Together with 11 other members of the Houston Christian Reform Church , Laura had arrived to spend two weeks building cement-brick houses. They had come to help some of the staggering numbers of homeless, still struggling to survive the
aftermath of the 1998 Hurricane Mitch.
Life is extremely different in this third-world country. 40 degrees Celsius in the shade can mean heat stroke if you are not careful. The water is not safe to drink and the diet of beans, rice,
exotic fruit and tasty meat dishes had more than one Canadian under-the-weather until their systems adjusted. They were told one dish was iguana, but Laura still thinks their two translators may have been kidding.
The cattle are
starving but the cockroaches and spiders grow to breath-taking proportions. They saw scorpions and a small boa constrictor. Because most homes do not have refrigerators, "meals" are allowed to run around until needed. Pigs and
chickens roamed the worksites, as interested as the children in all the commotion.
The two women, Laura and Koreen, were billeted in a nice home with beds and ceiling fan but, Laura says, the 10 men did not have it so easy. Wood
pallets with thin foam mattresses were provided for them on their open-air "patio". The second night, they were more content as they swung in hammocks.
Tools were provided but the team had been advised to bring some of their
own sturdier ones from home. Without power tools, everything had to be done by hand, even sawing through the hardwood roof beams. |
