“…we call him Abba, Father. For his Spirt joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:15-16

Meet Florence and Lawrence. They are five year old twins of Lawrence, one of the laborers. Lawrence is shimpundu – the father of twins. The men at the site call Ron this frequently, having learned that he too is the father of twins. Ron met these two precious children today when he went in search of water. Yesterday we experienced our first rain. Today, the well was dry at the project site. The brick layers were at a standstill until they could find water. They loaded the truck with four of the 55 gallon drums and went in search of water. One barrel of water was needed for drinking and cooking, the other three for mixing cement. The first stop was the bore hole at the school. But there was too much activity there. The teachers and school children were busy cleaning the desks and chairs and mopping out the classrooms in preparation for the new term. So they went to the bore hole back by Frank’s house. Frank is one of the brick layers, a grandfather, always polite and respectful, and has one of the deepest voices I’ve ever heard. They rolled the barrels off the truck, and using a giant tube, filled the barrels with water and then rolled them up a timber ramp onto the back of the truck. As usual, there was a huge audience of children who gathered to watch the activity. They are especially curious to watch Ron, and see what the white face is doing. This is where Ron met Florence and Lawrence. Sweet little faces with beautiful brown eyes – a little shy, but curious also. The bore hole was also near the home of Lawrence. His wife carrying their baby, and the twins came out to greet everyone. It’s amazing to see the homes here at George, and learn that they are constructed of mud bricks. First you dig up some dirt and make a pile. Then you go to the well, or if you’re lucky the bore hole, and get a pail of water. Then, you slowly mix the water into the dirt using a spade or the flat side of a pick ax. Then you fill a metal form with the mud, beat it in so it’s solid and turn it out onto the ground to bake in the sun. We have seen children of about nine years going through this process as well as adults. And even younger children of five years help by hauling the water. When we asked about the rainy season and how the bricks fare through all of the rain, we were told that’s why it’s important to have an overhang on the roof. Most of the roofs are constructed of dried elephant grass and scraps of cardboard with metal rims anchoring them down. It’s unbelievable. Behind each home there is a deep hole in the ground surrounded by a grass shack. This is the toilet. I don’t know how that lasts through the rainy season. But this is the typical home at George – a two room building constructed of mud bricks with a grass roof. When you enter the home, you typically pass through a shetange or a piece of lace which covers the doorway. And you enter an immaculately kept home. There are crudely constructed shelves which harbor tin plates and bowls, cookware for the outside fire, and plastic cups for drinking. The dirt floor is swept clean – yes I said a clean dirt floor, and there may be a small table and one or two chairs, or there may be no furniture at all. The second room is usually empty and used for sleeping. Some may have straw mats which they use to sleep on, and maybe a few clothes hanging on nails or stacked in the corner. Most families have five or six children, and one or more grandparents living in there home.

Our Monday was much improved over the previous week. Ron was even able to get one of the generators which had been on the container up and running. There was much excitement at the project site as its engine finally roared to a start! There was additional activity as the drills and skil saw finally came to life. The brick layers were able to continue with the construction of the guard hut, the carpenters are hard at work on the roof, and the laborers are busy digging for the foundation of the cafeteria building (which will initially be used as a school). God is good – all the time!