Team Introductions, Part 2

Ashley, age 19, daughter of Wendy (see below) Ash is a sophomore at Texas A&M. She has gone on quite a few mission trips in the past and works hard, praises loudly and loves passionately.

Wendy. Quite the jokester. Didn't quite get the tan she thought she would on the trip. Who is she kidding. She has never been tan, which Pastor Walter was kind enough to point out. This lady has wicked shoveling skills.

Grace, who served as our medical director and spirit raiser. She could always be found where the singing and laughter could be heard. She is a bright ray of sunshine everywhere she goes.

Randy, checking his twitter at lunch. (Not really, he was taking photos of Ashley on her phone) Randy is sweet and kind and has a dry, quiet wit that will catch you off guard. Nothing slowed this man down and he wins as the Cement Chipping Champion!

Jim. Thank goodness we had Jim. He was the one to point out a critical design flaw to the site foreman. The foreman was NOT happy about it, but by the end of the week he had warmed up to Jim and showed his appreciation. With some small modifications the ramp was saved. Jim is their HERO!

John proved himself as a leader in both physical and spiritual endeavors. His knowledge of scripture had us all seeking him out throughout the trip. This picture does not represent him very well, since he always had a huge grin on his face at the worksite. That is when he wasn't upside down in a hole...

And last, but certainly not least, Jean (center) This woman is a true gem. She gives and gives of her heart and soul, and even when she is pushed away, she continues to give of herself. She epitomizes the statement "Anyone is worth Everything". This is also a great picture of John, Jim and Randy with her.

The whole team at the end of the trip. What an amazing thing we experienced. We went to give and ended up receiving much much more.

Friday

Friday was a lot like Thursday as far as the work went. The first section of the ramp had hardened so we could use it to roll the concrete up to the next section. First the support bars and underlayment were installed.

While the prep work for the next portion of the ramp was going on, several others dug up a large chunk of concrete that was in the children's play area. It posed a definite danger to the kids while they ran and played soccer. Now there is smooth ground there that will not pose a hazard.

Before we knew it the call for concrete rang out and we jumped right back into the swing of it.

The wheelbarrows did not have to be hoisted overhead, just up and onto the end of the ramp then wheeled to the top.

Rolling a full wheelbarrow of cement up the ramp was no small task. Again it was up to the big guys on our team to provide the muscles.

This was the hottest day yet that we had experienced. Even though we were physically tired, hot, sweaty and pushing ourselves hard, there were no injuries beyond an occasional scrape or bruise. God was definitely looking out for us.

You would think that by the fifth day of hard labor we would be getting grouchy but it was still all smiles. At least until we had to say good-bye and then it was all tears!

This little girl is Karime, age 5. She lives right behind the church and spends every day hanging out with the people there. She is absolutely gorgeous and has a personality that sparkles.

She was especially attached to Brandi. Those two shared a connection, a deep passion for each other. If you wanted to find Karime, you just had to look for Brandi.

If you look closely, there is blue paint in Wendy's hair. Pastor Walter called her Lady Gaga and they enjoyed a good laugh!

Introduction to the Costa Rica Team, Part 1

Our leader, Rev. Josh Hubert. 

What makes a great leader? 

One who leads by example. 

Josh is a great leader. 

CJ Locklear. Father of three wonderful young men, dedicated to helping those in our community. He was a force to be reckoned with at the work site. His height and strength were instrumental in achieving our goals. His smile lights up everyone around him.

Ron Douglas. Sometimes call 'The Amen Man' for his deep-voiced heartfelt amens during church service. He provided so much strength, booth physically and emotionally to the team. His faith shines like a beacon to all around him. Many could learn a lesson by following his lead.

Brandi Douglas, daughter of Ron and Regina. She has been participating in mission trips since she was in junior high. She has an amazing connection to the children in Costa Rica. None of the kids will ever forget her, and I am sure she will never forget them. She has the heart of a missionary and we should keep a close watch as this young woman changes the world around us in the future.

Chandler Locklear, son of CJ. As the youngest team member at 16 (almost 17) years of age, he showed us that age is only a number. He worked hard, prayed hard, and has an insight many years beyond his age. This is a young man with a stellar future.

Regina Douglas. Wife of Ron, mother of Brandi. Regina immediately felt a deep connection to the women of the church that served in the kitchen. She made a special effort to assist them, support them, and cherish them and it was most appreciated. She has a quiet grace about her that can only be attributed to God.

Thursday continued

When the foreman gave the thumbs-up to fire up the concrete mixer, everyone switched into high gear. We only had about 90 minutes left before we had to leave for the day and get cleaned up for church. 

Mixing the concrete was no problem. Eight buckets of gravel, 6 buckets of sand, 1 2/3 buckets of water  (adjusted per batch) and one 120 pound back of cement.

The challenge was getting it ONTO the ramp. At this point the ramp did not go all the way to the ground so running the wheel barrows up the ramp was not possible.

Ready and willing to shovel. 

As the concrete work ramped up (pun intended) the others moved scaffolding into the first floor to begin painting the steel beams there.

Remember, all of this work is happening in the afternoon in July in Costa Rica. It was a tad bit warm…

The puzzle of how to get the concrete up the ramp is solved. Lift the full wheelbarrow up and dump onto the ramp. Those wheelbarrows must have weighed several hundred pounds each.

As the concrete went higher onto the ramp, CJ and Ron had to lift the wheelbarrows over their heads.

Pastor Walter pushing the concrete up the rest of the way.

To fill in where needed, Randy adds shovel after shovel of concrete and then smoothed it out.

Chandler, at 16, did the work of a full-grown man. There is something to be said for a well-raised young man!

Brandi taking a turn shoveling. Who knew gravel and sand (wet sand) weighed so much!

In goes another bag of cement. CJ made it look easy but those bags were 120 pounds each and the concrete mixer opening was up high, about 6 feet or so.

Wendy shoveling and Ron prepared with the first bucket of sand as the cement goes in. 

Chandler helping smooth out the concrete. 

The kitchen ladies, Maria, Sonja and Patrice, all came out to watch with excitement. 

More concrete by the shovel-full. CJ shovels while Randy distributes it and smiths it out.

The finished section of ramp. It began raining just as the last work was completed for the day, but that didn't matter. The concrete would dry just fine.