Finishing Touches

So things are coming to a close around here. A few finishing touches left in the hall and some landscaping outside and we are done. I think we all have mixed feeling about it but there is nothing we can do. The work has been hard but the friends we have made in the meantime are amazing. And not just with the construction group either. We have spent so much time with all the ones in our own congregation that they, more then ever, feel like our brothers and sisters. Coming here was definitely the best decision we could have made.

Just like home there is always a rush of sisters needing their hair done before an event. This time it was before they pack up and leave. Notice the chairs in the background, they are a cast off from some hall in Canada (i think) but they look much more comfortable then the school house chairs.

Amii picked up this stray kitten from the side of the road. It had an accident in it's box so he had to have a bath.

Sara y Tata washing the laundry.

The brothers have been putting in some pretty long days trying to get things done.

Dee Ann painting the sign

Ta da, it's done

Sachiyo, Sara, Miharu
Lacey, Me, Leslie

The work is almost done so it's time to have a little fun.

Our brand spankin new sign.

We had to scrub every last finger print off the beams.

Haha, Tata is so cute.

Scraping paint off the floor.
I guess they don't believe in drop sheets here. Now that the windows are white, not brown, the paint color is much better. Not so minty fresh.

Back in the saddle again.

And just as messy as ever.

No air conditioning but we have fans galore.

Information board

Finishing the sidewalk

Starting to level out the parking lot.

Nice new clean dirt.

It sounds like the group will be done on Wednesday and the rest of the work is up to us. Tonight we have a big thank you party for the group but we'll see a lot of them again at the dedication so it's not good bye forever. One of the trailers is already packed up and gone. The kitchen was suppose to be taken down and gone on friday but the brother that was coming from bethel was in an accident. He's fine but the trucks not. So for now the sisters still get to cook on site. When the kitchen is gone, they have to cook in their homes and then bring to the site. A few more weeks and we should be in the new hall. But speaking of the party i should get my butt in gear and make something. We are suppose to bring something from our own country but what's Canadian besides bacon and maple syrup. Plus it's not the same if it's not Canadian bacon or Canadian maple syrup or Beer. hehe. So i guess i have to fall back on my good old Ukrainian heritage and make cabbage rolls. Don't tell grandma, but there lazy cabbage rolls. Ok well i better get cooking.

Adios Familia

It's been a pretty fun 3 weeks but it was time to say good bye to our family yesterday. It was so nice that they were all able to come and experience the joy of being a part of the construction. It is such a wonderful feeling being part of such a unified group of people. It was sad to say goodbye but i have a feeling it's not the last time we will see them here. Today is just a day to chill so we got some groceries and some fruit to make smoothies with our new blender (wink, thanks again). Levi is on security from 10 p.m. tonight until 8 a.m. tomorrow so he's asleep right now so he can stay up all night. Anyway i don't have much to say today so here are some more pics of the last few weeks. It's kinda a mash up of the last three weeks so here goes.

See the green things on the right, under the squash, there tiger nuts. Supposedly you have to wash the hair off before eating. Hehe

One of the many fruit/veggie stands

Now that's talent.

Lacey preaching out in the territory.
I just love this picture. It looks like something you would see in a magazine or year book.

Levi having fun with his boys in the pool.

We're sure going to miss these guys.

It's kinda funny. People think nothing of it when they see 4 Dominicans on a bike but for some some reason they find it pretty funny to see 4 white people. But hey, you do what you gotta do when that's all you have.

Poor Noah lost his legs.

Jag was little more upset about it or maybe it was the sand in the shorts. Hehe.

Art time. Proof that they did something other then play video games at our house.

This was kinda cool. Laura was using a stencil and a hot wire to cut letters out of styrofoam for the kingdom hall sign.

Here are the letters attached to the sign. Next they covered the sign in concrete and then when it was dry they had to dig out the styrofoam.

Here it is with the foam dug out and starting to be painted.

I swear we now have the nicest sidewalk in all of Las Terrenas. It has a bit of a slop to it but i guess you don't have to worry about ice here.

We have a roof.

Opps. Someone got bit by the inch bug.

A view of the stage.
Half done. Some people were to scared to walk on the roof so here is where levis experience came in handy and he got to spend the morning on a hot tin roof in the blazing sun.

Looking back at the bathrooms and second school.

Priming the outside.

Keon tiling the bathroom.

And Greg in the other bathroom.

We were told that we couldn't lean the ladders against the building to sand the walls because it was to dangerous so Amii decided to just use the window as the ladder. For some reason no one said anything about it. Go figure. ;-D

Prepping the stage for tile.

View from the back of the hall after a coat of paint. Can you say minty fresh?

Inside after a coat of paint and the floors tiled.

A view from the front.

Natanael painting a bike in the dark in front of the hall.

So after 3 weeks of being back, Ben thought he was Dominican again.
On our way to the hall to drop off all their donated stuff.

Laura and Nikea saying good bye ( for now) ;-)

The family.

A panoramic of the front of the hall ( just picture it straight ).

So that's life in the D.R. and it's going by so fast. But now we have some time to rest and get ready for the next round of family. Can't wait. Don't forget to comment please ☺