Sites of Hermosillo

Saturday morning Tim and I went to the Hall and worked for a few hours putting the last few gallons of stain on the floor that we had left. We are about five gallons short. Someone is supposed to be bring more down from Phoenix Sunday evening.

We worked till lunch time then went back to the house for lunch. In the afternoon Tim took me out to see a few things around the city.

Looking over the city from a large hill.

This is where I took the pictures from over looking the city.

The white square building is City Hall I think then across from it is a big Catholic Cathedral.

You can see a lot of these colors around these days because they just celebrated their independence on Sept 16.

Viva Mexico.

City Hall a little closer up.

The Cathedral

Certainly no expense was spared here. It is amazing how much money must have gone into and continues to go into it to keep it up.

Looking up at the ceiling into one of the dooms, complete with paintings and stained glass windows.

Sunday evening all of the young people went out again. We went out for hot dogs and then to Dairy Queen. I was surprised that they have Dairy Queen and it taste like home.

Well I had better get to bed I am going to have a couple of busy work days before I leave.

Beach Day/ Burritos

Wednesday I just worked part of a day. John and I worked together in the morning and then Tim and I worked together in the afternoon till three. Yes we will still cleaning the floor. In the afternoon a group of about 25, a the missionaries families and a bunch of the young people piled into a few vans and we went to the beach. It was a very nice beach the water was a perfect temperature just a little salty for me, but that's the ocean and I cannot change it.

Shaelyn using her watering can to wash shells.

Mika collecting shells.

Kyla taste testing the sand.

I was able to catch a few pelicans in the sunset.

Thursday evening after meeting all the young people went out for burritos, because it was Eleo's birthday.

Here is her birthday cake with matches as candles.

All of us enjoying or burritos. Eloe is the third from the left.

I had the Super Burro Grande Burrito. Everyone had all these stories that it was going to be half a meter long so I had to order it and find out just how long it was.

Yes, it was big, but not half a meter. I wasn't able to quite eat it all.

After the burritos we drove up on top of the mountain in the center of Hermosillo. We had a really good view of the city from there. I don't have any good pictures of the city. I didn't have my camera with me. Eloe gave me her pictures from the evening.

Well day six of mopping and cleaning the floor came around today. You would think that the floor should all be worn away by new. I figure all the mopping we have done would be equivalent to about the area of 3/4 of a Football field. Finally by 2pm today w the floor was finally ready for the stain. Tim and I put on 8 gallons of stain. It is turning out much darker then everyone thought but it still looks good.

Tim is way down at the end back rolling the stain that we have sprayed on.

Because we mopped so much the mops were wearing out and little piece of mop were all over the floor. We were trying to figure out how we could clean them up because they were loose and blowing around on the floor. Me decide to get some duck tape and wrap it sticky side out on a paint roll and then we had a jumbo lint roller. It worked really slick.

I only have three more days of work left here. On Wednesday Tim is going to drive me up to Tucson and I fly out at 5:30am on Thursday to Tampa to go to my cousins wedding. There is a group of three guys coming here Sunday evening for a week to fell finish up the work on the hall. We're not under quite so much pressure now with a few more hands to help.

I appreciate the emails that you have sent to me thanks so much for letting us know you haven't forgotten about us and that you are praying for us. I have sensed many times while working here that the Lord has given me helping in figuring out of to do different things or how to fix something. I know that the Lord is answering your prayers. Thanks so much

One Week to Go

I went to the young peoples meeting Friday evening. I was surprised I understood about fifty percent of what was said. That is a record for me. John was speaking about how important it is to choose good friends. Afterwards we had something to eat and I took my rope tricks and juggling balls and we had fun with them. The guys really like the rope tricks.

A couple friends Daniel and Jairo

John and Michelle Dennison took all the young people out for Tacos Sunday night and they invites this old guy to come along.

Well here it is folks my second home here in Hermosillo, it seems I spend about half my time here. This is the church building that I have been working on.

The auditorium is coming along and most of the upstairs is done except for painting trim and a few odds and ends.

This basement is big it may not look like it but try mopping it. I mopped for nine hours and some ladies mopped for two hours before we got it done. No it's not that I am such a slow mopper either. We were having to go over the floor three times to get of the drywall mud and clean the floor really well for the stain they going to put on the concrete.

Here is a view from the other end. That will be a kitchen back in the corner with two large serving windows.


Here is the ceiling I put up to replace the soaked drywall. We think we have the leaks in the baptistery all fixed now.

Oh since I mentioned the urinals that took me so long to install I figured I would show you a picture. Ladies these are only in the guys bathroom that's why you may have never seen them before.

Monday morning John and I went to the Hall to just clean the floor with this acid that your are supposed to clean the floor with before you stain it. We thought it would only take a few hours. Well the acid would have worked fine but when they poured the concrete they put this white stuff on top that is like a rubber. It was to keep the concrete from drying to fast and cracking. We had to get that off otherwise the stain wouldn't stick. We had to get Muriatic Acid to take it off.

This is what the floor looks like when the acid is at work.

Tim is applying the acid with a water can.

After two days 46 gallons of Muriatic Acid and lots of scrubbing we got the floor mostly done now we have to go back and clean the floor really well. I was home by 5pm for the first time since I got here. I feel like I only put in about half a day today cause I didn't even work quite nine hours. Well I am just kidding about the half day part.

Sounds like tomorrow a bunch of us are going to take off in the mid afternoon and go to the beach. I guess I have to see it at least once before I go. I still haven't got a chance to get to the pool, but hopefully I will before I leave. I leave one week from tomorrow. They have moved the official opening date from Oct 5 to the 19th.

Long Over Due.

Here is the post I promised. It was a week ago today that Wendell and I left Phoenix and headed down here.

Wendell and Donna Hart

Just a few minutes after we left Wendell's place we had just gotten on the freeway and we had a blow out, while going 70 mph and we were in the fast lane which meant we had to cross four lanes to get of the road.

Wendell is change the tire while I take pictures. We each know our role.

We were supposed to be picking up two guys that were flying into Tucson. We had left in plenty of time until the tire blew and then we had to go and get two new tires on the front of the van. We ended getting to the airport half an hour later but it worked out well Dave and Paul were only waiting for five minutes. God is Good. Paul is an electrician and Dave is an electrical engineer so they came down for a week to put in all the lights and get the electrical end of things all finished up. They just flew back to New Jersey today. They got pretty well all the electrical done except for a couple things that they didn't have supplies for, so I think I am supposed to finish them up.

When we arrived here a week ago it was hard to see how the church building could be done by Oct 5 but things have come along well and I think it is possible if we keep at it. I have been doing some electrical work like putting in a lot of receptacles and I have also been doing a lot of plumbing. These are probably the two areas that I have the least experience when it comes to building. Don't get me wrong I am not saying I don't know anything when it comes to these things but God is giving me a chance to learn more. In the last week I have plumbed five sinks three toilets and two urinals. The two urinals were a really challenge but I just finished them tonight. Ok I will quit talking about urinals.

Wendell is prepping the baptistery for paint. He designd and made it.

Wendell and another man from Phoenix made the pulpit as well. Quite the work of art.

This is what the building looked like when we arrived minus the lights.

All the ceiling in all the rooms are suspended ceilings. That made for a lot of tiles that we had to put up. Also the ceiling in one of the small rooms fell down because the guy that installed it didn't put up enough support wires. Wendell and I got to put it back up. We also hung some up in a couple small rooms in the basement. This is another thing that I haven't done before. There has just been so many odd jobs to be done we have been putting in long days trying to make sure that everything will be done in time.

Sunday night we went out for tacos at Jaas. Excellent food.

They thought this was a special moment when the last ceiling tile upstairs was going in.

Dave, Tim, Paul and Wendell
Tuesday morning we took a crew picture before Wendell left.

Wendell got the baptistery tank all painted on the inside and the drain all hooked up before he left, but we didn't bother filling it with water before Dave put up some drywall on the ceiling in the basement under the tank. That was a mistake. We filled it up yesterday afternoon and as it was filling kept going down and checking to see if the was any water and there wasn't any and then just as it was getting up to the right height it started leaking like crazy. Agau was pouring down and coming through the drywall. I had to take the drywall down to see where it was leaking. Dave was rather disappointed to see all his hard work destroyed but he made sure he got some pictures. It seems that the leak isn't as bad as it first looked. There are a couple of bolts that are close to the top of the tank that we just have to seal around better we think.

Here I am very carefully removing the drywall. Not

Two of the girls were having a great time removing the rest of the drywall by hacking at it with hammers.

Last night John Dennison took us out for supper so Dave and Paul could have there last Mexican spread before they left.

This was my meals three tacos with all the fixins. The stuff up in the top right corner was deep fried cow fat. Sound good, well it didn't taste good, why am I surprised. It wasn't mine it was for everyone. I am pretty sure it was free too.

Here is the whole gang. Jake, Mike, Eleo, Michelle, Bonnie, Gary, Paul, John, Dave, Nathan and Bradey

I will try to get some more pictures on here to show the progress of the work soon.

A Little Busy

I am sorry I haven't done well at keeping this updated. I have been a little busy and the wireless internet hasn't been working and I like to blog from my own computer so I can put pictures on. It is just easier. I was able to get the wireless internet working tonight, so I hope to blog on Friday and show you some pictures of what I have been up to. It is past a 11 now and I need to get to bed. ZZZZZZZZZZ

Why Am I Still Here?

Some have been wondering why I am still in Arizona when i said I was returning to Mexico on Tuesday or Wednesday. Ya sorry I guess I didn't tell you all my change of plans. I had planned to go back to Hermosillo on a bus but then Wendell was going to be driving back down there on Thursday and he offered for me to ride along with him. He has to pick up two guys in Tucson and then take them to Hermosillo as well. This gave me more time to experience the Grand Canyon and do a few other things as well. Wendell and Donna have been such a blessing to me and it has been a privilege to stay with them.

Out of Africa

On my way back to Phoenix today I took the scenic route. I took a windy road through Sedona where Tim drove me up to on our way down. I put a few pictures on here of some of the cool red rock formations. Well here are a few more.


On the way to Sedona there is a place called Slide Rock State Park. It is place where the water has carved basically water slides in the rock. Wendell told me about it and I wanted to stop and try it out. When I stopped this morning at 9am the temperature was only 53 F outside and I am sure the water wasn't nearly that warm. I figured since I was there I had better try it out. I gave my camera to a lady and she took a few pictures of me just in case I only could do it once. I slid down about four times and then I was cold enough so I stopped.

Going through the water slide.

Wendell also told me about Out of Africa. It is also on the way back to Phoenix and since I hadn't done anything exciting in the last few days I thought I would go and check it out.

Here we have a 2500lb Rhinoceros who sleeps wherever he feels like.

Oh I know you are all wishing you could just have this little Burmese Python as your pet. He would make a better pet than a lot of snakes. I got to pet him and he is pretty friendly as far as snake s go.

Ain't he just so cute?

Here we have an Anaconda.

Again another friendly snake as long as he is kept well feed.

I an not sure this would be the most comfortable sitting position for me but it doesn't look to bad for him.

He is eating a carrot.

You ever have one of these days?

He has his eye on something.

I think this is a Leopard, looks more like a sleopard to me.

Do you know how hard it was to get him to smile?

I think the above picture was just getting ready to do this.

Now that is a fine looking cat.

Hyena, wow I have never heard one laugh as much as this fellow when he was getting feed. It was making everyone laugh just listening.

She just looks like a big Teddy Bear.

Ok, if not a snake how about a Panther for a house pet?

Yes I think you're teeth look fine but just floss a little more between the molars.

This Tiger fell in the bleach I think.

Is he black with white stripes or white with black stripes?

This little guy is just a couple months old.

Sorry I didn't catch this guys name. I am told that these have been known to kill Lions so I guess that's what the spears on his head are for. This one was pretty friendly as you can see in the next picture he stepped in the bus door for some treats.

Ya his name slips my mind as well. He is from South Africa though.

We got to feed Mr. Dromedary some carrot sticks.

Here our bus driver put a treat in his mouth and the Giraffe couldn't see in so he was licking him all over his face with his 15 inch tongue trying to get the treat.

Whach you looken at?

We got to watch them go around and feed the animals. This tiger is pretty excited about catching a turkey and the best part was the feathers were already off. He didn't say it but I know that's what he was thinking.

This guy didn't tell me his name either.

If the Panther wouldn't cut it how could you ever say no to Little Lemur?

This post just might have the most pictures of any yet. Well that about sums up my time here in Arizona. Tomorrow morning Wendell and I will be driving back to Mexico. I guess the vacation is over now. I am looking forward to going back to Mexico now.