¨¡¿Ya mismo!, right Carrie?!¨

Stef:

    Good morning!  We´re finally making some big progress on the house!! The walls are going up!!!


    The pillars are all poured and the walls a work in progress.  Its been a long week of ups and downs and we have one more week to go.
    Since its Sunday, the workers only day off, I´m sure they are enjoying it but we have kidnapped Freddi (the foreman) and brought him to town with us to order the windows and doors and the, well, trusses, or at least thats as close of a translation as I know for the rough cut lumber they use to support the metal roof.

 (Freddi pouring concrete in the pillars and Zapatito diligently building the first wall.)

   They use bamboo poles to make scaffolding to stand on while they build the walls with the concrete block and cement. Its quite the process, especially in the heat of the day. We keep the towns Coca-Cola vendors in business.

Carrie:

    Happy Sunday morning to you all! Well a lot has been happening in last couple of days. Thanks to all of Steph´s help I recovered quickly from the Dengue Fever and am glad to be back on my feet.

    Laura arrived on Friday afternoon and got busy checking on the construction of Crucita´s house, organizing meetings for the kids school loans etc. etc. On friday evening we had a meeting with all of the school directors, some teachers and community leaders. The meeting was scheduled for 6 in the evening and I think everyone arrived by 9-930. Ecuador time!!!

    So as I am listening to the meeting and trying to be attentive I can´t help but notice the large amounts of insects that the outside lights have attracted. I am not talking about a little cricket or cockroach. Imagine a bug the length of your hand! So I am calmly trying not to think about the insects when I see something fluttering off in the distance and finally lands right in my lap and clings to my leg. I am still not sure exactly what it was but it was bright green, huge and leggy. Well, so much for my calm attitude. I started screaming and flinging my water bottle trying to hit it off my leg. The guy, Wimper, who was talking, just looked at me and everyone stared and really didn´t know how to react. One of the ladies came and gently took it off my leg and started petting it and let it go. ha!

    The meeting went till about 11 and on Saturday Stef and Laura went into town to buy more supplies for Crucita´s house and a window for the abuelito´s house as well. In the afternoon all of the construction workers came to Magdalena`s house where we are staying to get paid and at the same time the sponsored children and thier families were coming to the meeting Laura had scheduled. We paid the construction workers and got right into the meeting.

    Laura explained exactly what the loans covered and the details involved. She made it very important for the parents to know that they need to fully participate in their child´s schooling and make sure they are getting good grades. She went around to each child and got their sizes for uniforms and shoes. We were only missing 4 kids but each child was either there or represented by someone. Jazmine´s mother was there because Jazmine has been sick. Laura also explained and talked to the parents about setting a good example for their kids and giving them nutritious food so they are able to study well. We have to community leaders and parents that have taken the responsiblilty for the group to help if any problems occur with these children. If they are getting good grades then why? If they aren´t getting sufficient food then they will let us know or if there is a sickness.

 

(Some of the happy parents who brought their children to the meeting to organize the sponsorships)

    The mother of Kevin Cruz said how grateful she was to the people sponsoring her child to go to school. Ana Maribel wanted to say how grateful she was. She spoke in front of everyone with a low voice and she was a little bit shy. She explained that this was going to allow her to finish high school and she was so thankful. She told us that she didn´t have a father and it has been tough to get support to go to school. I was almost in tears and I know if she would´ve started to cry then so would´ve I. We ended the meeting and I felt like it was a great accomplishment.

    Afterwards we played with Crucita´s kids and Stephanie did the girl´s hair up with little rubber bands. It was a nice evening! Laura continued to lecture Crucita about feeding her kids properly, giving her advice etc. Her baby does seem to be doing better. Stephanie had brought her 2 more cartons of milk and she says he has been drinking it. Little by little I think it can make a change. I know for Stef and I, we always want to do more. You want to see within a couple of days a chubby little baby instead of a boney malnutritoned one but it takes time and patience and sometimes that is hard.

(Genisis and Manava after getting their hair done.)

   All in all things are going great. This afternoon we will be celebrating the abuelitos entering and living in their new house. Oh, that reminds me that we need to go buy balloons. We will be celebrating with the community and that will be a positive, great time.  Its thier custom to have the house blessed by a church leader before living in it.  So that is what they have been waiting for.  It will be wonderful to see them in the house.  They are in their 80´s and so little and sweet, the cutest little couple!  This is the house that will be blessed later today at their request.

La casa de los abuelitos.

Stef:

Just one more thing for today, I´ve been meaning to do this, just in case a representative from the ¨Raid¨ company comes across our site, please note the following-

First, we would like to thank you for your amazing product called ¨Raid Gold¨.  It has made the last 2 weeks our lives (my good friend Carrie and I´s) possible here in the town of Puerto El Morro, pictured below, which seems to grow unusually large and resistant insects.  We have been using your product to kill every flying, hoping critter of bird size and under that we see. I only have the follow few suggestions: 

1-A more potent product.  The ¨kills on contact¨statement is not entirely correct.  They still have enough life for one last last jump (up to two meters in any dirrection)

2-A better smelling product.  Is there a perfume you could add, maybe something flowery and fresh, like Paris Hilton´s line.  I like that.

3-A more convenient size.  Im thinking on a keychain would be marvelous.

Sincerely your biggest fans, Stef and Carrie