Widow House completed, almost!

This past week I employed four Mozambicans to complete Caterina's House. I would love to have used more visitors but we only had one (and Mark you ROCK!). We agreed on a pirice to do the whole house (which means walls and Roof and not the mud that goes on the walls) and it came out to $16 per person for four days work. Which is a very good wage here in Pemba. Just think about it, you could move to Pemba and have a house built for $64, plus materials which is about the same.

My first crew was interesting. 30 Minutes after we started one guy disappeared, then two others wanted his pay, and then they said we only agreed on a price for the walls and not the roof. So we talked back and forth for about an hour. Every time they took a break they wanted more money. So after an hour I told them they were finished because they didn't want to work. Then the main culpret said he wanted to work, but I had made my decision. So I paid them a good days wage and sent them on their way.
I hired the three guys standing watching us the whole time and they jumped right in. The best part is when I was walking back to the base I saw the one guy who was complaning the most and he wanted to give me his business card (not really) but he did say that if I had any other jobs he would work for me. I had to laugh, and then laugh again when he showed up the last day and wanted to work. I could see he realized the power of staying with the job, he looked a bit depressed when I paid our wokers and he knew he could have been paid also.

So here is the almost finished house and the mud should be put on this week. Caternia is very blessed and you can see, the smile is proof. Help the orphans and the widows! It has been a ride getting this house finished and a huge learning curve for me but the reward is worth every frustrating drop of sweat.

Of course there are many widows and many who need repairs or a whole new house. So we pray, "who is next Lord?"

Heath

Widows house, Ashers house

This is the old house of a widow, looking in from the outside. We are currently rebuilding her a new one. The roof was covered in ants, bugs, scorpions, centipedes and other strange creatures. We pulled her old one down and we are starting from the ground up.

This picture is Ashers new room. We find him sneaking into it and sitting there smiling. I guess its almost time to really think about getting an AC unit.

Blessings
Heath

House from the air

Here is a picture of the base we live on (Center 2) from the air. Our house in the bottom left corner of the base. IT is hard to see what is our base, so let me hlep. You see the main dirt road that comes into picture from middle left? Then you will see two trucks parked on the left side of the picture, our house is directly below those trucks. WE back up to trees and bushes before there is al ittle dirt road into a village.

I am sure I confused you all but this is the idea.

Bless

Well, I have stumbled upon a deal of a life time, Chickens. Yes, I went in on a plan with a friend and purchased 30 chicks. They only cost me $1 a piece, but since I have never purchased poultry before I could have been ripped off. There is a man from Zimbabwa who is hatching chicks and creating feed, for local farmers and educating them on how to raise healthy chickens. It is a great program and a easy way to bring the Gospel, which he does.

So now we could have 25 healthy eggs a day or at least half. The kids have really gotten behind the idea and are taking up the slack. So I built a coop and we are ready to scramble.

I have begun to get my feet wet in the Kingdom here. I walked to a widows house last week to see where she lives so we could build her a new house, the only problem is that I was lost the whole time. So today I am going to take someone with me who may know where she lives, then we will start tomorrow on the house. We have about 15 visitors who will get their experience of a lifetime.

Well, my friend just walked in to go to her house so I will get back to you on it.

Bless to you all.


Heath

"Steak . . . it's for the baby!"

Well, I am realizing each new day why no one Skypes us, it is because you are all on bed when we are on the internet. For example, I am sitting here on a beautiful sunny day around lunch time typing away on our blog and you are all on bed snoring. I am ok with this but I guess I will need to find a better time to check emails.
We are adjusting better each new day and now it feels as if we (or I should speak for myself), have been here for months. I love it and the odd things of living in Africa are becoming normal. The simple fact that it is cooling off is wonderful.
Emie went to the 5 STAR resort last night with some of the women to celebrate a birthday. She come home and shared with me that she had steak, and tried to justify it by saying it was for the baby!

Speaking of Baby! The test was positive and we are having number four. Hallelujah!!! She is due in November and feels healthy.
I guess we are going to try and have her (we think the baby is a girl) here in Mozambique. More details come as they come.

Bless all of you and thanks for the prayers.

The picture is Heath putting chicken wire over the mesquito net to add extra security. The skin diesase is just sweat pouring over his head and not leprosy. The tomato red on his back is from the great sun burn he recieved from the big ball of fire located out in space.


Blessings
Heath

Here are a few pictures of schooling for Abiel and Judah with Asher running around in his crazy 2 year-old-I own the world-diaper displaying-superhero. He is becoming quit the little personality.
Abiel and Judah are doing great at school and love it, except for Judah when he decided he doesn't want go to school today, he must have gotten that from his mom (you will have to ask Emie how she managed to skip over 80% of her Senior year of HS and still was top honors).

The second foto is of the guys putting in our pathway to the back faucet and the fort we are constructing in our back yard.

More pictures to come. Bless you all