Laundry Report

Antonio promised us a short, easy day today. He was half right. We finished by about 3:15. But it was anything but easy. We had a big crew. Tim, Doug, Daniel and I made up the regulars who have been part of the laundry crew all week. Chuck and Sarah have been in Armenia all week, but took time on Wednesday and Thursday to help with the medical clinic. Elizabeth and Olivia joined us for the first time today, and Sue, Rita, and Rita's Sarah rejoined us after helping on Monday in pouring the slab. Jordan, our other regular, took the day to play with the kids at the orphanage. That made a dozen of us.

We started the morning working on three different tasks. Some started hauling sand to mix into concrete – a skill we had practiced a lot on Monday and Tuesday. Another crew continued our work from yesterday, building the forms that would hold the concrete for the 8 x 8 inch beams that run the perimeter of the laundry, suspended 9 feet off the ground by the columns we poured on Tuesday. A third crew learned a new skill: building a 4x4 inch steel skeleton out of rebar to reinforce those beams. In the US all of these tasks would have been mechanized; here they were all done by hand.

The concrete crew was most efficient, finishing first in their assigned task of hauling 21 wheelbarrows of gravel to the porch of the Development Center, and mixing it with seven bags of Portland cement. In anticipation of completion of the forms, they started adding water to the mix.

Meanwhile, the rebar team finished tying each of four steel rods to a steel harnesses spaced two feet apart for 96 linear feet of reinforcing, and finally the carpenter crew finished building the last of three forms for the day. Of course, as soon as we tried to position the first one, we discovered that it had been built backwards. We had to tear it apart and reassemble it. After all the forms were in place we discovered a warp in two of them that required some in-place adjustments to make sure the final product actually WAS an 8x8 inch beam.

During all this activity the temperature kept climbing and the concrete began to set. A weeks worth of fatigue and exhaustion took its toll. Several of us looked like walking zombies. Chuck took a spill with a load of gravel and ended up with several magnificent bruises. Doug lost a ladder and ended up swinging from the forms like a monkey. Most of us were running on autopilot.

After we placed the forms and braced the tops and bottoms, we started filling them with concrete. One five gallon bucket at a time. We had to work fast, because the concrete had already been mixed for 2 hours. At the halfway point we took a break for lunch around 1:00. Grenaches – small fried flour tortillas covered with beans, cheese, grated cabbage and fresh spicy tomato salsa. Delicious! Lazarus used to sell them on the street. His plate looked like a multicolored flower with 6 beautiful petals. He called it a plate of roses. Pictures to follow.

After a short lunch, we were back at it by 1:30. Intense effort on everyone's part got the forms filled with concrete. The extra concrete was embedded in the walls we built yesterday, and all gone by 2:30.

A little more time cleaning and sorting tools and we were ready for "closing ceremonies". We thanked Tono and his crew for the opportunity to work with them and for their patience this week. We gave each of them a "Mission from God" T-Shirt and took our formal group picture in front of the laundry building. After that, we piled into the LandCruiser and the back of the pickup truck for the four mile trip back to Jaguar Creek for soccer (Sarah and Jordan and Tono's work crew) or swimming (the rest of us weary old fogeys).

All in all, a productive, gratifying, fulfilling, awe-inspiring and exhausting week building the laundry facility for the people of Armenia.

Dan Terpstra

Laundry Report

Today we started by mixing mortar so we could finish laying cinder blocks for the side walls. We had three or four walls to finish pouring and finished before lunch that was around noon. We got to eat a very good lunch that replenished our electrolyte and sodium reserves. After lunch we started measuring the lengths we needed for the horizontal forms We then built three forms and set them in place. We were done by around four thirty and got back to Jaguar Creek around five. It was a very rewarding day and we made a lot of progress.

Laundry Report

The essence of the laundry team goals was shown to us as we rode home from the work today. Along the road to Jaguar Creek was the line of women and children heading to the river for water and to do laundry. Particularly heart touching was the young girl and boy, apparently siblings, who at 4pm in the afternoon, with the temperature at 100 degrees were walking up the 300 ft hill leading from the river, each hauling a five gallon bucket of water to take home for evening use. They were barefoot and walking on the hot asphalt. Think about that for a moment and realize how incredibly lucky were are with our lives and what a great thing our congregation is doing to help change the daily lives of these wonderful people.

Our laundry facility team worked hard in that 100 degree heat, with several of the members showing signs of heat exhaustion by lunchtime. But all did fine after taking on fluids and we accomplished the mission for the day by getting the forms off the columns poured yesterday (and they held) and then half of the concrete block walls constructed. One of the real benefits of the day was that the medical mission workers were at the same location as us, so we got to experience the 100+ men, women and children coming to the clinic and all that that entailed. We had several first time construction workers with us today, including the incomparable Cynthia Browne. She used more hammer strokes per nail than anyone during the past 3 days. And she wants to come back again. Silly girl. I don't think that it was mentioned yesterday that we had an opportunity to drive by and see the location of the new well being drilled. It's a first class facility and the plan ultimately is to have water brought to the homes in the village as well as the laundry. But, as our Jaguar Creek host pointed out, few of the villagers will be able to afford the hook up or cost of the water. And that's still years away. The village only got electricity 2 years ago. Some STILL do not have electricity because of the cost. So, to make a long story short, we're doing some really good stuff down here! We're all exhausted physically by the end of the day but are consistently being renewed spiritually by our supportive team. If Tim didn't tell you earlier in this post, the locals are helping us a lot. Don't get me wrong, we're giving it our all, but they add an extra dimension to our efforts. (meaning they know what they're doing). As we said earlier, we're doing some good stuff and we Really, Really, Really enjoy your letters. Keep us in your prayers.

With lots of love,

TimBob and Jordan

Laundry Report

As I sit here, nursing my sore muscles and writing this email, Tim, Jordan, Cynthia, Olivia, Sue, and our new friend Steven (a local 16-year old boy working with us on the construction crew) are playing a tense and competitive game of hearts. Every so often, in the middle of a sentence, I hear a raucous bout of laugher, and I can't help but smile. Even though we are all sore and physically exhausted, evenings here at Jaguar Creek are relaxed and time is well-spent in the company of our fellow church members.

Today gave us all good reason to be tired. The laundry crew, of which I have been a proud part the past two days, worked our tails off today. Although we had a slightly easier day than yesterday, and let me stress the word slightly, we worked hard from roughly 8:30 AM to 3:30 in the 96-degree afternoon. After a delicious breakfast of fresh banana bread and sweet yogurt, we drove the four beautiful miles to the work site, Jordan, Tim, Mateo (the night guard here at Jaguar Creek and a wonderfully pleasant man), and I riding in the back of the pickup truck. Without pausing, we hopped out of the truck and began working. While Tim, Chuck, Dan, Doug and Antonio were busy building forms for the cement pillars we would be putting up, the real strength of the team (being Jordan, Daniel, Sid and me) was busy transporting concrete blocks onto our already built cement base. Let me tell you, it's harder than it looks.

After building the wood forms for the cement pillars, we went through the tedious, hot, and arduous task of propping them up, supporting them, and making sure they were as level as we could make them. Given that there were six pillars, it took quite a while to put them up and make them stable. After doing this, we moved some wheelbarrows worth of gravel in preparation for concrete-mixin', but since our stomachs were rumbling louder than the 18-wheelers transporting citrus fruit nearby, we decided to break until lunch arrived.

Lunch was eaten in wonderful leisure. Lunch consisted of the most delicious potato concoction I have ever eaten (don't tell my mother), some of the best tomatoes I have ever eaten, arguably the freshest homemade bread I have ever eaten, and some juicy (but not the best) watermelon. We all made sure to enjoy it, for we knew that the hard work of concrete-mixing would follow. After a wonderful lunch, we mixed the concrete (my arms are still sore) and watched in awe as Lazarus poured it into the forms from the top of a teetering ladder. When we had finished pouring the six pillars, we gratefully began packing up the tools, preparing to head back to Jaguar Creek for a luxurious dip in the crisp water of the creek.

Hi Mom! I love you!

Sarah Terpstra

Laundry Report

The day at the laundry started out with everyone full of energy and ready to tackle the job at hand. However, as we got into the grueling work, that energy level seemed to decrease dramatically. The first day at the laundry was a big day, which included forming and pouring an 18 by 30 foot concrete pad. All concrete mixing was done by hand. We provided a large team (11) for this day because of the quantity of work that had to be accomplished. If it weren't for the locally provided team of 4 workers plus Antonio, I don't believe we could have ever accomplished the entire pad as we did.

We were able to perform the mixing under a roof but the pad itself was in the full sun. It did not take long for the temperature to rise. We made sure everyone drank plenty of water and that no one would push themselves beyond their limits.

Everyone worked very well together. When somebody became tired of shoveling concrete, someone else would automatically step in. When somebody was exhausted with the wheel borrow transfer process, someone else would step in. There was also a great camaraderie that developed between the local workers (all quite young - - in their teens or early twenties). They would pull simple stunts that would bring smiles to everyone's faces. When Sumner wanted to be more involved, one of the local workers helped her carry a five gallon bucket of water to help her feel part of the effort.

At then end of the day, everyone was quite exhausted and in need of refreshment. Some went to the Blue Hole National Park for a swim in a beautiful deep pool where the creek rises out of the ground, some of us, including yours truly, went swimming in Jaguar Creek and with a water temperature of 76 degrees was very refreshing, and the others simply showered and cooled off.

We feel truly blessed for the opportunity to perform this mission and appreciate the level of congregational support that allows us to complete this work.

Doug Allen