Building Houses day 1

Nov 5, 2007
Well, we successfully completed our first day of housebuilding and it was a lot of work! First we dug a 2 1-2 foot trench all around the 12 x 16 foot area. We then layed 3 layers of cinder block. The hardest part is mixing the cement by hand. Tomorrow we will lay the cement floor. My group is building right in the same area that the family currently lives. There will be 7 people living in the house. They currently live in a corn stock shack with a dirt floor and tin roof. The 12 year old girl works all day taking care of the kids and cooking over a fire for the family while both the mom and dad work. The bathroom is a toilet over a hole (no drainage) with a current over the door. We certainly got to witness and live the type of poverty that they experience on a daily basis. Tonight, 2 of the groups will serve at a male homeless shelter. The other 2 groups will do so tomorrow.