http://wilsonnews.net/go en paul@wilsonnews.net Copyright 2009 2009-06-14T01:20:00-06:00 http://wilsonnews.pmhclients.com/go/home/comments/speaking_of_buzzour_second_cabin_is_underway/ http://wilsonnews.pmhclients.com/go/home/comments/speaking_of_buzzour_second_cabin_is_underway/#When:01:20:00Z We’re moving forward at El Monte with the second cabin!  Though we don’t have all the money in hand, we are building with what we have.  In fact, the day these pictures were taken, we received an email from a friend promising another $6000+ USD that will be committed to this project. We have enough money to build a retaining wall, put in the foundation, interior walls, and septic system.  You might be thinking that this doesn’t make much sense, but it does if you know what’s coming to El Monte in July...More than 500 campers over the course of the month!  One group from Cuernavaca is bringing 250 for a week-long camp. If you haven’t guessed already, the interior walls of the cabin will include the bathrooms and showers.  With only one cabin completed, we will need more bathrooms and showers for those staying in tents.  We had discussed building a small shower house near the swimming pool, but decided to put the money toward our second cabin and move along in our overall plan.  We’re praising God for His provision to this point. You’ll notice that these workers are hired local men.  One thing we’re doing different with this cabin is experimenting with a construction system that will make it easier to build a cabin with volunteers and work teams.  Our finished product and cost for materials will be about the same, but we would save a lot of money building even part of the cabins with volunteers. In the overall site plan for El Monte, there are more than 30 camp cabins to build!  Imagine if a church would decide to provide a cabin and then send a work team to construct it.  If this new building system meets our expectations, this idea would be a real possibility.  We are trusting God for His leading and provision step-by-step and one-by-one.  If you’re interested in knowing more about the plans, costs, or the new building system, send me an email by clicking “contact us” at the top right corner of this page. Below is a picture of the one finished cabin that we have at El Monte.  I put it here to give a visual of what the second cabin will look like soon!  --The Lord willing.  Pray with us for God’s continued provision. 2009-06-14T01:20:00-06:00 http://wilsonnews.pmhclients.com/go/home/comments/things_are_buzzing_at_el_monte_part_31/ http://wilsonnews.pmhclients.com/go/home/comments/things_are_buzzing_at_el_monte_part_31/#When:00:58:00Z The soccer field starts to turn green! Over a period of three days with three vehicles; a van, a van and trailer, and our Suburban and trailer, we hauled in enough sod to cover a 30x60 meter field.  Each vehicle drove about 180 miles over the first two days and there were a total of two trips the third day. “Chain Gangs” unloaded each time a vehicle pulled in. From there, everyone pitched in and unrolled the “pasto” which is Spanish for grass or sod. Another load arrived just in time to keep everyone moving… After a full day of laying sod, the body hurts.  Anyone who has laid sod knows what parts of the body hurt the most...the hindquarters!  Ouch!  It makes it hard to sit or stand!  So what do you do when you can’t sit or stand?  Go swimming!  Ahhh!  Refreshing! Skipping ahead to the third day, things were looking good! The final steps are spreading dirt over all the seams to keep the grass from drying out.  This also fills in the holes and promotes growth.  As of this picture there was still a long way to go. For those laying sod, there came the exciting moment of the final piece. Everyone wanted to have a hand on it as the final piece was placed. A hearty thank you to all who helped!  Way to go team! 2009-06-05T00:58:00-06:00 http://wilsonnews.pmhclients.com/go/home/comments/things_are_buzzing_at_el_monte_part_2/ http://wilsonnews.pmhclients.com/go/home/comments/things_are_buzzing_at_el_monte_part_2/#When:03:40:00Z Here are a few more pictures of the soccer field development.  Today, the preliminary watering system was installed.  We are very thankful that the rainy season has begun.  It is amazing how things have greened up with just a week of nightly rains (you can see the changes in these pictures).  This is also just what was needed to settle the dirt for the new field. This first picture is of the field from high upon the scenic overlook at El Monte.  What you see are piles of top soil and sand that have now been spread on the field. For a little more perspective, here’s Peter standing on the rocks high above looking down on the soccer field in the valley. After the top soil was spread, we had an MK (Missionary Kids) work day and spread out all the sand and fertilizer. It was a hot day and we all needed to drink a lot of water!  Kyle looks a little thirsty in this picture. The kids had great attitudes and did a lot of work that day! After the spreading, I got to have a little fun pulling a drag to smooth everything out before the sod comes. Round and… ...round and… ...round I went.  Cris-crossing the bumps to cut them away and make it as flat as we can make it. Laying sod is next--which will be days of work, but is so worth it.  WISH YOU COULD JOIN US!  We’re planning to have the field usable before July. 2009-05-29T03:40:00-06:00 http://wilsonnews.pmhclients.com/go/home/comments/things_are_buzzing_at_el_monte_part_1/ http://wilsonnews.pmhclients.com/go/home/comments/things_are_buzzing_at_el_monte_part_1/#When:03:10:00Z This is Miguel, one of our hired workers at El Monte.  He is spending his days helping to build 12 bunk beds for the new cabin. One of our team-mates recently got to share the Gospel with him. End boards… ...bed rails and hours of sanding! ..and now assembly. After a long period of relative calm, there are once again several projects happening to prepare El Monte for our biggest summer of ministry yet.  We’re building bunk beds, continuing work on the soccer field, finishing a grass volleyball cancha, and running electric and water lines.  And one of the most exciting things happening is, just this week, we’ve begun construction on our second camp cabin!  I’ll share more pictures of these things in future posts. 2009-05-29T03:10:00-06:00 http://wilsonnews.pmhclients.com/go/home/comments/ford_ranger_4x4/ http://wilsonnews.pmhclients.com/go/home/comments/ford_ranger_4x4/#When:03:07:01Z We’re thanking the Lord for His provision for a second vehicle for our family! It’s a four-wheel drive ‘97 Ford Ranger XLT with 140,000 miles on it. It came from Colorado, but is nationalized to Mexico--absolutely no rust! It has been well cared for and is amazingly clean. There is room for five passengers with two “jump seats” in the back section that can be folded up for more cargo space. Before we left the States, we sold our minivan with the intention of finding a different vehicle here in Mexico. We had been looking and praying for just the right vehicle that would fit our “new normal”. This should prove to be a very handy truck for my work on the rugged terrain at El Monte carrying supplies and people for camps and work teams. 2009-05-12T03:07:01-06:00