Happy ocho de Marcho. This date will soon be a special holiday in Costa Rica. It will be in remembrance of the day that we finish the siding and decking on the cabin:-)
We are forcast to have 20-30 mph winds for the rest of our stay, so we have accepted the likelyhood that we will not be able to put the tin roof on. Our new goal for the last 2 working days are to finish all the siding, install the boards on the front deck, install all the facia boards and furring strips for the roof, and clean up the job site. The camp will then have to install the tin roof, build and install 40 small windows (which we have already framed out), cement and tile the bathroom floor and shower walls, install and run the wiring for the light fixtures, install the sink and toilet, hang 3 doors and paint.
The architect stopped by for a while yesterday. He was very pleased with what we have done so far and he had no corrections or changes to suggest;-) We gave him a few suggestions for design modifications for future cabins and he agreed with most of them.
We decided we needed a break from rice for one night so we arranged to have pizza delivered last night. It was delivered by motorcycle. The driver has a little trunk built onto the back that the boxes just fit into. Very clever.
It is almost 6am here. As the sun has brightened the sky, I am done sleeping. I am heading down to the job site now and will start getting out stuff ready for another windy and sunny day. God bless everyone. We are really starting to miss home and are looking forward to getting there by saturday night.
Adios.
-rob
Team Valley Brook
Jeff, Jim, Rob, Steve, Mike
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Day 5 of work is complete.
Good evening. We finally finished all the rafters today and the roof is ready for puting on the 12 foot by 4 foot sheets of corrigated tin. We will have to wait until we have a calm day to put that tin on. There has been almost non-stop 20 mph winds since sunday afternoon, with gusts over 50 mph. Yesterday it rained for the better part of the day (see the drowned rat picture to the right). Today it misted on and off all day, but it was well worth it because rainbows were sprouting up all over the place. Not just your normal rainbow that you can barely see, but incredible vivid colors that looked like they were photo-shopped inot the scene. We got a picture of our team with the rainbow behind us. It looks pretty good, but the picture does mute the colors somewhat.
This evening we walked the half mile up the very steep hill to the Roblealto Bible school to visit our good friend David, his wife, and their 10 boys. David is the head of maintenance at the camp and he and his wife are house parents at the school. 2 of the boys are their own and they care for an additional 8. They are great people and you can see from the picture the love and happiness that envelopes their home.
Jim leaves tomorrow morning at 6:45 for his flight back to the states. We will greatly miss his cheery attitude and his ability on the job site. Not only is this guy good at killing bugs, but he swings a mean hammer;-) At the same time we are little jealous that he gets to go home and see his beautiful wife and daughters. They obviously mean the world to him and we all miss our families.
Even with the high winds and rain and dwindling work crew, we are still confident that we can get the whole roof on and finish all the siding during our remaining 3 days. Please continue to pray for our safety and endurance and that God will give us one calm day to get the tin installed on the roof.
Laurie - Jim loves you. Sue - Jeff loves you. Yvonne - I love you! (all kids are also included).
Good night.
-rob
This evening we walked the half mile up the very steep hill to the Roblealto Bible school to visit our good friend David, his wife, and their 10 boys. David is the head of maintenance at the camp and he and his wife are house parents at the school. 2 of the boys are their own and they care for an additional 8. They are great people and you can see from the picture the love and happiness that envelopes their home.
Jim leaves tomorrow morning at 6:45 for his flight back to the states. We will greatly miss his cheery attitude and his ability on the job site. Not only is this guy good at killing bugs, but he swings a mean hammer;-) At the same time we are little jealous that he gets to go home and see his beautiful wife and daughters. They obviously mean the world to him and we all miss our families.
Even with the high winds and rain and dwindling work crew, we are still confident that we can get the whole roof on and finish all the siding during our remaining 3 days. Please continue to pray for our safety and endurance and that God will give us one calm day to get the tin installed on the roof.
Laurie - Jim loves you. Sue - Jeff loves you. Yvonne - I love you! (all kids are also included).
Good night.
-rob
Monday, March 5, 2012
Rainy Monday morning
Good morning friends.
It rained on and off all last night and it is currently pouring at 6:40am this morning. But the skies look bright in the distance, so I am confident it will soon stop and we can start work right after breakfast.
We had an awesome day yesterday. We sadly saw Steven off to the airport but then we had a late breakfast and spent some time in the pool. At 10:30 we left for the canopy tour (zipline adventure), which was only about 20 minutes up the mountain from camp. We had to wait for another large group of people that had booked the tour so we had about an hour to walk around the trails in the woods. I was not that impressed with the woods, as it was just a bunch of straight non-descript trees. Once the tour started and we drove to the top of the woods, our guide started talking and it made sense.
What we had been walking in was a man made cypress forest that they planted and selectively harvest for lumber. After getting our safety instructions and equipment demonstration we walked over to the edge of the cypress forest and we entered the protected cloud forest. (we learned that a cloud forest is a type of rain forest and it's main purpose is to collect moisture and let it soak into the ground which feeds several massive aquifers that supply the water to a large portion of Costa Rica).
This was like stepping into a picture book. The forest was so thick and green that only about 2% of the area on the ground actually gets sunlight. Then there is a middle layer and then the top canopy. Our zip line platforms were all between the middle and canopy layer where there is a little space between foliage. I have to admit that some of us were a little leery of stepping off a perfectly good 'tree fort' into the open air, but after starting on a small slow line, we quickly wanted more. The lines got progressively longer and faster until the last one which was a couple hundred yards long and almost 200 feet over a ravine. It was one of the cooler things that I have done in my life. We put some pictures in the slide show on the right side of the blog. I will try to post some video soon.
We thank God for the beauty that we saw today and we also thank Him for getting Steven home safely (although we hear that he did get welcomed back to the USA by sitting in some bronx traffic for a while ;-(
We would appreciate everyones continues prayers for safety on the job site and for wisdom as we tackly the tricky job of roof rafters today. I am reminded of Matthew 19:26 as I think about what lies ahead today. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” I admit that I am taking this great verse out of context as Jesus is referring to how man can be saved from the punishment that our sins deserve, but I don't think Jesus would mind me using it for encouragement of our task ;-)
Adios.
-rob
It rained on and off all last night and it is currently pouring at 6:40am this morning. But the skies look bright in the distance, so I am confident it will soon stop and we can start work right after breakfast.
We had an awesome day yesterday. We sadly saw Steven off to the airport but then we had a late breakfast and spent some time in the pool. At 10:30 we left for the canopy tour (zipline adventure), which was only about 20 minutes up the mountain from camp. We had to wait for another large group of people that had booked the tour so we had about an hour to walk around the trails in the woods. I was not that impressed with the woods, as it was just a bunch of straight non-descript trees. Once the tour started and we drove to the top of the woods, our guide started talking and it made sense.
What we had been walking in was a man made cypress forest that they planted and selectively harvest for lumber. After getting our safety instructions and equipment demonstration we walked over to the edge of the cypress forest and we entered the protected cloud forest. (we learned that a cloud forest is a type of rain forest and it's main purpose is to collect moisture and let it soak into the ground which feeds several massive aquifers that supply the water to a large portion of Costa Rica).
This was like stepping into a picture book. The forest was so thick and green that only about 2% of the area on the ground actually gets sunlight. Then there is a middle layer and then the top canopy. Our zip line platforms were all between the middle and canopy layer where there is a little space between foliage. I have to admit that some of us were a little leery of stepping off a perfectly good 'tree fort' into the open air, but after starting on a small slow line, we quickly wanted more. The lines got progressively longer and faster until the last one which was a couple hundred yards long and almost 200 feet over a ravine. It was one of the cooler things that I have done in my life. We put some pictures in the slide show on the right side of the blog. I will try to post some video soon.
We thank God for the beauty that we saw today and we also thank Him for getting Steven home safely (although we hear that he did get welcomed back to the USA by sitting in some bronx traffic for a while ;-(
We would appreciate everyones continues prayers for safety on the job site and for wisdom as we tackly the tricky job of roof rafters today. I am reminded of Matthew 19:26 as I think about what lies ahead today. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” I admit that I am taking this great verse out of context as Jesus is referring to how man can be saved from the punishment that our sins deserve, but I don't think Jesus would mind me using it for encouragement of our task ;-)
Adios.
-rob
Saturday, March 3, 2012
The mission of Campamento Roblealto
Mark 10:14
'When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.'
We have had a great 3 days serving here at the camp. It has been hot and the work has been hard, but we are encouraged to know that what we are doing will have an impact and many children throughout the coming years.
We finished the floor and got all the walls framed and level today. We are taking tomorrow off to rest and reflect and enjoy the beautiful grounds and views. Steven leaves for the airport at 6:30 am on Sunday. The rest of us are planning on doing a canopy tour that is only 20 minutes from camp. We understand it to be a 10 platform zipline adventure. Should be scary but fun.
We also skyped with our families this evening. Jim, Jeff and Rob's wives and kids all met at Rob's house and we had fun talking to them. All the kids were really excited to be able to talk live with us from so far away. Either that or they were excited to see themselves on the computer;-)
God Bless everyone!
-rob
'When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.'
We have had a great 3 days serving here at the camp. It has been hot and the work has been hard, but we are encouraged to know that what we are doing will have an impact and many children throughout the coming years.
We finished the floor and got all the walls framed and level today. We are taking tomorrow off to rest and reflect and enjoy the beautiful grounds and views. Steven leaves for the airport at 6:30 am on Sunday. The rest of us are planning on doing a canopy tour that is only 20 minutes from camp. We understand it to be a 10 platform zipline adventure. Should be scary but fun.
We also skyped with our families this evening. Jim, Jeff and Rob's wives and kids all met at Rob's house and we had fun talking to them. All the kids were really excited to be able to talk live with us from so far away. Either that or they were excited to see themselves on the computer;-)
God Bless everyone!
-rob
Day 2 is done. Still need the aloe.
We had another great day on Friday. We celebrated Mike's 23rd birthday by doing absolutely nothing for him;-) We put 2/3 of the tongue and groove flooring on and got a little less than half of the walls framed. Today we are going to focus on getting the rest of the walls framed and hopefully get the main roof header in place. We have one more day of Steven's help and then he has to fly home on Sunday. He has been a great blessing on the trip, so thanks to God for allowing him to make at least a short trip possible. We will miss his hard work ethic and on the job site and his biblical knowledge in our evening discussions/debates.
Jim has been in his glory and has got to use a pressurized sprayer to coat all the floor joists and framing material in a plethora of sealants. The first day they gave him to diesel fuel to spray on. Yesterday they gave him some official wood sealer to spray on. Then they came back and gave him a different brand to spray on. Apparantly there was a great debate among the architect and the camp director as to what was best. So I guess the solution was to drown those suckers in everything they could find;-) Of course Jim did it without complaint and was singing worship songs the whole time. That man has a passion for praising our Savior!
Jeff spend the better part of the day cutting the angles in the flooring. 6 sided cabins may look good in theory but they are not very fun to install wood flooring in. This is bringing back memories of the frustrations we had back in september trying to make perfect cuts. I laughed when I heard Jeff say 'that little gap is okay, it is under where the bunk bed will be.' That is exactly what Edwin and I said last year;-) Jim and I had fun nailing the boards down.
Mike and Steven were on wall framing duties all day. That work is slow because most of the home grown wood that we are using is not the same thickness. So in order to make sure the top plate is level, you have to custom measure each stud for length.
All five of us are going to attack the framing this morning. We are looking forward to the cool of the morning. Although the temperature is only around 80 during midday, there is no shade and the sun is very strong. We were all covered up yesterday so as not to get more sunburn. I hear the guys getting ready to head out, so I gotta run. I will do my best to muster some strength to post a bunch of pictures tonight.
Adios.
-rob
Jim has been in his glory and has got to use a pressurized sprayer to coat all the floor joists and framing material in a plethora of sealants. The first day they gave him to diesel fuel to spray on. Yesterday they gave him some official wood sealer to spray on. Then they came back and gave him a different brand to spray on. Apparantly there was a great debate among the architect and the camp director as to what was best. So I guess the solution was to drown those suckers in everything they could find;-) Of course Jim did it without complaint and was singing worship songs the whole time. That man has a passion for praising our Savior!
Jeff spend the better part of the day cutting the angles in the flooring. 6 sided cabins may look good in theory but they are not very fun to install wood flooring in. This is bringing back memories of the frustrations we had back in september trying to make perfect cuts. I laughed when I heard Jeff say 'that little gap is okay, it is under where the bunk bed will be.' That is exactly what Edwin and I said last year;-) Jim and I had fun nailing the boards down.
Mike and Steven were on wall framing duties all day. That work is slow because most of the home grown wood that we are using is not the same thickness. So in order to make sure the top plate is level, you have to custom measure each stud for length.
All five of us are going to attack the framing this morning. We are looking forward to the cool of the morning. Although the temperature is only around 80 during midday, there is no shade and the sun is very strong. We were all covered up yesterday so as not to get more sunburn. I hear the guys getting ready to head out, so I gotta run. I will do my best to muster some strength to post a bunch of pictures tonight.
Adios.
-rob
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Day 1 is complete. Please pass the aloe!
We arrived in San Jose Costa Rica at 10pm Wednesday night after patiently waiting out an hour and a half delay in leaving JFK in the heavy rain. We were promptly picked up by Isaac and Santiago and took the hour long drive to camp (stopping along the way to get a couple bottles of Coke Lite;-).
We got up bright and early on Thursday morning and I gave the guys a walking tour of the whole camp. Steven and I ran into a couple guys that were building the new dining hall and we had fun trying to understand each other (no english for them and no spanish for us).
After breakfast we met with David and got right to work on the new cabin. We were blessed with 20 mile per hour winds and dust blowing around all day.
Although it doesn't look like it, we got a lot done today. We installed all the floor joists for the cabin and the deck. Jim then got to use the sprayer and soak the boards in Diesel fuel. This acts as both an insect repellent and protects the wood from rotting.
Tomorrow we hope to install all the hardwood floor and get the main walls studded out.
Mike and I were foolish and didn't wear enough sunscreen and we both look like lobsters. We have lots of aloe, thankfully.
We are going to bed now, please check out the new pictures.
-rob
We got up bright and early on Thursday morning and I gave the guys a walking tour of the whole camp. Steven and I ran into a couple guys that were building the new dining hall and we had fun trying to understand each other (no english for them and no spanish for us).
After breakfast we met with David and got right to work on the new cabin. We were blessed with 20 mile per hour winds and dust blowing around all day.
Although it doesn't look like it, we got a lot done today. We installed all the floor joists for the cabin and the deck. Jim then got to use the sprayer and soak the boards in Diesel fuel. This acts as both an insect repellent and protects the wood from rotting.
Tomorrow we hope to install all the hardwood floor and get the main walls studded out.
Mike and I were foolish and didn't wear enough sunscreen and we both look like lobsters. We have lots of aloe, thankfully.
We are going to bed now, please check out the new pictures.
-rob
Monday, February 20, 2012
The time is near for a return trip to Campamento Roblealto!
I am heading back down to Costa Rica on 2/29/2012 to assist in the construction of a new family cabin at the camp. This time I am bringing 4 other men with me. I am so excited to see my Roblealto friends and experience God at this awesome place.
Please pray for me, Mike, Jeff, Jim and Steven as we prepare to depart in 8 days. It has been cool to see God take care of the details and the finances for this trip.
Talk to you soon.
God Bless!
-rob
Please pray for me, Mike, Jeff, Jim and Steven as we prepare to depart in 8 days. It has been cool to see God take care of the details and the finances for this trip.
Talk to you soon.
God Bless!
-rob
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