1 meter = 3.28 feet...well most places

Not one of us was excited to hear the alarm clock this morning, but a cup of brewed coffee made the transition into daylight bearable.  Breakfast, devotion and then asking God to direct our steps today.

We beeped the horn of the van outside the steel gates of Chayah and drove in to the familiar serenade…   “Welcome to Chayah”.   The one new face in our group, Steve, was introduced and greeted while the rest of us grabbed hold of every single one of them who would stand for it.

Very quickly the clouds gave way to sprinkles then a light rain.  The guys were planning to walk every pathway and fence of the new property, double checking measurements and staking out the first two buildings.   With the soft, slippery mud their hiking shoes felt more like snow shoes, felt more like lead weights, but the first measurements of the last survey 

were perfect!

 Lunch back at Chayah, a trip to town for six pairs of mud boots and they were back at it.

 

The rest of the afternoon of hiking, measuring and comparing proved more frustrating and by 6pm, and double checking everything, they quit for the day, very unsure about anything and much of the building plans scheduled for tomorrow... on hold. 

Calls to the surveyor and the attorney, some Curry and Chicken Satancy and they were back at all the calculations.  It’s the end of day 1, and we’ve already experienced enough to know we can’t do this without the Lord and a whole big bunch of perseverance.  

We are so grateful for the guys.   I walked the perimeter once today and registered 2.6 miles, I bet they walked it many more than that.  They are all talking way over my head, but that’s perfect considering my construction experience.

If things go well tomorrow, a building crew and the Chayah crew will begin some heavy lifting.  There are about 8,000 bricks that need to be carried about 300ft in two directions. Ironically, we have to carry in water for all of the cement while rain is predicted.

The mud and intermittent storms tomorrow will bring another day of challenges…but alas we have mud boots, rain ponchos and a whole lot of hope.