Climbing the steep dirt road (see the video below) in 4 wheel drive behind the bus of 35 students and 5 adults, our minds raced in anticipation of the work with Habitat for Humanity that lay ahead of us. As we came near the top of the mountain, a car impeeded that passage of the bus, but with a couple of moves, the bus was able to pass with about an inch to spare and we were headed up the mountain again.

When we arrived at the top we saw the 2 houses that we would spend the week working on. One belongs to Felix and his wife and 10 month old son, the other belongs to Don Fransisco, Felix's dad, his wife and 2 children. All that was there that told us there were houses there were their foundations, Don Fransisco's being freshly poured.

Monday

After getting a tent set up for shade, and getting to know the volunteers from Habitat for Humanity, Simon, Lindsey and Louis, we began our work. There were two piles of bricks near the foundations that we would find out later, we would get to know very well. There were near the houses, but not near enough. Our first job was to take most of the pile of bricks for Felix's house and put them inside the foundation, so that when it's time to start laying bricks for the walls, they would have a supply of bricks to last them.

Tuesday

It was back to work moving bricks. We estimated, though no one counted, that we moved about 15,000 bricks throughout the week. Some of the group worked on Don Fransisco's house, another group worked on Felix's house. Groups dug dirt to fill in the floors of the houses so that the floors would be level and ready to hold the bricks the other groups were moving. Other students moved sand for the cement, other students tried to dig out the big rocks away from the house so a retaining wall could be built in that place.

Wednesday

Moving more bricks. When we left for the day around 3:30 PM, the workers and their owners really began to work. When we arrived in the morning it looked as though they had laid bricks for the walls all night! The houses were taking shape! The walls were rising and we could see the rooms that the houses would have. This excited all of us. In the afternoon small groups of students talked with individual owners of the houses Habitat was helping them build. It was neat to see the interaction between the families and our students! We found out that Felix's wife was from La Paz and her sister was living with them. Another group talked with Ricardo, another owner that Habitat for Humanity has helped.

Thursday

We woke up to rain, rain and more rain. Because sometimes the rain starts and stops without notice, all the students got to the school to find out the plan for the day. The clouds were hanging all around the valley and from what we learned on Monday, it would not be advisable for us to make the trip up the mountain. So we had to call it off for the day. The students welcomed a day of rest as they had worked hard all week!

Friday

We moved more bricks for Don Fransisco's house. Another group moved sand for cement. We ended the day at 11:00 AM, and went down the hill to a completed Habitat house. The students were able to see what the finished product was like, and voiced their willingness to come back when Don Fransisco's and Felix's houses were completed (suggesting that they wouldn't mind missing a few classes to do it...) Don Fransisco shared his gratitude with our group. He couldn't have imagined people from other countries helping him build his house for his family. It was a photo moment as he shared with our group all cramed into the finished home. Then the group cramed back into the bus, were they travelled back to school to reunite with the other campers who had hiked through the Andes Mountains all week. They shared stories over lunch and laughed together again!

It was a good week of service! We're grateful to be able to help these families build their homes and the opportunities students took to share their faith in God with other workers. Praise God for a safe week, and opportunities taken!

For pictures of the week, go to our Photo Gallery and look at the CCS Habitat Camp 2008 album.

Thanks for praying!