What's going on at Dulce Refugio
I know that many people have passed through this orphanage and left their mark at Dulce Refugio. I want to keep all of you informed about what is going on with the kids and the construction process. Please remember to keep us in your thoughts and prayers; I hope you continue to help us out here at Casa Hogar Dulce Refugio. Gracias amigos!
May has been a looong month and so much has gotten done, leading up to the grand opening. This month's blog update will be almost all about the new church building because that is pretty much all I was able to do all month. Lots of 12-14 hour days in order to finish up the final jobs, but it was all worth it to have everything ready for the big day.
This month we finished laying all of the blocks and poured the last of the concrete. After that it was time for the aesthetics. I hired a team of guys to do the stucco and Jose, from the church I go to, did all of the painting. It looked so different and so much better when they finished.
Jose is an incredibly talented artist and always willing to serve. He helped me out a lot when I was building the school at the orphanage and painted 2 beautiful murals there. He also added a special touch to this church building (pictures later).
We installed the roof. First I had to weld all of the smaller cross beams to the the walls and to the larger zig zag beams. I had to climb up there in order to weld. It was a lil scary at first, but after a couple of minutes I was used to it. Next, I installed the laminates. They are each over 25 feet long and we had 40 to install. We struggled so much trying to get one of the laminates on top of the beams that we decided to call in the crane. Luckily, he was available early the next morning and dropped stacks of laminates all over the roof so we could easily move and install them. Once they were on top of the beams it was quick to screw them into place. It was great to finish because now we could work in the shade.
I welded the doors of the church. It's a huge door (about 9 feet tall and over 13 feet wide) so that the church can get their passenger vans inside if they want to park them there. It has some cool designs to it. There is a small door inside of the big door so individual people can enter. Or if both of the big doors are open they can fold in half so they don't stick out into the street and disturb traffic. I haven't completely finished the doors yet. I still want to add some artwork to them and we are going to paint them as well. That will be next month.
Oswaldo is an electrician and he goes to the church I attend. He and his wife, Moni, installed all of the lights and electrical outlets. He has a lot more experience than I do with electricity so it was a blessing for him to come. Thanks Oswaldo!
Tiago is from South Africa and is currently a missionary to Brazil. He was on his way to the US but had to stop in Aguascalientes, Mexico, because he had to do his quarantine (Brazil is one of the countries that the US requires a 14 day quarantine before allowing entry). It was perfect timing because there were so many last minute details that he was able to help out with. Tiago always wore sandals to do construction. I was laughing because the Mexicans introduced him to me as a "Gringo" (a term only used for Americans). I was joking with the Mexicans saying "He's from South Africa. Do you think we all look alike??" But Tiago is a great guy and a hard worker. It was a blessing getting to know him and I wish him the best as he goes to the US to fundraise for his mission in Brazil.
The day before the inauguration, we smashed two big holes in the wall of the old church in order to connect it to the new auditorium. It was later stuccoed and painted. The old church will now be the lobby and the new auditorium will be where the church services and children's feeding program will be held.
May 28, 2021: The Inauguration
The time has finally come and all the hard work has paid off! Praise God that we were able to have our grand opening May 28, 2021. There was a really good turnout and the place was full. We had a 3 day conference and a special guest speaker from the United States, Kevin McAnulty. It was such a blessing to see the construction project turn into a church. My pastors honored me with an award and showed a video documenting the process from start to finish. I said a few words and just thanked God for providing all of the wisdom, strength, people and money to be able to accomplish this great task. To Him be all the glory! And may many people come to know Jesus in this place!
Also, we put "Jesús" right in the middle of the wall where the stage will be. That was an idea I had and the pastors liked it so we asked Jose, the artist, to paint it. Does that idea look familiar to anyone? A tribute to my home church, Horizon Christian Fellowship, during the Mt. Alifan days. I always loved that as a kid so I passed on the idea to the new church here in Cañada Honda, Mexico.
My parents came down for the inauguration and stayed for a couple of days. It was such a blessing to see them and show them all of the work I have been able to do as a missionary. They have been very supportive of the ministries down here and now they got a chance to see the new church building. We also stopped by the orphanage, Dulce Refugio (Sweet Refuge), and they got to meet the kids and see all of the work that I have done there over the years. I love them so much and am so grateful to have such wonderful parents. It was a great time together!
And finally...
And finally to end this month's blog, I want to give an extra special thank you to my helper, my friend, and my "hermano" (brother) Jesús. Jesús has been such a blessing throughout this whole process! He has been with me almost since the very beginning and I couldn't have asked for a better man for the job. He has a great work ethic and never complains. He would come in early, stay late, and even skip school if I needed him to (but I tried to not ask that of him too much). He was always on time and was very dedicated to serving the Lord and the church. He is an all around great person and I am so happy that we got to work together and get to know each other on this project. I plan on hiring him for future jobs in the ministry and will definitely recommend him to anybody who is looking for good help. Thank you so much Jesús for all of your hard work and may God bless you abundantly in all of your future endeavors. I love you bro and really appreciate all of your help!
