~The Construction Project Begins~

Here in Belize, things can move very S*L*O*W*L*Y*! Selfishly we want to see Maria's house finished by the time we leave for Washington.. but unfortunately that is not going to be the case. :) Not having electricity in the village for power tools poses as one issue. Also the heat plays into how much a small work crew can accomplish in a day. The guys have been able to work on the house for 2 days now but only for a few hours each morning. By noon the heat index here has reached into the 100's which is not very conducive to building! Maria's brother in law who is heading up the project says they hope to have the project done by the end of July.. As a praise report, we were recently told that a family in the U.S is planning on raising the final $400 USD needed for the project!

Jerry Ezell who has experience as a builder was a huge help on the beginning stages of the project


Jina, the girls and I had a nice time visiting with the San Marcos ladies. In addtion, we were able to deliver some clothing items to a church which distributes clothing during evangelical visits to the surrounding villages. Thank you so much Jina and Jerry and all who donated!



Squaring off the foundation. The cement will be poured right onto the ground and rock. But first they will erect the supports and foundation forms.

Ryan, using a digging bar to start a four foot deep hole which will hold a huge support beam


Grady and the boys went back out to help set the supports on Good Friday. While watching the huge 14 ft beams being raised, Grady couldn't help but visualize what it must have looked like to have watched the huge cross which held our Jesus being erected into the air. It set a very sober atmosphere for the day.

By midmorning, they had placed all 6 supports for the house as well as the 2 for the large front porch