“Be strong and courageous, and do the work.” 1Chronicles 28:20

Today was all about manual labor. We went to the project site, ready to begin hauling sand from our sand pit, but the diggers were still busy scraping the sand from the sides of the pit. So, we had the opportunity to see our laborers in action. There were four brick layers working on four different areas of the house, installing the face bricks over the concrete blocks. For some, the scaffolding was comprised of two stacks of blocks with a board placed precariously between the stacks. For others, there was metal piping which had been welded together, with boards balancing between the pipe “ladders”. One man’s job was to make sure there were no protrusions on the bricks, and he would knock off any uneven edges with the edge of a hammer. The mortar was all mixed by hand, and then shoveled into a wheelbarrow. One of the men wheeled the mortar between the different work stations, depositing a shovel-full of mortar onto the wooden scaffolding as was needed. Each brick layer would scoop the mortar onto his trowel, smooth it over the brick already in place, lay the new brick on top, tap it into place, then use a level to make sure all was even. There was a separate production taking place in the rear of the house, at the hole for the septic. They were also mixing cement by hand, turning the mixture over and over with their shovels. They mix bags of the cement with stone, sand and water. The water is pumped from the bore hole across the site into huge barrels, about four feet high and two feet in diameter. Each barrel is then rolled to the work area, tipped on its side, or sometimes even picked up to pour the water into the cement mixture. Once the cement was mixed, it was shoveled into wheelbarrows and dropped into the deep, deep hole for the septic. Once several loads of cement were deposited, one of the men would climb the ladder to the bottom of the hole. The ladder is handmade as well, crudely fashioned out of wood strips nailed together. The man elected to be in the bottom of the hole was the only one with rubber boots. All the other men were barefoot or wearing flip-flops. So, he would climb to the bottom, and they would toss a shovel down to him, and it was his job to distribute the cement evenly over the bottom, wading through the heavy cement. This process was repeated until 8” of cement covered the bottom of the pit.
Then began our challenge. Just driving into the sand pit takes a bit of courage. The passageway is of course, full of craters and the sides are being peeled away by the sand diggers. The sand is soft and moist, making the way slippery and similar to being on snow covered roadways. And of course, there are always other trucks parked along the way, loading up with sand, having left only inches to be able to pass by! Once we have negotiated our way into the pit, and backed into our designated area, the back breaking work of shoveling the sand into the truck began. Thankfully, my job is that of photographer! Today, there were two sand diggers, Ron and Godwin on site to load approximately ten tons of sand into the truck, and then unload it all at the construction site. This was two trips in and out of the pit, holding our breath all the while. The men here work hard, and without complaint, even though most have no shoes or only flip-flops to wear, and have walked quite a long distance to come to work. And they are so very, very strong. Even those slight of frame are able to carry the heaviest of loads. Today’s work came to a brief standstill, when Ron’s age was revealed. The shovels stopped and there was a brief moment of silence, followed by the typical Zambian exclamations of surprise. “Aye!” and “Shuuure!” They were amazed that a man of 65 years was able to do this work. Godwin, who is 49 years old, said that in Zambia by the time you reach 65 you are very old, unable to work, and oftentimes must be fed by someone else or starve! Now it was Godwin asking Ron “to what do you attribute your strength?”