of it again into the brick maker and finally we have a brick – hal- lelujah. All that for a few bricks. If all of that wasn’t enough, the heat index all week was between 115 and 120 degrees. After the bricks came out of the machine we carried them to a drying sta- tion. The bricks are just sun dried, not cooked. Then after about three days of drying, the bricks are ready to be used to start build- ing walls. I know it sounds like a lot of work for a brick, but they are amazing. These bricks compared to cinder blocks are so much better. The adobe block has some amazing traits. In the hottest part of the day it is 20 degrees cooler inside the house than a house built using cinder blocks. Also, the blocks pull out humidity and do not allow for bugs to inhabit the walls. The walls kind of just suck the juice out of them and they die, which is an awesome thing if you knew some of the nasty insects they have around there. The blocks require no mortar and will last for decades with little to no maintenance. These are what all the houses that are being built are made out of and this is what Jeff is using as an instrument of change in the people there. Jeff, along with the village leaders have picked out quite a few of the neediest families in the village to give these homes to and I got to be part of building them – WHAT A BLESSING! To receive the home, which cost around $3000 to build, the family had to put in 500-1000 hours of labor. That is enough hours to build their own home and enough to help build the homes of others as well. This is the point of it all, not to be just self-focused, but make helping their neighbor a priority as well. Instead of having the Gospel message pushed down their throats, these people are seeing the Gospel message in action. To love their enemy and serve one another, to truly love their neighbors as them selves and as a result this opened the door for the message of grace through Jesus and many have received Jesus as their Lord and Sav- ior. The two clans have reconciled and are now working side by side as friends – THAT IS AWESOME! Even in the midst of a lot of grueling work and extreme heat, being part of giving a family a home is about as awesome as it gets. Because of Jeff ’s efforts and the help of many volunteers, the vil- lage is being transformed from a hateful, self-focused people to people that are becoming more and more selfless instead of selfish. That is the power of Jesus at work in the hearts of people! The trip was not all work, we were right on the Caribbean Sea and got to play on the beach or go to a tropical cove with a waterfall and palm trees all around. That was pretty cool. We also got to take a day and go to a private island and go snorkeling and I got to swim with a sea turtle. I had a great time and look forward to go- ing back possibly next summer. I’d like to thank Crest Foods and the Meiners family for my ten year trip and for the donation to our team. I don’t think I could have found a better way to use my trip than this.
October, November & December 2011 Crest Ink 5
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