I’m ecstatic to hear that Rolling Hills is planning a trip! The waiting list for doubles in Juarez is a on the minds of the staff at all times.
I had an awesome time this week leading a group from Spring Road Christian Church (West Point, Georgia!!). Andrew and I led most of the build under a staff member’s supervision. The team constructed a beautiful house for Estella, a single mother of 3.
The drive to Acuna is taxing. Each week staff members lose their Sunday’s to tne of the most desolate 8 hour drives in America. (See picture of my extended cab seat in Justin's 1995 F-150 with sub par air conditioning) Justin, the staff member observing us this week, had a fever of 101 due to an abscess he developed on his neck as a result of an auto immune disorder. The thing was the size of 3 golf balls and kept him from being able to turn his head. He was back and forth over the border every day trying to get medical attention, however the doctors would not drain it because he was scheduled to lead a team in Guatemala on Monday. We ended up boiling a razor blade on Wednesday and doing it ourselves. Thankfully he is doing well. He left for Guat this morning. Please remember to pray for him, he has been so good to us.
This week was our first experience building with a team and I could not have asked for a better one. The team consisted of 5 adults and 11 youth, half boys and half girls. I have made some awesome friends and am thankful for every member. They were very patient with us as we worked the kinks out of our team leadership techniques.
The build went according to schedule. We finished Wednesday morning and then went back to the church we were staying in where the team prepared all of their extra food. After the dedication that afternoon we took all the food to the sponsoring pastor’s church and ate and fellowshipped with the neighborhood. It was so refreshing to throw a football for a few hours.
I feel so blessed to have met these awesome people and for the privilege to take part in the miracle that occurred in Estella’s life this week.
With regards to the RHBC trip, I would like to steer you towards Juarez. Acuna is just as hot as Juarez but with extreme humidity, mosquitos, and the most cockroaches I have ever seen in my life. Swamp coolers do not work in Acuna because of the humidity which made sleep difficult. I woke up every couple of hours drenched in sweat. Violence in Juarez is down 58% from last year with 80% of persisting violence occurring between 8:00 PM and 6:00 AM. Casas’ primary concern is team safety. Teams do not leave the church after dusk, and the director, David Robinson, is in constant communication with both the U.S. and Mexican State Departments. The recent violence is concentrated 70 miles east of Juarez and is strictly gang on gang. David is informed daily of the areas of town that should be avoided (this hasn’t happened since I’ve been here and I understand that travel advisories are very rare). I love you all dearly and would never put any of you in harm’s way.
I will be building a double in Juarez this week with the other interns. Please continue to pray for us.
I love you all and look forward to hearing the details of your trip.
David
-I'll post some more pictures tomorrow once the group gets home and settled and puts them on the internet. The last day is pretty much the only time I had time to get out a camera.
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| Estella's old house |
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| Estella's new house, a work of God through Spring Road Christian Church |
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| My left knee in back seat of Justin's truck. |
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| My right knee in the back seat of Justin's truck. |