Finishing the build and packing meals

I think that I slept as well last night as I have since we arrived in Guatemala. The CRI compound is on the side of a mountain in Guatemala City and large trucks are constantly using their engine brakes as they go down the hill. However, I didn’t notice as many, perhaps because I was so tired. I turned in at 10 pm and slept well until around 3 am. I stayed in the bunk until 4 am then dressed and went into the lounge area of our quarters. I started Craig Johnson’s book, Hell and Back, in the Walt Longmire mystery series. I’m still uncertain whether I like it.

At 6 am, Mary and I went to the cafeteria for hot tea then to prepare peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the 21 lunches for us today. Jerry assembled the bags with the sandwiches, bananas, chips and cookies. There was a minor schedule adjustment for today. Edgar suggested that we work on the house in the morning then pack meals in the afternoon. By going to Santa Maria de Jesus in the morning we may be able to avoid a little traffic. The afternoon would be spent packing meals for distribution to needy families.

Breakfast was eggs and bacon on English muffins and fresh papaya and pineapple. There was also a cup of warm milk with a dusting of cinnamon. Then we went up to the room to prepare for the trip to the house build, do our language lessons and load into the bus for a prompt 8 am departure. Since we had a little time, we called the two families of grandsons. Everyone had a good week and shared some of their weekend plans. We look forward to seeing them when we return.

Pastor Andrew cutting purlins to length

As hoped, the drive was about 45 minutes shorter than previous days with far less traffic. At the church in the community near the house build, we left the bus and walked up the hill with water and the supplies we would need for the day. Unlike previous days, we distributed lunches before we walked up to the house so we could get to work quickly to finish the house.

The openings for the two windows were slightly small so we used a circular saw and a reciprocating saw to shave a little allowing the windows to fit snugly. Romero and I nailed purlins down for the corrugated steel roofing while Cait steadied the ladder and handed nails. Trim pieces around the windows were added and additional nails were driven where needed. A team went around the perimeter driving Tapcon screws through the bottom plate of each wall into the block foundation. Romero led the installation of the front door and lock. Mary helped with cutting boards to finish the trim as needed.

Kent & Cait at the nearly complete house

We had our lunch that we packed this morning then looked to see if we had missed anything. As we were finishing up a heavy rain started. We continued cleaning and putting things away until the rain slacked a little then we walked down to the bus in the rain.

The bus was underway by 1:30 and arrived back at CRI in Guatemala City before 3 pm. We took a little time to get a drink, clean up and do afternoon language lessons before meeting in the cafeteria to pack meals for needy Guatemalan families. Boris told us that 60% of Guatemalans live in poverty while 80% of the residents of Santa Maria de Jesus are in poverty. A packet consists of textured soy protein, white rice and a mix of vitamins and minerals. Each packet will feed up to four people a nutritionally complete meal for about 11 cents per meal. The meals can be cooked in water the same way that plain rice is cooked but has additional nutrients. Adding vegetables and spices can enhance the flavor. We had two assembly lines adding each component to the ecofriendly bag and passing it along to assure a weight between 9.1 and 9.3 ounces before heat sealing. Once sealed and labeled, 40 bags were stacked in a box for distribution. In about 90 minutes of teamwork, we prepared enough bags for 1920 meals.

Packing meals for free distribution

We took some snapshots then made a 20 second video to show in church before going to dinner. It was clear that several new groups had arrived since the dining hall was more full and we saw many faces that we hadn’t seen before. The meal was a garden salad, spaghetti with meat sauce and a roll followed by muffins for dessert. As with our other meals here, we enjoyed the dinner and the conversation at the table.

Becky, Cait, Mary & Pam

After dinner we went to the lounge are where we did our afternoon language lessons then had our evening debriefing from our work today. Everyone seemed to feel that the day went well and was pleased with the completion of the house. We would set the stove up as well as some furniture like beds, tables and chairs at the dedication on Monday.

Many people played board games or cards after the meeting. I wrote some in this journal and read a few news items online. Jerry, the trip organizer, sat down with me to chat for a long time. It was pleasant getting to know him better. After Jerry left, Pastor Andrew and I chatted until time for lights out. I read a little in the dark then went to sleep.

Tomorrow’s plans are for church at 10 am followed by a light lunch of carry out pizza then an outing to the town of Antigua, Guatemala for sightseeing and shopping.