Santa Rosa el Rodeo Building Update

Front View of The Church Completed With Block.

The most visible sign of progress in the village is the construction of the church building. Many things have been accomplished on the building over the past two weeks while the groups were here. The various stages of the construction process have coincided with the discipleship and church planting in the village.

I recall when the footings had to be dug in order to give the building a solid foundation. The same seemed to be true about the people and children in Santa Rosa el Rodeo. We built relationships with people and began introducing them to the gospel of Jesus Christ. All of our time and that of others were used to build a foundation. Since that time, we have seen people grow stronger and flourish in their relationships with Jesus Christ.

The building process has reminded me of a rubix cube. There seems to be many moving parts that must be coordinated together, much like the different ideas for this building. We represented a mindset of desires from the United States concerning the building process. Bro. Max also had certain desires and plans that were the same and different. Then, we had a group of Guatemalan workers that work a certain way. All of these components had to come together so we could function properly. If not, we would continue to spin around and never finish the project much like an uncompleted rubix cube. However, when every component functions properly then everything aligns together. Thankfully, God has been in control and led the entire process. We are confident that every decision has been used to allow this building to be a tool for making disciples in Santa Rosa el Rodeo.

While the groups were here, all four walls were erected and all the columns were poured with concrete. The building was originally designed in preparation for another level in the future. The workers erected extra columns in order to strengthen the structure. However, we did not feel like we should prepare the building for another level. When the groups arrived, we cut half the columns out of the building and redesigned the block laying process. The workers wanted to lay six blocks and then pour a solid eight-inch bean of concrete for the next layer. That process would have taken twice as long and unnecessary for a single-story building.  

View of the Steel Rafters Upright.

The groups have been so willing to help on the building in any form or fashion. Together, we have allowed the hired workers to complete their task quicker and more efficient. During the two weeks, we have seen more than just the walls standing. The bathroom building was excavated for the footings, and the footings were poured. The walls for the bathroom building and the plumbing have been completed. The most daunting task for the past week was exhuming the dirt from within the church walls. The entire dirt had to be leveled and required strong-backs, many shovels, and wheelbarrows. It was unreal how much dirt had to be removed. Another job required a couple of our guys to help Max’s son Danny with the rafters. The steel for the rafters were cut, wielded and painted for the roof. Also, we ran electricity to the church building and installed a 12-circuit box inside. These were the most visible changes wile the groups were here in Guatemala.

Today, we returned to the property to minister in the village. We were astounded by how much work was completed since Tuesday afternoon. I don’t know if the workers were extremely tired this week or just trying to make the job last. However, they worked exceedingly slow Monday and Tuesday. Evidently, they put everything in high gear over the last two days. We were flabbergasted when we arrived and saw the entire rafters upright in position and the rest of the blocks finished. The men also blocked up part of the floor for the stage and leveled the rest of the dirt. As I was marveling at all of the work, Nick called out to me and told me that the electricity was connected to the power pole. We were all very excited at everything that we saw.  It was overwhelming to see how close the building is to being completed.

Bathroom Building

I am thankful to be here and be apart of this building process. My only desire was for our groups to see the building with a roof and a floor. However, God is in control and used the willingness of our group members to enable the building to be where it is now. Also, our group accomplished things this week that have a greater impact than a building.