Fun in the sun on the Curonian Spit, Lithuania!

We are in our fourth and final country. We arrived in Lithuania yesterday in the city of Klapedia. The city itself doesn't have much to offer. You can see the entire Old Town in less than an hour and it is full upscale stores and restaurants. The only attractoins or points of interest was a building where Hilter gave a speech during the second world war and then a few really random and weird statues. Like a grimm reaper crawling out of a river which was described as "something out of a child's dream"more like a nightmare!!!  And a little mouse...if you can find it....you tell it your secret wishes and they will come true. Or the Cat, if you rub it's tale you will have good luck. We only found the grimm reaper.

Today we explored the Curonian Spit, a short 7 min ferry ride from Klapedia. If I ever find myself back in this part of the world i would stay on the Spit and enjoy a few days of lying on the beach and renting a bike to explore the endless number of trails that span the entire island.

One thing to note before venturing over to the spit with a vehicle is that there is only ONE gas station on the whole island and it is over 40km from the ferry terminal. We noticed we only had a quarter tank when we got off the ferry and went straight to the gas station...which also only has two pumps!

The village of Nida was very cute and lively. A lot of vacation homes here...apprenently a favorite spot for Germans to have a cottage. The beachs went on forever! And the sand was almost powder soft and white! The oddest thing about this sand was the sound it made when you walked! I had heard of a beach in the maritimes of Canada that "sings" when you walk but had never experienced it!  This sand made almost a squeaky shoe sound as you walked. So odd!  We dipped our feet in the Baltic Sea! I got up to just past my knees but no deeper....it was freezing!!! One day i'll need to figure out how many different bodies of water I have dipped my toes in. Beaches are well marked as family (with clothing), women only (clothing optional) or family (clothing optional)....the odd thing with this was that the family clothed beach had nothing but a small sign to seperate it from the womens clothing optional beach. And we only saw one sign on the whole spit that was a mens only beach but there was plenty of womens only beaches.

We checked out the Unesco sight on the Spit, sand dunes!  This is a protected area of the island and you are only allowed to stay on a very well marked path and can't venture too far onto the dunes themselves. The sand on the dunes was a littlle more corse than the beach sand and had speckles of amber all over it. Amber is EVERYWHERE in the Baltics.  From the top of the trail in the dunes we could see clearly from one side of the spit to the other. From the Curonian lagoon to the Baltic Sea!  At the widest point on the island it is 4kms wide....the narrowest is only 400 meters.

I was so incredibly thankfully for bright sunshine and no clouds today! Of all days today was the day to have no rain!  Such a refreshment from all the clouds, rain and wind we have had for the majority of our trip so far.

I think we will both sleep well tonight!

5 Castles, a manor and a cable car ride...sore feet and blisters!

We are in Segulda, Latvia now this is said to be the adventure capital of the Baltics. Right around the corner from our hotel is a chair lift for the ski hill.... however, I dont see anything that is really much bigger than a hill we would tobogan down. There are a lot of biking Nd walking trails through beautiful forest areas.

We set out this morning for what the lady at the tourism info place said would be a 6km walk. Megans guide book also said this...they only failed to mention tht it was 6 km just between two of the castles....one way. So once again we have walked over 15km in one day and our feet are screaming!

It was a very beautiful walk through the centre of town, seeing the Segulda new castle and ths Livonian order castle before crossing the Gauja river on the cable car. The cable car ticket office looked like a watch towet or something from world war ll...and the czble car didnt look the best either.  And people bungee jump from this thing!!! I am all about adrenaline and would love to bungee jump one day, but this thing looked far from safe to jump from.

At the other side of the cable car was an old manor that looked like a ghost town. There were a few other houses around it that ws assumed were abandoned,  until we saw people pull up and go in with bags of groceries. Would love to see what these places look like on the inside.

We began our quest to find, Gutmams Cave next....and yes it felt lime a quest with poor signage. There are many well maintained walking trails in the area its just a matter of picking the right one to get to where you want to go! We did eventually make it to the cave....in travel books and other write ups about tbe cave it is said to be one of Latvias top attractions with inscriptions dating back to the early 1800s. Although interestig to look at and find the oldest inscriptions the cave itself is small and not so impressive to be called a top atttraction. If I was driving past it would be worth a stop to see.....but maybe not walking a few kilometers like we did. Hahah.

The highlight of the day a d bigfest castle In Segulda is the Turaida Castle....a 2km walk up hill from the cave. Its a fairly well preserved castle and the workers are in medieval dress. It was worth the hike.

Our feet are very sore and tired and scream everytime I get up. We walked back to town (only a 2min walk) to try to find some dinner.....there is not a proper sit down restaurant to be found! You can have your pick of amazing bakeries though!  After walking down a number of streets we settled for a pizza from a small deli like restaurant and a couole of pastries from a bakery.

Since our feet will not tolerate any more walking tonight I believe it will be a night of reading.

Today we fired Steohanie, our Tom Tom guide

This morning we left Saaremaa early, but not before exploring the beautiful Angla windmills. There are 5 of them lined at the side of the road and such beautiful scenery with farming fields behind them. We were able to go insjde the largest of the windmills and see the inner mechanics. I would love to see one of these in action to make flour!



We got to the ferry over to the mainland without any isssues. And then Stephanie, our computer Tom Tom voice, decided to take us on a little adventure! As wwe were on our way to our next country, Latvia, She told us to turn right so we did, then turn left...ok.....now once you're outside of the big city, Tallin, it always looks like you're in the middle of nowhere, so driving a quaint country road didn't seem odd....well that quaint little road soon became a gravel road! The signs we were seeing still made sense but it kept going ang going. We decided to let Stephanie continue to guide us until her next directions whicb were coming up in 12kms. Well the road was still gravel! We were debatig at what point we should turn around wheen we came across a sign! WELCOME TO LATIVA!!! I am now officially a quarter of the way to my bucket list goal of visiting 100 countries!!!! But we are also in tbe middle of no where literally and as we continued just a little bit futher there was less and less signs of civilization......we turned around and fired Stephanie! Well, we gave her a bit of a time out and just followed ssigns and the teeny tiny map in our travel book. It has been impossible to find an actual map here, so Stephanie has been somewhat useful.

With the detour it took us a bit longer to make it to Segulda but what a day of adventure! When we were finally back on track and came to cross over in to Latvia again we pulled over to get another picture of the welcome to Latvia sign that wasnt in the middle of nowhere and a border lady came out and told us we cant parm because its the border property....all these coutries are part of the EU so there aren't any real borders, you can come and go as you please. So weird. At least we got our picture in tbe middle of nowwhere and a good story to go along with it.

So we are now in Sigulda, the adventure capital of Baltics, i the middle of a beautiful national park! Cant wait to see what tomorrow brings!

kiek-in-de-kok and 15kms of walking

 I really wish I coukd post pics on here but it's just nit working....

We walked over 15kms today, and it was so cold! About 8 degrees but with the wind chill it was about 3 or 4, we had to buy toques to keep somewhat warm. We explored every street of old Tallinn and did a tour of the old bastion tunnels under the Keik-in-de-kok tower.
 These tunels were built in the 1500's (I think). It was very interesting to here the stories of what the tunnels have been used for.....transporting goods from one tower to another, sealed shelters for chemical attacks during world war l, during world war ll about 1,000 people escaped to the tunnels as Tallinn suffered two air raids in one night that left Tallin in ruins and 20,000 people dead. Later the tunnels werent used for their original defence or protective uses....in the 80s punk bands would hide out and perform in them, from 1991-2005 after Estonia won its freedom once again, the economy took a huge blow and homeless people started to find their way into the tunnels. In 2005 excavation of the tunnels began and the last homeless person was forced to leave. The kiek-in-de-kok tower is now a museum of all old weaponry.

We walked 2 km to check out Kadriorg palace. This palace was built by tsar Peter the Great, as a gift to Empress Catherine who was given to him as a gift. The palace really wasnt that impressive and was closed....along with all the other museums on the grounds.

After our 2 km walk back to old town we rewarded our selves with amazing crepes! Mine was covered with vanilla icecream and fruit and megans had chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup. A well deserved, hit the spot treat!
Tomorrow the real adventures begin....we pick up our rental car and start our road trip through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania! Oh it's gonna be fun!

For now I am exhausted and ready for bed!

Churches, Towers and Old City Walls

Oh how I love walled cities and Old Town Tallinn did not disappoint!

As we approached the old town, we began to see the red roofs of the wall towers and steeples of numerous churches. The Old Town is comprised of buildings dating back to the 13th century. The cobble stoned streets twist throughout the city and connect with many alleyways and what seem to be hidden gems. History just seeps from every building and between every stone, it's truly an amazing place.

We visited many churches, there are at least 7 within the Old Town, each of them very distinct from the last. The Russian Orthodox, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral , built in 1900, is cleary the most impressive with it's massive domed roof and size looming over the city.
St. Olaf's church takes the cake for the tallest, with its spire reaching 124m! This church was built in 1267, but between 1625 and 1820 the church burnt down 8 times after being struck by lightening.  The inside of the church is unimpressive with simple white walls, but you are able to climb 232 steps up the spire! If your lungs and legs can make it, it is well worth the view that rewards you at the top. It is not for the faint of heart, as the walk way on top is very narrow.

We were able to explore the city walls. We went through the Nun Tower and climbed narrow spiral stair cases to the top. It is an amazing view from the tiny windows and a peacefull walk along the wall itself. We were able to climb up to three of the 9 towers. The walls of the Old Town were mostly constructed during the 14th century and citizens of medieval Tallinn were obligated to perform regular guard duty.

One of the most impressive towers (for size) is Fat Margaret. Her name is well earned, as she is very large and boasts walls that are 4 meters thick!  This once served as the city's prison.  There are many theories of how the tower got the name Fat Margaret. Some say it was named after one of her canons....other say it was named after the cook!

We had such a great time just walking through the narrow roads, looking through the many souvenir shops, getting lost and finding streets with such character. Truly this city is a photographers dream.

We have another day here tomorrow and look forward to exploring more!

Exploring Helsinki in a day

Our flights getting to Helsinki were really good. It has been years since I have been through Heathrow and wow what a busy overwhelming airport! My first trip ever, 100% on my own, was coming home from the Canary Islands when I was 18, and I had a connecting flight through Heathrow and my flight getting in there was late. I do not know how I navigated through it, on my own, running! I'm impressed with my 18 year old self right now.

Neither of us had a great sleep so we started the day off really tired, but that didn't stop us from taking it all in.

Helsinki at first glance isn't a visually appealing city. They skyline is dull and most of the buildings are unimpressive.

The hotel we stayed in, Glo Hotel Art, was really great. The outside and the lobby look like a castle, yet the decore and furniture is very modern, a stunning contrast. The room was very comfortable, the beds had a remote to raise the head or foot, so cozy! The only thing I would complain about this hotel is the bathroom.... I remember working at the Fairmont and we were worried that the wood slat doors didn't provide enough privacy...and that was really just if you needed some privacy for undesired noises or bathroom goings on. But this bathroom.....a glass wall into the bedroom. It was black glass but you could still see fully in and fully out. Makes bathroom and shower usage a little awkward. But beside an awkward bathroom, the hotel was amazing.

We started the morning off with an amazing buffet breakfast at our hotel, Glo Hotel Art. A huge spread of cold cuts, cheese, eggs, sausage, bread, yogurt and amazing locally roasted coffee.

When Megan and I travel together we walk everywhere! We will rarely get in a taxi or bus, we just walk. And walk we did! For six hour straight! We started off in the Market Square, a lot of craft, souvenirs and food for sale. Any animal lover would hate this market though. There are a lot of animal pelts and teddy bears made out of animal fur. All very soft and cuddly.

We vistied the Uspenkin Cathedral, a building that catches your eye! The Cathedral was built as a Roman Orthodox Church in 1868 and boasts a red brick exterior and a green roof on the steeple. It now serves as a Finnish Orothdox church. Mass was in progress when we visited so we got to hear the choir sing a bit, it was beautiful.

We wandered to the Senate square, you are immediately overcome by the Cathedral. It is a massive white building with amazing pillars and domed roofs. When on the water this Cathedral dominates the city skyline. The square was a busy place, with tourists and street performers. A great place to sit on the cathedral stairs and people watch.

One of the highlights of Helsinki is the Suomenlina Sea Fortress, which is a short 10 - 15 min water bus ride. This is a massive fortress that was cunstructed in the 1700s. The fortress has been in the hands of Sweden, Russia and finally
Finland. It is a great island to walk around and just get lost exploring. I really wish I had my headlamp with me today. There were a lot of little tunnels that went down to what I assume to be prison cells and storage rooms. We wandered through areas that looked like we were in the middle of the Shire, with beautiful wooden doors right in the side of a grassy hill. The defence of this fortress would have been impressive in its days. Canons flanked the perimeter of the island and most seemed well camoflauged in the natural rock and geography of the island. What once was used for war is now a monument of times past and provides people with grassy parks and rocky beaches to enjoy their lunch.

We saw the majority of the hightlights in Helsinki today but saved a couple more for our return at the end of our trip.

We ended the day with a ferry ride to Tallinn Estonia. We took one of the fast ferries that only took 1 hour and 40 minutes. Some of the bigger ones can take up to 3 hours! The first impression of Tallinn from the ferry was breath taking. We could see the towers from the old city wall and the steeples of cathedrals. Can't wait to explore tomorrow!!!

Pupusas and Celebration!

We were up at 4am this morning and were picked up by 430am to help the local ladies prepare food for today's celebration.

We arrived at Cary and Stuarts house and along with the local ladies started to put salsa and juice into bags. Here if it's liquid it's put into a little plastic sandwich bag and tied at the top, you then bite of the corner and squeeze or suck out whatever is in the bag.

Us Canadians were very very slow in tying the bags compared to the El Salvadorian ladies. We bagged over 1300 bags of salsa and the same of juice. I was working along side Carolino, who is deaf and only reads lips a little bit. We had a lot of fun with hand gestures as she tried to teach me to tie faster....either she isn't a good teacher or I'm a horrible student, I didn't improve much.

We came back to the hotel at 7am for breakfast and were gone again by 8am to continue with food prep and set up at the stadium. Some of us got in there and learned how to make pupusas, I'm sure some of you lucky ones with get to try some when I get home. Rob got right in there and mastered the are art of pupusa making. The ladies absolutely loved it. Men down here just don't help out in the kitchen. He must have made over 150. I got in there too...some of mine were nice and round.... Others not so much. But they all taste the same not matter what shape they are! It was a lot of fun talking to the ladies and getting to know them and translating all of their jokes back and forth between them and the Canadians. In all we made approx 4000 pupusas!  I was speedy Gonzalez and made about 50 of those haha.

As we made them we sang some of the Spanish choruses I know and the ladies were so happy that I knew some Spanish songs. Knowing their language really goes a long way with the people here.

The other guys were gophers for a while getting more beans and dough and being totally goofy making all the ladies laugh.

The crowds began to arrive around 11am and it felt like we were not going to have enough food!  Over 1300 showed up, these are all the families who received a house since October of last year! It's incredible to see, in one place, all of the lives that have been changed in just the last six months. It's an incredible thing that Shelter does for these people.

There was some worship music and speeches to celebrate the success of the past building season. And as the speeches went on the heat increased. I think today was the hottest of the week.

It was amazing to be with all the people today and give all praise and glory to God for all the work that has been done.

Can't believe today was really our last day with the people. Tomorrow is a day of rest at the beach!

This has been quite the week. A lot of it has felt like I've been watching a movie and I'm sure it will take quite awhile to digest and process all that I've seen and experienced. I'm incredibly thankful for each and every moment.

Keys to your new house!!!

Today was low key compared to the last few days.  It was the Key Ceremony day!  We drove back to the village, 30+ of is in the back of a pick up again and visits a bit with the people. I got to interview one last family before the ceremony. It was me and three of the guys from my team doing the interview and the couple was so thankful and so relaxed. We had a great time laughing with them and the guys were sharing pictures of their families in the snow.

9 families got keys to their new houses this morning!  The ceremony started with some worship and the local pastor shared about sharing and giving from what you have. And this village is such an amazing example of community, they really look out for each other and help where they can.

Each family was called to the stage and a member of the construction team would say a bit to the family and present them with the keys to their house and a "basket of blessings" these include a broom, cleaning supplies, food and some toys for the kids. I was nominated to speak for our team and present Jose Noe the keys to his house. I got to speak in Spanish as an El Salvadorian translated into English for me.... That felt a little weird but was awesome to speak to the family directly and not through the translator

It was a great time to celebrate with these families and to remind them that we are only the hands and feet of Jesus and the house is from God not the Canadians.

This afternoon was some more meetings as they plan for next year. We got to hear from a young man, Diego (19) who works at the sewing centre. The sewing centre is a project that has grown out of Shelter. This young man shared that when he met Cary and Stuart (Canadians who live here) his dad had just passed away and his family didn't know what they were going to do. His mom was working but not making enough to feed and clothes everyone. The kids had to drop out of school because they couldn't afford shoes and the uniform that are required. Diego met Cary and Stuart and they got him involved in the sewing centre, he took a design course and does the silk screening for them. He is now able to provide for his family and has dreams of being a psychiatrist and opening his own business so he can help families like his. He was an amazing young man who had to grow up real fast. And hey if you want silk screened shirts or bags for your company or sports teams they're comparable (or cheaper) than Canada and you'll help keep kids like Diego off the streets and give them the opportunity to have dreams! Let alone fulfill those dreams.

Tomorrow is going to be an early start at 5am as we prepare for a massive celebration with all the families that have received a house this year!!! The local soccer stadium has been rented and we're expecting approx. 1300 people.

Off to dinner and hopefully early to bed!

Rainbow looms and laundry

Every day here has felt like it's included three or four days of events.

Today was another amazing day. We were back in the same area as yesterday (San Antonio)  to build the last of the houses for the week. I was working with Ainsley again and a young girl from the community, Fatima who's only 13. Ainsley and I were quite excited that we were able to see jobs that needed to be done and just did them without any instructions. We finally knew what we were doing!!!  But just as we were on a roll Phil came up and told us there was a huge group of kids around the corner wanting to make rainbow loom bracelets. Yes they have invaded El Salvador too!!!  So we got to play with the kids. We had a big crowd of kids around us wanting to learn how.....I've never made one! Haha. Thankfully they're really easy. The kids picked it up quick and one little boy made four or five of them. I help a little girl who was about 4 make one using her fingers but I did all the work.

After a bit Cary-Lynn, who lived down here for over a year, asked if we would like to go to the river to see the ladies washing clothes. Most of the ladies in our group have never seen this... I've lived it.  Off we went, with a group of kids close behind. The ladies at the river thought it was awesome that we wanted to see their ways of life. I asked one of them if we could help them, and who says no to help with the laundry!  So off came our socks and shoes and once again I was standing in a river washing clothes on a rock. It brought back some great memories of my time in Ecuador. The ladies had a great time showing is how to do things and we had a few good laughs and one of the little boys just jumped right in the water for a bath.

When we got back to the village I got to translate for a couple of interviews with families that got houses today.

The house that I started to help with in the morning was going to Sunami an her family. Sunami is 32, a single mom and has four kids; 12, 9, 5 and 1. Her mom, Victoria, lives with them as well as her niece and another teenage boy. She wouldn't say what the young boys relation was to them and I didn't press. To make money for the family she runs a small store out of her house, and she makes enough to feed everyone well. As we interviewed her we stood beside her little wood burning stove as she made tortillas for the local workers. When asked how the new house would change their lives she was talking about bugs, spiders and mice that live in her dirt was and said there was one time a snake fell on her bed too. They are excited to feel secure in the house and to stay dry during the rainy season.

The other family I interviewed was Jose (32) and Marisol (27). They have  a son, 5 and a daughter that is almost 2. For Jose he was excited for the new house, like the other lady who was concerned about bugs and mice (it was Jose who's head a mouse almost landed on yesterday) and most of all he was concerned about his house collapsing in an earthquake or just a strong rain.  He was proud that his family would be in a safe house now. And he's looking forward to working on more houses in the community and helping other families.

I have been really impressed with the sense of community in this village. Even kids like Fatima, 13, were out helping to build and the ladies were all cooking lunch for the local workers. And some just gathered around to chat or even some adults came out to make bracelets. Another neighbour came around with oranges and melons for everyone.

I got to go with a couple of guys as they visited a family that got a house a couple of weeks ago and got to see inside one of the finished houses, it was clean and cozy. So much better than what they would have had before. This was my first time in a finished house with the family moved in and settled. amazing homes for them.

A very full very fun day. Again this is such a blessing to be here and help these families in such a tangible way. And it is all glory to God.... He has laid it on the hearts of the men and women who volunteer their time to lead teams through Shelter. And so many lives have been changed as try obey that calling in their lives.

Tomorrow we will go back to San Antonio to visit the families one last time and attend a key ceremony. I'm excited to see what this is all about.

Thank you everyone for your prayers and support this has been quite the week!

Just awesome......

Again there really aren't any words to describe today. It was a stark contrast to yesterday. As we drove into the community we passed many shelter houses that have been built over the past few years. And we were welcomed with such excitement. These families that received houses today found out last night that they were getting a house today!

We break up into three teams each day and as my team pulled up to the house we were going to build the owner, Jose, was ear to ear smiles. They found out late last night that they were getting their house today so their old house was still standing. They usually have it torn down before we get there. But we got to see the conditions that they were living in. Jose is 32 and his wife Sonia is 36.. They have a 10 yr old son Emerson. We walked on to the property and there were mice running everywhere, tons of flys and ants all over everything. I took some pictures inside the house and it looked like a garbage can with a dirt floor and just old old bowls and tables, that I'm sure leaked and were wobbly. But it's what they have and they make do.

We had to help tear down the old house to make room for the new one. Jose still had a smile ear to ear as he saw his old house come down bit by bit. He has helped build a number of shelter homes and it was finally his turn, he knew what he was getting was way better and safer that what he had.

I worked along side Ainsley a lot today. She's 15 years old and raises funds on her own to come down for a week with her dad to build houses, this is her second time. She is a hard little worker.  And we worked along side some of the local women, man these women know how to work! They are tough, fast and know how to build these houses. My job has become securing the siding once it's up so Ainsley and I grabbed the drill some screws and started getting to work. We soon found out that these local women who work so hard didn't know how to use a drill... I found it quite funny that I was the one to teach them. I had a line up of about 5 of them each pushing the other to take a turn but each of them scared to try. It was hilarious and a great "bonding" experience for all of us.

I got to play translator for our team as well, I slid back into this role so easily and loved every moment of it. I was pulled away from jobs to translate for work being down and I was pulled away to be asked what the kids were talking about. Just so much fun to be part of it all.

When each house is built the owners are interviewed and I got to translate for our interview too. Jose is a farmer, he farms fields of corn and beans. And he's paid in corn and beans, not money. He'll keep some for his family and sell the rest to get money for other necessities. Sonia stays at home to look after Emerson. Emerson wants to be a soldier when he grows up. Sonia was fairly quiet during the interview but it was clear she was just at a loss for words. Jose was still smiling! He's so happy to have a clean secure house for his family and he's excited to help build more houses for other families. This village really knows what community is all about.

We started a couple of more houses that we will finish tomorrow morning. As I was talking to the owner of one house asking where they wanted the bedrooms and the patio a big black mouse jumped off a roof and almost landed on the guys head!  Can't believe I didn't even jump. I think that's a God thing too, to be able to not over react to something like that. It's something so small but to jump and scream even just from the shock of it could embarrass them for the fact that they have mice in their home.

We were done building by 1pm today, I'm so thankful for a short day. We had to cut down the one tree on the first property to make room for the house and that was the only shade and it was another very hot day. My energy was zapped!

One of the main purposes of this week, aside from buildings, is meetings with all the team leaders. Those started this afternoon and it was so incredible to hear how each person got involved with Shelter, how God made connections an but burdens on people's hearts and brought them all together with Shelter. These men and women had incredible passion for physically playing out the Gospel, being the hands and feet of Christ to the people of El Salvador.  Each and everyone of them are volunteers and either pay or raise money to come down here one, two some as many as four times a year. That's love in action.

I am exhausted, ready for bed and ready for another exciting day tomorrow!!

In the trenches.....

Right in the trenches....

Once again I am struggling with words on how to describe today. We were up and having breakfast by 7am and on our way to the village of Rio Frio by 8am. Two trucks one full of Canadians and one full of equipment and El Salvadorians.

When we arrived there wasn't the same big welcome as yesterday.... There weren't many people around at all. We figured they were working. But somehow we knew something wasn't right.

We got to work right away. I got to help build Marta's house, she's the single mom with three kids. They have me the "girly" job, as they said it, of drilling holes. Now this is holes through metal so a tiny bit harder than wood. Very glad my brother-in-law has taught me how to use a drill and I can find my way around a construction site alright. Later I was working with Shane on securing the sides of the house down (more drilling) and then got up on the roof to secure that down too....funny all the guys were impressed a girl would get up on the roof..... They don't know me very well, eh. But man was it hot up there. I only got half the roof done and had to switch and go get water and shade.  The houses are so much bigger than I thought. And nice and cool inside. They are 400 sq ft, have two bedrooms and a living/ kitchen area as well as a covered patio. Each room has a window and there is a front and back door. All very sturdy and lock up tight. Theses houses are very safe. Very luxurious for these people and vey cool inside too. What an incredible gift to be able to give them and they only cost $2000 each!  This year alone Shelter has built 300 houses!

As we were working leadership found out where everyone had gone to. Shelter has been building houses in El Salvador for 12 years and on average build upwards to 300 houses a year. This a new community that Shelter is building in and a first they have run into a situation like this. After we left yesterday the local gang found out who was getting houses and didn't agree with the village committee and ran some of them out of town. Now we did hear yesterday they didn't want someone to get a house, since it was a safety issue it was decided to go with the gangs decision for now and take that family off the list. We are in a different country and will most likely never understand how somethings work here. But it was said as long as the one family wasn't getting a house we were welcome.

Part way through we could see our local contact Tomacita (very strong feisty woman) looking a little anxious and moving fast. Myself and two other ladies sat and prayed for our safety and the safety of the people in the village. Sadly, we got word just as we were finishing three houses that the gang was coming back and they decided they didn't really want anyone to have a house. We quickly gathered the equipment and left before they came back. Tomacita had gone back to the village and it is heartbreaking that everyone, including Marta has decided it's no longer safe for them there and have left the village. A team of local went and took down all but one of the houses we built.

We serve a great God, and although His ways can be confusing at times for our finite minds to even begin to comprehend. I know that when someone intends something for evil He will turn it in to good. These people have been living in fear of this gang for sometime now and this was the final push to get them out. We will be continuing to pray that although today and the next few days will be hectic and stressful for them, we pray that each one of them will end up in a much much safer area.

This will change up the week a bit. We will still get to build some more houses but they will be in communities where shelter is well established, respected and very welcomed.

A tough morning and as I said workings of other countries are very very different from ours and sadly unjust and just don't make sense.

For the afternoon some of the team went to the local pool, which they say is beautiful. I decided that my very red skin (despite putting lotion on three times in three hours!) needed a break from the sun and I enjoyed a ciesta in my air conditioned room.

Although today was rough it was good.  God is faithful and He always has a plan.  Please do not worry or fret. But prayers are most welcome for continued safety.

A loss for words

Day 1 - full day

This is going to be quite the week. I am really at a loss for words as to what I have experienced just today. It will take some time to process... But I will share my initial thoughts and feelings.

We started the day with on of the guys sharing Gods word. He was talking about that since Jesus isn't here in a physical form right now, we need to be His hands and feet and take care of those in need. Very fitting for this week.

Soon we all climbed into the back of the trucks (love getting around like this) and drove about 45 mins to the little village of Rio Frio, where we will be building this week.  As we came up the road the whole village was there to great us and had chairs set up like they were ready for a town meeting. We all sat and we got to hear from the town committee. The town committee are the ones who will decide who gets a house and when (eventually everyone in the village will get a house).  Then we went from family to family to meet them and hear a little bit about their stories.

Now in my travels I have seen poverty, but somehow this seems different..... This seems more extreme than what I have ever seen. I've seen a mud hit here and there or a house with cardboard for walls but there would only be a few among some brick (nicer secure) houses. Well this is a whole village of mud huts that have what they would call a door, I don't believe it provided any form of security and barely any privacy.

The family that really hit me hard was a single mom, 31 years old (younger than me) she has three kids. Two boys ages 12 and 10 and a little girl that's 8. She works in the fields farming corn and beans. And sells bread in the next town over, she said she is proud that her children are never without food. But when asked how a new house will change her life she said she will be able to sleep through the night and not get up, light a candle and walk around the room to #1 check that all her kids are still there and safe and #2 that no water is dripping on them from the holes in the roof. I couldn't imagine this being a daily fear. And it was one were heard from pretty much every family.

It's hard to explain and it's hard for those who don't see it to comprehend. We are so spoilt in Canada with our government assistance and food banks. Here if you don't work, or your crops aren't good... You're unable to provide basic food for your family. One man works as a security guard at a gas station and has a wife and two daughters. They live in a very simple mud shack.  I forgot to mention there isn't electricity in this village and they cook over fires.

This has been a lot to take in. We will be heading back to the village tomorrow and will be building 8 houses in one day. I am so excited to see how these houses go together.

After we met each family someone in the group was asked to pray for them. Our team leader asked me to pray for the last family and I hadn't met the translator yet so Chris told play a trick on the translator and to just pray in Spanish... He was a little lost as to what to do. Oh the little games we play.

I should talk about the team I am with. There around 24 of us I think. A group of mostly men, 6 women.  They are all very passionate about El Salvador and about the poverty they have seen here. They can get emotion when talking about their experiences from how God called them to come to El Salvador and about how much it has changed and blessed their own lives. It's only been day one I can't wait to hear more about their passions for this country as the week goes on.

We got to attend a church service in the afternoon, it was a good hour drive away. There was probably around 200 in the congregation, a very traditional church with the ladies on one side and the men in the other. I was very excited that I knew three of the five songs we sang.  The pastors name is Pastor so they call him Pastor Pastor... So strange. It was great to be back in a Spanish service, once again I felt at home.