Building a Double Wide

The front of the house with two windows and two doors

The elderly lady, one of many for whom the house was built.

Today we got to build another house. Marc said it might be a two day job. I was excited that I got to go today. I was lovingly entrusted with Nicole's hammer. Not by Nicole, but by Marc. I called Nicole and let her know I was babysitting her hammer today.

The house we were getting to build today will have three families living it. There was an existing house that had to be torn down. Perhaps, I should say there was an existing structure. Most of the wood had rotted. The roof was just barely hanging on. It was not the worst I have ever seen, but it ranks near the top. A rooster lived in the house.

We got to the house site and began knocking out walls. As with any teardown, it is a nasty dirty job. The house was full of the largest cockroaches I have ever seen. The old wood and tin had to be hauled out to the walkway so we would have room to work.

We were building a new house on the same site as the old one had been. The lot was 16' x 28' which is almost double the size we usually build. Marc went yesterday and measured everything so we would have enough wood. We had to build three sides from the inside. The house had two doors and two windows on the front. The front and back had to be built first. That was interesting since both sides were right next to another house. I said all this to say for all of this to happen, the house had to have some special engineering, Honduras style.

As soon as we arrived, an elderly lady met us. She was one of many going to live in the new house. The lady wore a simple dress and her apron was dirty and worn completely threadbare. She greeted us with an almost toothless grin. Her excitement over a new house could not be contained.

A congressman was also on the scene. Sometimes when we get to a job site and a congressman is there, it means he has called the newspaper and they are going to come shoot some footage and the congressman is getting his picture in the paper. And the congressman almost beats the media off the site. Not today. Today Arnoldo and some of his people worked all day on this house, from teardown to finish. The only time Nicole's hammer was not in my hands was when Arnoldo needed it. I thought that would probably be ok. With his crew present, there were a lot of workers on this job site.

I helped hammer one wall and got hinges on one of those windows. Lanetta, you are a good teacher. It was easier this time. Nicole's hammer rocks. I tried to stay out of the way and let Arnoldo and some of his people work as much as they wanted.

We got it finished today. It was a hard house and a fun house. And tonight three families and a rooster are sleeping under a roof that will not leak. I am quite sure that everyone that worked on that house will sleep quite well tonight.

Through it all, God was glorified again.

Terri