The week in pictures... Commentary by Elder Koelliker :)
This is the chapel in Rosario where we meet. There are about 800 members in the branch but only 40-50 attend. That's typical for most branches here. They are large numbers but many inactive members. I guess back in the day they were promised food cards from the Church, so they got baptized. When that stopped they became inactive. Plus, the Revolution had a great impact on the members. The chapels were taken over by the government and members were afraid to go to church. We had 60 members attend on Sunday, the most they've had. Hopefully, our work will help them be truly converted to Christ.
A typical school playground. Lots of weed, lots of color! Several have bars over the windows with guards stationed around the property. Kids wear uniforms and the elementary kids attend half-day. Many of the older kids leave school to help provide for their families.
A small neighborhood in Esteli and a typical road where dogs, chickens and people like to hang out. When the roads are tough to travel, we walk these dirt roads to visit the members.
This is the little hut we tore down to get materials to build the new one. As we were taking the slats off the walls, the hut started to collapse. Laurie stood in the middle to hold up the roof poles so it wouldn't fall. She and I were the only ones tall enough to reach the roof. Because it rains so much, the wood rots quickly and the metal sheeting (walls/roof) rust. The rectangle box is an old freezer used for storage. In the new hut it will be used for a bathroom. It will be several yards away from the new hut.
To build the new hut, I helped clear the area with a machete. Everybody moved far away when I started swinging that thing. It was so sharp that I could cut through a 3-4" tree trunk. The people use machetes for everything... It's a hoe, rake, ax, weed eater, etc. It was even used as a saw to cut the metal sheeting for the hut.
This is Estevan whose hut we built. He used the machete to cut down a tree and shape it so it could be used as one of the four corner posts. Many of the extremely poor people find a plot of land and use what's there to build their one-room house. They cook outside and have a water spigot for their water. Most have a lightbulb hanging from the middle of their hut. The bathroom is an outhouse in the trees away from their hut. They keep their bed and a few personal items in their hut.
The rock and rope I'm holding was used to align the four corner posts so they stood straight. The ingenuity of the people is amazing! They don't have much in big machinery to build structures or roads. They use crude tools as well as their hands. For example, instead of a wheelbarrow to haul dirt, they used 5-gallon buckets filed with hands. To dig a trench for a utility line, it is dug by hand. For the most part, they work very hard for very little.
To build the hut, we first installed the four corner posts which were placed in two-foot holes. When the post was placed in the hole we used rocks and dirt to hold it in place. The rocks/dirt when damped to solidify the footing acted almost like cement. The posts barely moved and were sturdy to hold the weight of the roof. Once the posts were installed, we placed wood planks to use as a foundation for the roof and to connect the four corners. I was able to use my construction skills to attach the planks. I only bent a few nails! We then placed the aluminum siding on the roof and on the sides. Laurie and I were tall enough to reach the roof and hold the siding in place as it was attached.
We have the roof and three walls completed.
The hut isn't very big but Estevan, the little guy with me, was so excited to have his own house and not have to live on the streets. Many of these little huts don't have windows because of water from the raid getting in. The front of the hut is seven feet tall and the back is six feet, so rain water can run off.
The finished product! The machete was used to cut the siding to fit the door. The door is a frame with pieces of wood which was from the other hut. This is our little group who worked all day to build this hut for Estevan. The sister missionaries work with us in the branch. We're blessed to have them here working with us. They know where most of the members live. It was fast offerings from the branch which made it possible to get the siding to build this hut. We literally saw fast offerings at work. What a great experience, but more so a great blessing to serve.
We attended a baptism this past Saturday in our branch. We were privileged to be part of the last lesson of Naman, the guy next to me, committed and prepared to be baptized. Another tender mercy and blessing from the Lord. It is so awesome to be here and work with these wonderful people. They are very patient with us as we learn the language and their customs.
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