cried, we worked hard and all for the benefit of Luis, Estrella, Cristil and Marie Jose.  They came to visit the work site.  The joy on their faces, the warmth of their hearts, their thanks and praise, made every moment worth the minor aches and pains we experienced from muscles that hadn't been used before.

Next week, The Sights of Guatemala