Friday, September 26, 2008

Pythagoras and other fun people...

Monday afternoon I had the opportunity to meet with my friends, Derek and Claire, and their daughter Noelia, to discuss their upcoming trip to Bolivia. This was a great time of encouragement and excitement for me. This family will be joining a ministry in Bolivia with Food for the Hungry. Derek and Claire are 99% pledged fund raised for the next three years! I had the pleasure of learning about the different trainings they have gone to and will be going to, as well as the the joy of spending time with people I love most dearly.

Today was another Habitat build day! I spent the morning and afternoon on the roof. I helped measure, draw chalk lines, shingle, and hold down stuff so people could nail. The less vibration the better. And YES, we used Geometry! Pythagorean triples--3, 4, 5 triangles, and 6, 8, 10 triangles were used to make straight lines on the roof! See, isn't math cool? I used it on the roof today. Who would've ever thunk? You never know when those classes come into use.

God continues to show me his faithfullness. I should start substitute teaching next Monday. Yay for a job! :)

Monday, September 22, 2008

HFH and Piedras Negras

On Friday morning I went out to work at the Habitat House for a couple hours, before I went to lunch with a good friend. Chuck and I worked on some roof decking. Mom made a comment to another worker about me going up on the roof. "Faith's just in her natural habitat, literally. When I was pregnant with her, I was on the roof."

Saturday morning, I woke up extra early, went running, and then left for Piedras Negras, Mexico, with five other men at the church. Our job: Install AC ducts. Token young person and female: myself. Person up in the rafters: myself.

We first took wire and pieces of wood to make "trapezes". Once up on the "scaffolding," Rick and I took the wire and looped it through a rafter. Myself on one side, Rick on another side about 2 feet away from me. Once looped around the rafter, we placed the bottom of the wire, Mexican proper, belly button height high, through a piece of wood, and then looped that to create the "trapeze."


I am thankful for the opportunity I had to go bouldering (rock climbing without ropes) at Austin Rock gym over labor day weekend. I learned how to trust my body. As I was climbing up the ladders and onto our "scaffolding" I remembered some of the ways that I was able to move and maneuver my body while climbing, thus it played a role in my ability to help out in Mexico. You never know when a day of fun will come into use! :)

In Piedras Negras I ate the smallest tacos I have ever had, drove past the largest brewery ever--Corona is building it, helped move furniture, made AC vents, helped hang the vents (as told above), cut pieces of tape, and picked up quite a bit of trash. Oh and I went through the shortest border lines I have ever seen or been through!