Work Site - Day 1

Work Site – Day 1

Our first workday got off to a surprisingly smooth and quick start. The biggest project this year is continuing the work started last year on the new dining hall/dorms. We were able to start almost immediately setting up scaffolding, mixing mortar and laying block for the walls. We had several brick, mortar and concrete teams all working on different sections of the building. Dave Lehfeldt worked with the backhoe all day digging a new cistern for the building; others built forms, hauled supplies, and moved rocks. It was amazing. Our worksite coordinator Lawrence was hoping we would have someone in our group that new how to use a backhoe since they really need the new cistern for water. We happen to have four! One of the fun things about the worksite is getting to learn new skills and doing things you’d probably never do at home. Today I learned some masonry skills mixing mortar and concrete in the mixer and laying block for the first time. I also got to drive the mule! The weather was hot but we had a nice breeze. We got a lot accomplished, especially for the first day! Plus, no one got hurt, so the week is off to a good start!

Kathryn Gilbert