This week we’ve been working on the Hansen’s house. I’ve been able to steal a few moments for little projects on my house, but the work day is full getting Hansen’s house caught up. I meant to get this blog up a few days ago, but I’ve taken to crashing into bed at 9pm after finishing work at 8pm 😆

House number 3

We’ve made great progress in the last few days. On Saturday the house was just post in the ground with floor support. A week later and there’s a house there. I’ve been working with Jotham on wiring and now understand our electrical systems much better.

I put it together and now I understand it better

With just a week to get this house up we’ve been working laser focussed on building. Kovol guys are here and are helping, but unfortunately we don’t have lots of time to sit and chat and get to know them properly.

The Kovol guys take care of the bamboo siding

It feels wonderful to take a hot shower in our new bathroom rather than a cold shower in the dark, outside in the ankle deep mud with scorpions in it. Theres a “wow, I can’t believe I’m in the jungle” moment to it.

The old shower- I’m sure there are snakes there
The new – I can handle this for the next ten years shower

It does feel like we’re missing the point of why we’re here though.

things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Cor 4:18

Says the Bible. Putting these houses up I’m aware that at best they’ll last 20 years; but the people around us have eternal souls. I’m looking really looking forward to moving on to the culture and language learning that’s next. I want to get to know these people.

Just connect them together, what could go wrong?

House building is a brief season of focus on getting set up so we’re comfortable enough to stick out the years it will take to gain fluency in the Kovol language, but enough of the set up; I want to do what we came here for!

Every day we have dozens of Kovol guys hanging around. They’re ready to jump in and help with any and every task that they’re able to (electrical wiring isn’t one of them!). One evening I was working on hooking up our solar hot water tank outside with my head lamp on. One of the guys who routinely makes a 4 hour hike to come help us told me he has something to say.

I stopped what I was doing and he said. “I want to let you know that the reason we’re helping you is because we really want to hear God’s word. We’re not thinking of anything else, we want God’s word.”

The guys discovered that their hair held nails like our toolbelts do.

It’s really exciting to get to work with people who are so keen to hear they’ll put in 10 weeks of volunteer labour to get their missionary’s house up!


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