Today we met our families and started our homes. We had a beautiful ride up to Santa Maria de Jesus as it was crystal clear and the temperature was perfect. A perfect example of why they call Guatemala the land of eternal spring. Our family consists of a Mom and 6 children, 5 boys and 1 girl. They welcomed us with bright smiles and the look of excitement that their new home would be started today. Their property is flat but is located on a very steep hill. The Dickerson Family and The Sibona Family are building for siblings just above us. We are working with 2 workers from FHTH, Henio and Hector and 3 other volunteers. Two girls from Ireland and a young lady from Morristown...go figger! Today we were to dig the foundation and put in 1 row of block. We started to dig and immediately hit rock, or should I say rocks the size of a whole other planet. Some were large pieces of lava and others were just huge pieces of rock. As hard as the men tried, we ended up leaving the rocks in there and we will have to adjust. We never did get to put in the row of block, by the time we realized there was no moving some of this rock we only had time to fill the foundation with concrete. Tomorrow we will begin to lay the rows of block.

This is our 5th house and this never gets old. I love it here and I so love the people. Having no spouse the Mother of our family works very hard. When we finally started mixing cement and we needed alot of water, the Mom ,who by the way had the baby tied to her back walked down the steep hill and quite a distance to get us water, and as they do here she carried it back on her head. The woman here amaze me when they carry things on their head. The thing is I think they have the right idea...their hands are always free, making it easy to multi task. Todays work was exhausting. I was happy to get back in the truck and head back down the mountain. We stopped at a tienda just down the street from where we were building,we had built there 2 years ago, so when we pulled up I saw alot of familiar faces.  Building a home for a family who has no chance of ever having a sturdy and safe home is an amazing experience and has a very deep emotional impact on you as you bond so quickly and affectionately.The Dickerson Family who has made their first trip here have already said they love it. The family they are building for has 8 children and they have touched their hearts already,  I look forward to the rest of this week, however do not like to think that it could be over. Stay tuned...