Update 6-1-08

Greetings from Florida. This post is being written during the most productive time of my day... 2am. Yes when there are little ones around it's easy to see why it's so hard to get anything done other than play with them. Don't get me wrong. Most of the time one just can't resist the fun.

The Eatons are pleased to annouce the birth of their second daughter born on May 27th 2008. Mom and baby are doing well. Older sister is also doing well and enjoys holding her little sister a lot.

Work on the orphanage is moving right along. The sewer system is all connected and working, which means that we can now use the new bathrooms and kitchen. The cistern has all of it's pumps installed and is almost ready to fill, with one or two minor valve adjustments. So right now we have hot and cold water in the house. We also have power (the lights turn on and we can plug things in) but there seems to be a few more things to troubleshoot with the electrical panels before they are working well. Not bad considering that this is a 3-phase 220v/110v system. It's not an easy system to set up but once it's fully up it pays for itself in lower power consumption. And with the number of visitors with 110v stuff, the dual voltage should help cut down on the number of fried electronics. So the house systems installations are 90% complete.

This month the Opland family moved to Peru from Idaho and are watching over things at the orphanage while the Eatons are away. Please keep them in prayer. They are living on-site in the back area with their children which takes a good deal of adaptability and patience. The kids are enjoying themselves helping Dad with his many projects. Their main focus right now is doing the finish work inside the house. Drywalling, patching, painting.

Eric Opland has also been busy repairing a few of the new installations, such as a busted water pipe above the kitchen, a misswired hot water heater, and many other surprises. We are blessed by their many skills but even more by their hearts to leave the comforts of home and serve with us.

We are also blessed to have Hugo serving with us. He rides the bus for almost 5 hours round-trip each day, arriving early to open and then goes to classes in the evenings. He has now been volunteering with us for almost a year continuing faithfully to be on-site available for any needs. Pray for him as he continues toward completion of his studies at the Bible College.

Update 5-01-08

While work continues on the building, the Eatons were largely absent for the first two weeks That's because we were getting things ready to go to Florida for Sarah's last month before giving birth to baby #2. Justin got back from dropping them off and started working like a man needing to keep his mind off missing his family. Work, work, and more work.

There were many advancements this month. Almost all of the doors are now hung as well as windows (without glass). We're also getting started with bathroom cabinets. A bit of work was done in the attic such as a rough floor. So we can store important or expensive tools there when not in use.

The electrical installations are done and power is on in the mains. Now it's a matter of troubleshooting installation errors and hooking up pumps, water heaters, appliances, etc. We have both 220V and 110V thanks to a transformer we picked up from Wycliffe.

But of course with all of the work on the house one thing that can't be ignored is the need for plantcare. It's relaxing to cut the lawn, trim bushes, prune trees, fertilize, spray for bugs, and water. Note to self, don't water at sundown in shorts... yeah... anyway...

Sarah should be giving birth in a few weeks.

Update 4-01-08

I don't have much experience with cement which makes it hard to tell if someone I hire knows what they are doing. So it was a huge weight off of me when some friends from church volunteered their time and expertise to come and do some of the cement work. We spent two days working on the outside and they will come again when they have another block of free time.

Besides being a fun work time and having them teach me some new skills I am very blessed by their hearts for ministry. Most Peruvians have to work 6 days a week to make ends meet (Some work 7). So this means a lot to have local help and we will continue to encourage it as much as possible.

The carpenters have been plugging away. Most of the frames have been installed and right now they are working on the doors.

On a personal note, the Eatons are blessed to finally have their new car. We're grateful to the Bible College for allowing us to borrow a vehicule for so long. And now we are enjoying our own wheels. Sarah, who is 7 months pregnant, is especially enjoying the air conditioning.

Update 3-15-08

Among other good things going on in the construction, there are always some setbacks and surprises.

On Monday morning 3-10 I was surprised to find a small lake in the back walkway. Apparently on Sunday morning the water pressure burst a joint on a temporary shut off valve for the bathroom. It didn't pop out completely but just enough to make it spray water on the wall along the back rooms all day long. For those who don't know adobe walls don't do so well with water. They soaked all the way through. So the only thing left to do was peel off the plaster and wait for the bricks to dry.

We were fortunate because nothing collapsed and it didn't spray on the electrical box on the other wall. So the Lord was protecting us even in the midst of a minor setback. It also gave us a peek at the walls to help us with deciding whether to keep or replace those rooms down the road. So things are cleaned up now and we'll put repairing the walls on the to do list.

Update 3-1-08

Things are still moving forward at a good pace. The carpenters are still building doors, shaving, sanding, routing. Things are looking good. They should start installing frames next week. The kitchen cabinets are almost done. They are working on finishing touches like hardware. Speaking of hardware, the bathrooms just had their hardware installed. Toilets, shower heads, sinks, faucets are all in. They are ready for drywall mud, patching, and painting. Oh yeah and water.

The cistern still needs to be outfitted and then the main water line can be connected to it. There are various odds and ends to hook up but it can all be done from outside the house.

The main services are still in the process. The power company will be coming out within 20 days to change our meter and increase our kilowatt allowance. It's a process that we started back in April 2007 and are finally seeing find its way out of the bureaucracy and paperwork. Soon then the electrician can finish his electrical installations.

We covet your prayers as we labor toward opening.

Update 02-15-08

Well another week has gone by filled with many surprises and blessings. Two members of the CC San Diego team decided to stay an extra week and they helped get another huge job out of the way.

One of the jobs I had been dreading was laying a new subfloor for the 2nd story. The old floorboards needed to be removed. Then all of the beams needed to be inspected for termite damage and reinforced, retreated and a new subfloor laid down on top of them. It was a lot of work and I wasn't looking forward to it. But Brandon and Ted worked like animals and completed everything. They also had time enough left over to replace the railing in the landing and add a closet.

This week also marks another milestone event. The carpenter for windows and doors had his wood delivered and began preparing it. I didn't realize it at first but he is making real wood doors. Everything down to the door frames is from scratch, no easy task.

The kitchen is also coming together with most of the cabinets installed.

These weeks since we returned have rocketed us forward to where a we can see a light at the end of the tunnel. I was starting to think that we might be stuck building forever. But now things are looking up and the house is starting to look and feel more and more like a house again.

Update 02-01-08

Wow I've been way behind in my updates. Things have been very busy at the Aldea since Sarah and I returned a week ago and a lot has been accomplished in a short amount of time.

A team from CC San Diego arrived two days after us and set to work right away. I am still amazed at the leap forward. It's as if things were lined up just right for them to come in and get a lot done. Here's a quick run down.

- Framed in and screwed plywood siding all around the house.
- Replaced rotten beams in two upstairs rooms and a closet.
Now there is no old wood anywhere in the attic.
- drywalled two bathrooms, a closet, and the two rooms with new beams
- Insulated and drywalled the new porch room.

This is a huge leap forward and kind of a jump start back into things after being away.

We have the added blessing that two members of the team have decided to change their tickets and stay for a second week in order to help out some more. I'm looking forward to having their help and expertise for another week.

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