Scenery

Just a few shots of the scenery around here. Our deck is now graced with a table and umbrella, as well as some flowers. We enjoyed breakfast and lunch out there today already, and plan to have supper out there too. Hopefully Kerry finds some steak in town!

These next pictures are typical of the scenery we see each day as we head out to work. I have really been enjoying the surroundings, they are SO different than what we are used to, but beautiful in their own way. Just like God didn't make us all the same, so he didn't make all creation the same either.

Neighbourhood animals

Our camp is in a little neighbourhood with various animals around. One that has been checking us out from day one is a black dog from next door. I think it is still a puppy and usually there is someone who likes to play with it so try as we might to chase it back home, it keeps coming back, because there is SOMEONE who will give it some love. One day I caught him running across the yard with something in his mouth, so I ran out and yelled at him and he dropped one of our crew member's sandals. One other time I saw him running with what looked like a sock, but I just let him go with that one. So far, no one has reported a missing sock, but someone did rescue a shirt from his mouth as well.

The dog has a friend, and yesterday the goat found it's way out of the fence and joined the puppy on our yard. They had a good time exploring and checking out the deck, the dining room and the tool trailer. The goat walked into the tool trailer and was checking things out in there, but when Kerry snuck in and stamped his feet, the goat hightailed it out the back. He came sniffing at my flowers but luckily for him he didn't take a bite, or we might have had roast goat for supper instead of barbequed hamburgers!

Then in the evening we took a walk down the road, and came across this friendly beast. It seemed to be lonely because it came right up to the fence as we walked by and followed us as far as possible, and then it was as if it was trying to talk to us. Must be a pet, and I think it was lonely. We also saw a bunch of horses, some big and some little, were barked and growled at by a couple of dogs,who thought they were quite fierce. and saw some chickens and a rooster, and that explains why we hear the "cockadoodle do "some mornings.

MDS Camp

See how white the deck looks? That was frost, and that is what greeted us Monday morning as we got up for breakfast. It was 1C as the crews went out and got ready for work, but the day was sunny and so it warmed up nicely and was quite comfortable for working.

We had a good week and made good progress again at both sites, passed a couple of inspections, which is still cause for celebration and kept everyone working. Friday afternoon we knocked off early and came back to camp and did some vehicle cleanup,

Had a crew leader meeting,

enjoyed the sunshine and friendships and had a BBQ supper out on the deck. A good way to end a good week.

Pandas

We also got to see the pandas, although at first they were sleeping. This one, eating leaves is the baby and is almost 18 months old. It has to eat while the mom is sleeping because she doesn't like to share.

This is the mom and she was sleeping the whole time we watched.

This is the dad, he was sleeping for a while, but then he got up and started walking all around his cage. Maybe he was looking for some food too.

More Zoo Animals

There were different kinds of deer, but not sure what their names were

This one was very skinny and had a long neck, and it decided to stand up to reach the leaves it wanted to eat on the tree.

And then there were all kinds of different and funny looking hogs. This was one kind and then there were the wart hogs, which looked really odd.

Pictures from the Zoo for Hailey, Jayda and Norah

We spent last Saturday afternoon at the San Diego Zoo and saw a variety of animal, but we didn't take pictures of all of them. Here is a sampling of what we did see. Camels,

Polar Bears

Elephants

and Pink Flamingos

People

This is our long term group for the first 2 weeks we were here. It is still much the same, except that the one couple was replaced by his brother, and Myron has gone home.

Friday pizza lunch out on the deck before the Rosenort crew headed for home.

Last week's crew!

Site #2

We got the permit last Friday, and Monday morning ( Jan 19) we got to work on this site. After Monday we were a bit discouraged because all we got done was some dirt moving, which took all day due to various circumstances, and the house marked off so the digger could work on digging the trenches on Tues. After that things went a little better and we laid the rebar for the footer and got that poured.

The view from this man's yard is amazing. He can see all the way to Mexico! which is actually not all that far away, but the mountain views all around are great.

Once the foundation was poured we got right to work setting up the forms for the stem wall, and got that poured on Friday morning, even though there was some rain around.

Progress!

Raising the flag!

Raising the first wall!

Raising the second wall!

Good work for today! It's starting to look like a house!

site #1 continued

These pictures show the pouring of the stem wall on top of the foundation. It has been a steep learning curve to get used to and know all the is required of us to build here in CA. There are many inspections that have to take place as the home gets built, and they happen only on Tuesdays or Thursdays if you have made an appointment. If you pass inspection, then you can go ahead and pour concrete or whatever it is you were planning on. When inspections are due, we bring it before God and ask that He help us to find favor with the inspector and He has been faithful. We have passed each inspection. PTL! There have been many questions asked, quite a bit of frustration at times, but lots of learning, and yes, even progress. When we look back over 2 weeks, we have gotten ahead, though not as fast as we MDS people would like, but in the eyes of those around us, we are making great progress.

Dulzura, site #1

We started out with permit for one job and so asided from the work done at camp we have been concentrating on this site. The site of this new build used to be a Bible camp run by an elderly couple. They lost all their buildings in the firestorm except for one shower building. They are not sure what God wants them to do next but they are getting a new house for starters. The first picture shows the view they will see from their living room window. They have 40 acres of property in the mountains and they have done a lot of landscaping and developing of their land in the years that they have lived there. They are very happy to see what is happening and are very involved with the volunteers, getting to know them and sharing their story, and also being an encouragement to the volunteers. They have been through much and have lost everything , but they give testimony to how God has and continues to bless them through all of this.

Some familiar faces to those of you from Rosenort who check up on us. These pictures show the preparation and forming for the foundation that we poured as the start of the home.