2 Day House

Two months ago when we were in Ensenada building a home, Brett (a Yugo missionary/carpenter) commented that some groups were coming down and finishing a house in 2 days. "I can't believe it." The same house that it has taken us 3 1/2 to 4 days is being completed in only 2 days. Well, it didn't take long to get me excited or any of the other people I told about the possibility of building a house in 2 days. So an idea was birthed.

In the six weeks that followed it was difficult getting commitments from people about whether they could make it Memorial Day weekend or not. As it turns out, most that I had invited were unavailable. But we pressed on. And late in the game money started pouring in for the cost of the house ($3200) so we started to believe that God really wanted us to do this. And as it turns out, He did.

Our team was comprised of 15 individuals, including my two girls. In addition to the people we brought, we also had Melody, Brett, and Jeremy from Yugo. We hit the ground running and quickly had the house framed, painted and wrapped by 11:00 a.m. When we took our break for lunch at 12:30 the roof was framed and the electrical was finished. By the end of the day, the drywall was hung and mudded and the roof was nearly completed. We were on our way.

Day two involved a lot of trim work, putting in the front door, completing the roof, sanding, mudding and painting the interior walls. We had all taken bets to see when we'd be officially finished. I had guessed 4:15 p.m. Our official time was 3:57 p.m. and of course Jenna had picked 3:58.

Raul was a hard worker. He helped at every step of the game. The families represented parts of three families that would be living in the new home: 1 dad, two moms, and 7 kids all in a 2 room 320 square foot home.

At one point I was working with Carol, my mother-in-law in one of the bedrooms. Raul was looking into the room from the outside. Carol walked over and opened the window. Raul got a huge smile on his face. You could see the joy that having a window that opened brought to this young man. Carol became overwhelmed with emotion and began to weep. It is simple moments like this that signify why I keep coming back to Mexico.

Thank you to all who made this trip happen.