this was the back of the van -- with the rear seat removed, when leslie got back on monday from picking them up.  

it's backpack distribution time! we've collected close to a hundred backpacks, and today we gave out the first two - Brenda and Cristal. It has been overwhelming again - to see the generosity of the churches here in the association as well as back in Virginia Beach - Thalia Lynn collected and filled 54 backpacks - one more than they did last year! :-) It's all good.  

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This is only a test of blogger for word.

If this had been an actual post, it would have contained insightful and relevant commentary.  

As it is, this is not that different from other posts on this site. (

Grace & peace

for a quick reference. took this picture the day we arrived, june 13th, in the evening. before any of the work started. whatever plant that is that was growing in front is still there, we had to trim it down to do the work, but Norberto told me last night that it was already growing back when he left. hopefully it will be back in full swing by next year.  

Saw Norberto and Isidra yesterday at the encuentro. They brought me a roll of film that they took just before leaving Mexico to come here, with pictures they took of Romualda's house. I didn't know they were going to paint it, but it looks AWESOME!!!

They went ahead and painted the interior. Painting the exterior MAY be something we can do next year ... but we'll have to wait and see... she may have gotten to it by then ... or not. It's not unusual for folks to leave the exterior unpainted, but concentrate on making the interiors beautiful.

A merged picture of Norberto and Gumaro doing the finishing work on the floor of the storefront room.
Don't ask about the VW bus out in the street with the flat tire. At first I thought it was from the place where the doors were made, but something tells me it wasn't, and I haven't asked yet. I'll let you know when I know.

Saw Isidra yesterday. Stopped by in the afternoon, just to say hi and welcome back and give her a hug. They arrived this past Wednesday morning, worked Thursday, but there weren't enough crabs for them to work on Friday. So she was trying to busy herself by washing clothes and getting the house in order. They brought pictures. Here they are.

DONE!!!

I called and spoke to Victor, Norberto and Isidra's oldest son, this afternoon. He told me that they finished everything. Romualda will be able to move in in the next few days!

Norbert and Isidra were at their Visa interview when I called. If all goes well, they will be arriving next week sometime.

Grace & Peace

Kenny

As Of Today

The finishing touches were being done on the bedroom - Valentin was there working on getting all the light fixtures and electrical outlets installed, and the doors and window will be the last things to go on. that should be done by the end of the week.

Norberto and Isidra got word last week that they need to get things in order to come up to Virginia to work, so they are scrambling to get THAT ready as well as have the building completed for Romualda.

Please pray that these last few days and last few items wrap up smoothly, and that Romualda and Guadalupe can move into their new rooms without too many hassles.

grace & peace

Kenny

the finished product ...

On Tuesday the 28th of June and Wednesday the 29th, the guys came back to Chimalhuacan to get ready for and assist in the pouring of the roof. The actual pouring was done by a small team of men (3, i think) who 'came with' the cement mixer we rented for the day.

Day 11: Mission ProjectReport for the RBA EXECOM

Dear RBA -

Again, my first word to you is thanks from the bottom of my heart for the blessing it is to be a part of this ministry.

The last two weeks have been amazing.

The project IS going to be completed, but we're not going to be here to see it finished. We've got all the walls up and completed (or will have, by the end of today), and the team will probably begin preparations to pour the roof either tomorrow or on Monday. That has been one of the many REALLY COOL things about the way the trip has progressed. The 5 men who work in White Stone have been here working with us, and have done the lion's share of the work. And when i asked Valetin if it would be within their abilities to come back and help Norberto finish the job, both next week and two weeks after that, when the roof is cured, he told me he was already thinking in that direction.

Don Bell, a member of Thalia Lynn church in Virginia Beach (Leslie's home church) and an independent contractor, has also done wonders with replacing the gate and front fence - something that was not in the original plans, but which has come together from existing lumber we had available from inside the old structure. He has also done a lot of the breaking up of the two previously existing floors (with a sledgehammer) and the hauling of the STUFF we dug out to a nearby lot for dumping (and back, we needed some for filler).

This past Sunday we had a Gathering here at The Manzano Arellanes' family home, where we've been staying, and had about 12 or 13 people in attendance. Romualda and her youngest daughter Cristina and her son Guadalupe came. We flipped the regular routine around a little, and started with the devotional/worship time. I read from Matthew 7, where Jesus spoke about the wise man who built his house on the rock, and the foolish man who built HIS on sand. I learned something about foundations last week. the building we tore down did not have one. it was a fairly substantial structure, but it came down pretty quickly. The foundations we dug and the footers we poured would suppport up to a three-story building (if and when Romualda gets to that point ... who knows?). It was a lesson to me to know that OUR plans are for a single story, fairly simple structure, but we have no idea what the potential for the family or for the structure is. We don't know what God has in store.

So in a way it is ENTIRELY appropriate that WE will not see the project finished, that we only have the promise that it will get done. We are part of the process, we're not the beginning of it nor the end of it. There's a Kingdom aspect to that that makes sense, and helps me have a clearer understanding of what being a part of the Kingdom is.

Romualda has been exceptionally gracious and hospitable to a crew of 6 and 7 strangers who've invaded her property and disrupted her routine. She is always asking us if she can serve us some fruit juice (if the day is hot) or coffee (if the day is cool, as it is today) or something to eat (if it's been more than 30 minutes since we last snacked). She has a ready smile, and is constantly thanking us for what we are doing. I remind her that it was not our idea, that it was prompted by Isidra and Norberto on our visit in January.

At the end of the gathering on Sunday, as we were saying good night, she couldn't say enough about the meeting. In fact, she said that it was the first time she had ever felt the presence of God.

We may have witnessed the first meeting of the first baptist church of the Ciudad Alegre neighborhood (the Happy City), Chimalhuacan, Mexico.

We pull out of here tomorrow morning around 11 (noon Emmerton time), fly out of the airport at 2:00, and arrive in Atlanta at 6:24, then we have about an hour and twenty minutes to get our bags and go through customs before boarding our flight (678) for Richmond, which is scheduled to arrive at 9:20.

Please pray for traveling mercies, and for seeds planted, and for lives touched and transformed (including our own) and I look forward to seeing you all on our return.

Grace & Peace

Kenny

ps: please say a prayer for Guadalupe. today is his 13th birthday.

a merged view taken from above and behind - i climbed up on the existing room to look through some lumber that was there to see if there was any that could be used for what we were doing.

please note: the back wall is NOT bowed, it is simply what happened to the line of the building when the software merged the three pictures.

chimalhuacan: day ten 5:27 PM (Mexico DF time)

progress notes: the wallls are done. the bricks have been laid across the tops of the door and window spaces, we still have to complete the space across the front where the rolling door is going to go, but the cross braces are up, and we'll have them poured by the end of the day, i think. tomorrow we will finish purchasing or ordering the supplies needed to complete the job, and Valentin and the rest of the guys will be returning Sunday evening to work through the first part of next week at least, to finish pouring either the floor or the roof (not sure which just yet). then, two weeks after THAT is done, they will come back to do the finishing work. Don is closing in the remainder of the gate and front fence, and it's going to look REALLY nice. Norberto and i will be ordering the door and windown and roll-up door for the store tomorrow as well. those will be the remaining big-ticket itmes.

breezy and cloudy, had a few drops this morning, might get a few more this afternoon.

your prayers are felt, welcomed, and coveted.

grace & peace

Kenny

At the end of the day, Don and I stopped in after returning from downtown DF. The walls seemed to have sprung up. Now we just needed to wait for it to dry some overnight.

chimalhuacan: day nine 6:35 PM (Mexico DF time)

progress notes: all five walls are practically finished. one of them has the horizontal support rebar in place, and we'll pour that tomorrow. we'll go talk to the door people about making and delivering and installing the rolling door and delivering the regular door and window.

spent the day in downtown mexico city. scouring the socalo for some stuff ... almost worn out more from the bus ride (and metro ride) to and from than the walking we did around downtown. but it's all good.

ate an early supper from leftovers from lunch - nopal in green sauce with chicken and mexican rice. mmmm. delicious.

the day has been cool. it rained just a little as we were coming home, and is still spitting a little bit, but not enough to stop work. the guys will probably be wrapping up in the next half hour to forty-five minutes and head back here to relax the rest of the evening.

Isidra decided to order pizza tonight for supper. we'll be going to pick it up.

Gumaro (l) and Domingo (c) mixing mortar for Margarito (r) as the wall goes up.

chimalhuacan: day eight 11:31 AM (Mexico DF time)

it's another sunny day here in chimalhuacan. 4 of the guys came back from Tlaxcala last night, and we're heavy into laying bricks. half the middle wall is up, the front right wall is almost complete, and we're working on the left front wall ... at the rate we're going, we may finish putting up the walls today and be able to start on the support columns and ceiling tomorrow.

yay!

Romualda (with Guadalupe next to her) shared with the group during our devotional time.