Dress Rehearsel

I flew in to Tampa the same time as Aunt Kathy's sister Cynthia. We drove back to my Aunt and Uncle place. We spent a few hour before going to Amanda's (Ryan's fiances) house. I must have really misunderstood Ryan. I guess he told me on the phone that they were going to have a pizza part and I thought he said beach party. So no we never went to the beach. At her house we made favors by bagging M&M's and putting them in little boxes and then made the programs.

Here we are making the programs.

We all went to Penaras for lunch today. All means people from both Ryan and Amanda's families and some of the wedding party. Penaras is a restaurant that sells all different kinds of breads and sandwiches and soup in a bread bowl and things like that. I don't really know how to describe it. Just google it.

My cousin Ryan and his fiance Amanda.

Mike and Angie. Mike is Ryan's really good friend. Ryan and him were both in Afghanistan together. Angie is in the Air Force and she was in Afghanistan and that is where they met. They are getting engaged tonight. Ya I know that's weird that I know but that's a long story. They are getting married in Vegas in November.

Ruth, Cynthia, Rebecca, Uncle Tom and Aunt Kathy.

This evening we had the dress rehearsal for the wedding. The wedding planner, Holiday to them that the rehearsal would only take half an hour. I found that really funny. The rehearsal took about an hour and a half and they didn't go over any of the music so it should be interesting to see how it all works out. I seems that I have been given the job as sound man. That should be fun hopefully I don't make anyone go deaf.

My cousin Renee and Aunt Kathy.

Here is the whole wedding party 17 people in all. Can you so WOW. Ya it is large. Eight girls seven guys and the bride and groom. The junior brides maid is walking in by herself.

Uncle Tom is officiating the wedding. He is licenced to marry but he has never married anyone before. I think he was a little nerves about it, but they are having a very short ceremony so he is glad.

Here are the pictures of all the couples in the party. I don't know all their names yet. Sorry

My cousins Rolland and Renee

Amanda's brother Anthony and Angie

Mike and Rebecca

All the ladies

Ring Barrier, Flower Girl and wedding planner Holiday.

Amanda's father Frank and Amanda

My Aunt's adopted sister Ruth and her daughter Jade.

The happily engaged couple

Amanda's parents Frank & Melinda

Rolland and his girl friend Natalie

For the rehearsal dinner we all went to Olive Garden. That is where all the rest of the pictures were taken.

Aunt Kathy's parents Glenn and Marge Crumley.

Two of Aunt Kathy's sisters Cynthia and Janice.

One of the long tables with my cousins Philip, Kathrine, Deb and Aunt Louise, on the right side.

Ya it was a big party with about sixty people there. Good food, Good fun, Good Times.

Rebecca chugging it back.

Jade enjoying her yogurt.

Aunt Marge drinking here (root)beer.

The happy soon to be married couple with there cool cake. They have chosen white and black as their wedding colors so Aunt Kathy got a white Tiger put on the cake.

Well that about catches you up with everything so far. It is 2am so I had better go to bed.

Sitting in Phoenix

I have a three hour layover in Phoenix here so I figured I would post the last few pictures from Mexico. Early Monday morning three guys came to Hermosillo to help finish up the work on the Hall. They have all been down before. A couple of them were here when we first arrived at the beginning of Sept.

L/R Karry, Dave and Paul

Tuesday evening the four of us went out for tacos at Taco Bango. It is a nice taco place just a few blocks from T&S's place. It is probably the nicest taco place I have been to and the food wasn't bad either.

John had an artist paint a verse on the under side of the baptistery lid.

Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized.

The basement floor is finally done. Mopped, scrubbed, stained and sealed after about six days of work

Karry and Dave have installed all the cabinets in the kitchen in the basement and are working on the counter tops.

A quick picture before Tim and I left for Tucson.

On our way to Tucson we stop at the side of the road and I got some pictures of Cacti close up.

After driving almost three hours from Hermosillo yesterday, we were only about 10 minutes from the border and Tim realized that he had forgotten his passport. We weren't sure wither we would get across or not but figured we were so close we would try. He only had his licence for ID. We gave the border agent his licence and my passport he asked us a few pictures and we were on our way into Arizona. Thank you Jesus.

We did a little shopping at Target and JC Penny before going to our hotel. We checked in and then went for supper at Cattleworks. I hit the hay a bit early because I had to be up at 4am to get a shuttle to the airport at 4:30. It was only a 32 minute flight from Tucson to Phoenix. It is really weird I could have gotten a bus up to Phoenix from Hermosillo but it was cheaper for me to fly from Tucson to Phoenix then to Tampa then for me to drive another two hours to Phoenix and fly from there.

You know how pretty well all airlines charge $25.00 now if you want to take a second bag. I was packing so well so that I would only have one bag. I got to the airport in Tucson and I was checking in with US Airways and I find out that they charge $15.00 for your first bag and your second bag is free. Just can't win.

I just called my Aunt and Uncles place in St. Petersburg, FL and it sounds like there is quite a crowd of people there and they are planning a beach party for tonight it sounds like. I am looking forward to that and getting to see this side of my family that we don't see very often.

It is just about boarding time so I had better get my things together.

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.