Stars and Stripes

Hola!

We have had a big day, and it is already 930  so this just might be a short blog.

The stars are the kids ... what troopers they are . It is hot dirty sweaty working . Today we finished the steps, made a cement ramp, dug a drainage ditch and worked on forming the walkway and bench for the playground we are building.  Lisa is deemed "MasterMortarMaker" , the girls are bragging about how big their pipes are getting thanks to the shovel work of making cement, and the first aid kit has been used 5 times ... all by Paul. Lets just say that his enthusiam with a hammer exceeds his aim, and no one is letting him near the saw because of it!

Anna has been such an enthusiaistic helper, trying every job, it was pretty comical when she started wheelbarrowing the cement. She didnt quite have it angled correctly under the mixer when they dumped it , and she ended up with a face covered in splatters. Good thing she had glasses on, she had to give them a good wash before she could see again.

Mary Gwen has earned  the monicor Superstar Prepared as whatever anyone needs on the job site, she seems to have. A pencil, kleenex, extra gloves, sunscreen... you name it she has it. Handy girls to have around.

Emilie and Paige are proud as punch over their stairs, while Jess Sarah and Ashley are proud of their brick alying abilities. Thw work today was particularily strenuous, as we struggled to chisel old concrete and bound stakes into really hard ground. It was slow and frustrating, but the the girls stuck at the hammers and mallets, and are exceedingly sore tonight. Tristan and Alesx and Taylor did a lot of work with the pickaxe,  while dDonny and Colin were exceedingly patient teaching all the kids the skills.

The Stripes are the kids too... almost everyone has at least a small strip of sunburnt skin where they missed with the sunscreen. We try to reapply at least once an hour, but between the sweat and the grime, sometimes it looks like we are just making mud pies on our faces. Jess and Alex brought baby wipes thank goodness, as every day at lunch we use them to wipe our faces... and they come away a dark brown, just like the ground.

With everyone in bed by 930 last night, Alex, Jessie, paul and I  rolled out of bed for a morning run at 615. We only ran 30 min, but with the hills and the heat even that early it was long enough. The last streatch we had to walk, as we ended up on the road to to the elementary school, where we joined all the little kids on the way to school ...they stared at us with big eyes!Tomorow morning the rugby girls are running with me ... training for the season they say.

We were joined at lunch by the pastor of the local church. He gave a little talk about costa rica and answered all the kids (translated of course*  questions. They really enjoyed it.  We continue to take a siesta after lunch before returning to the job site, as after 4 hours in constant sun and 30 degree heat the kids are bagged. They were much better today about knowing when to stop, reapply sunscreen, and drink water, but it is still draining work. The extra rest gives them the strength and courage to return to thei work!  If any of you know the joke about the devil  with the punch line " Break's over... back on your heads!"  that is the phrase we use after every break from work

Tonight we all took salsa dancing lessons... many of us think we are like Patrick Swayze, but the reality is probably slightly different. Tristan and Taylor were actually pretty good, Jess and Paul thought they were, Lisa and Paige were really impressed with them selves, while Colin rocked, and Alex and I could really cut up the rug. But we all tried and had fun and thats what counts ... or at least that's our story, and we're sticking to it!

It' just after 10 and everyone is settling down. Just thought I should mention at tonight's prayer session we talked about our worries and prayed for them. Most of the kids miss their parents and are worried about you worrying about them! So we have placed your care, and our worries, in God's hands... and we want you to do the same. All is more than well here, the kids are having a great time, working hard, praying lots... and the comment has been made that the food is better here than at home! So relax, enjoy the peace, we will be home soon!  Julie... feed the fish!!