We often refer to activities for these trips in one of two categories: med clinic and the hole.  There are other activities that tend to be a little unsung. They are the art classes with the children and the home health kit classes. The art classes are great. The children really enjoy the art classes. Nancy and Rebecca lead the classes and you can always tell when they are occurring….there aren’t children anywhere….and then they show up again…usually covered in stickers, something painted on their faces, and running around with something typically very colorful. 

The home health classes are very popular as well.  In these classes the members of communities get a home health kit filled with toiletries and medications for them to use at home. Nancy is filling in for Graham this year teaching the classes. Graham used to get a lot of laughs in his classes, but Nancy’s conclude with a thunderous applause. 

One of the most popular aspects of the trip are the balls, Frisbees, baseball gloves, etc. that Nancy packs for the children. The really like it when you play with them. It’s humbling how terrible some of us are at soccer. The kids look at you like there is something physically wrong with you because we are that bad at soccer. We’re American football people…doesn’t translate.  Those same balls, etc. also become additional hazards to the construction crews. You can be digging away—or watching someone else dig away—and a soccer ball will smack you in the side of the head….which is hysterical to the children.  It’s the little sacrifices we make for the joy of children. 

The digging is coming along. We’ve completed four of the six holes for the footers.  The fifth is 90 percent done and the sixth hasn’t started yet. We feel good about getting them all completed tomorrow and then we can help with building the shelter. We’ve learned to who to ask for the official measurements on hole depth, Jackson. Jackson is Francisco’s (Nicaraguan mason) assistant. He tends to be a little more lenient with the measurement. 

The Carolinas crew is making great progress on the larger hole. They have a great spirit about them, and they are a lot of fun to work with. 

Tomorrow is Day four of digging…one hole to go…and 10 percent of another one.