Much Has Been Accomplished

Our party last night went well. There were less people than we had for our Canadian Thanksgiving back in October (For Thanksgiving, Carolyn had counted 65 visitors + the 16 people from three missionary families.) The fellow we specifically asked you to pray for didn't come last night but another night when we would have more time to spend with him would be better anyways. We did have three new people come who we were pleased to met for the first time - contacts through a soccer club and our English classes. The Mexicans were gracious with their potluck dishes and prepared the food without chili spices "for the Canadians who aren't accustomed to that." We also had traditional Mexican homemade candies and a cake made with pinenuts. Interest was expressed to continue the English classes after Christmas. The Camrose Team arrived at our home a bit weary after all the hard work at the Retreat Center and the long van ride across the city. The Mexicans noticed that the Canadian group was tired and they headed home earlier than usual. For this reason, not everyone at the party is in our group photo but it gives you an idea. Jim, Dennis, and everyone: thank you for your prayers!

Now to show you all that has been happening at the Retreat Center. Each photo can be double-clicked to show it as a larger, full screen size. Then click the blue "back" arrow button to return to our blogpage. If you click the red "x" close button, the blog will close and you will have to start again.

The Camrose Team's main goal was to tile our two huge rooms on the second floor. This was finished days ago and since then, a lot of extra projects have been completed as well. WOW! The long room that also continues on around to the right - all tiled, grouted, scrubbed, and beautiful! I had posted a "before" picture a few days ago where you can see the concrete floor before the tiles were laid. I believe that Moises and Marcel said that 4 tons of tiles were installed! That will explain the sore backs :) In the same L-shaped room, another enormous project was finished - the ceiling paint. That is a lot of square footage to paint with an extention handle roller. Next to our chapel/dining hall, I imagine that these large rooms will be the next most used for indoor activities during the afternoon rains that come each summer. Thank you!!

You would think that they had had enough tiling but they just kept going and also tiled our large stairwell steps. These are the main stairs to access the second floor for the entire building. (We will be installing a metal spiral staircase to use for emergencies at the far end of the building.) This photo shows one of the two flights of stairs. Between visiting the pyramids and carrying tiles to the second floor, these Canadians have climbed a lot of stairs during their trip to Mexico!

All the "oatmeal" color trim work around the second store windows was painted. This, again, was on the exterior of the newly tiled rooms, two large rooms that form an L shape. It is the bottom left hand area of this map. (It can't be read without double-clicking to enlarge.)



Moises' sister, Olga, cooks for the team during the week and is helped by the Camrose ladies. They have had several Mexican dishes and also some familiar ones like hamburgers and fries.

On the first floor, each of our eight couples/families rooms had the plumbing secured to the wall and painted.

During this past week, a Mexican builder has been constructing some public washrooms. As they are so new, the washrooms aren't on my little map yet but are located between the archway in the wall and the dormitory building on the side of the yard that has the fountain. This will help us when there are Mexican construction workers that we have hired to install windows or build the cistern. Rather than using a washroom inside the house, they can use this separate washroom and we will have less cleaning to do. We will also use these washrooms when people are using the chapel/dining hall or playing games outside. Again, less feet walking in and out of the house. In the photo, I see new tiles on the washroom building roof. This is to prevent leaking through the concrete roof during rainy season.

The exterior of the one room "guest speaker" house was also painted. The cistern got a matching coat of terracota paint as well.


Finally, some special swimming pool paint was purchased, not for our swimming pool - we don't have one! - but to line the inside of our beautiful fountain.

Today the team has gone a few different directions. The Ruizes have taken some people to a local soccer game, I think played by teenaged boys. Sadly, the Ruiz boys did not have any soccer games scheduled this weekend. Unusual. Some other team members are spending the afternoon relaxing at the Ruiz's house and watching some English television with Spanish commercials. My girls and I have been cleaning up from the party and will go grocery shopping. The rest of the team went downtown with Marcel and Alejandro to visit the free zoo and the Anthropology Museum that are both located in a gigantic park. They may also visit a castle if they have time.