Day 137 - 138 Extreme Makeover Home Edition "Zambia Style"

Well that what I feel like I am on right now, minus the video cameras and Ty Pennington. Working out on the site is kind of like being on Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Zambian Style. There are lots of groups of workers finishing up plastering the buildings, priming the plaster, digging trenches by hand to run pipes through, bricklayers, and human cement mixers (everything is done by hand here) along with many other things. I say it is Extreme Makeover, Zambian Style, because everything here takes about 8 times as long to complete as the US edition. However, the guys have really kept the workers moving (which isn’t always an easy task) and it is great to see much work has been completed in only 5 months.

When the group from America arrived most of the structures were built (the hard work), so the projects that we have working on over the last couple days have really made the place come alive. I have been helping paint the buildings with Brian and Craig from Cornerstone Church. Craig has had his own painting business in Ames for over 30 years, so he is giving us good painting tips. We finished the 2 exterior coats on the bath house and the workshop and the interior of the boy’s side of the bathhouse, before they left to return to the states on Thursday afternoon on Wednesday afternoon. I will be helping head up the painting crew once they leave. We have 3 Zambian workers with us right now Grace, the only other woman on the job site, Blue, Davis. Neglee, and Matthews.

(TL: Pastor Jeff working with the men, TR: working in the outdoor kitchen area)

(ML: Justin working on the roof at the guesthouse, MR: the painters Davis, Matthews, Blue, and Neglee)