Records Were Made To.....

...stand.  In the summer of 2009, a group from St. John's Lutheran Church in West Bend, Wisconsin came to YLM and broke the record for the quickest building of a house.  They finished sanding the drywall by mid afternoon on Wednesday.  The following summer, they tried to break their own record, but fell just short.  This summer, a group of 6 made the long drive from Wisconsin to build another house in Anapra.

There was not much talk of the record prior to the trip, but as the miles rolled by, there was talk over Facebook and text message about breaking the record, and once they arrived, I jumped on the bandwagon as well and began to tell some of the original team that the record could fall.  Although the record still stands, some members from this year say it needs an * by it.  Fewer people finished up by mid morning on Thursday, but they also did an extra coat of mud and sanding.  However they did use nail guns that one member of the group brought.  They were cordless and worked via a can of compressed air or gas.  They were super cool.

If you have been to Anapra, you know how there are several hills in the area.  This build site was on top of hill off the main street you take to get to San Lucas church.  The views were incredible from here.  You could see Mt. Cristo Rey, west El Paso, Anapra, and the border.  I could totally see myself sitting at the table reading the paper, having a coffee and looking at the views.  People would pay millions of dollars for a home with this view in the United States, and here we were on a plot of land with electric, but not water, sewer, or bathroom.  Makes you think.

It is always a joy to work with the groups from St. John's.  They are relaxed, flexible, and wanting to serve above all.  I look forward to working with them again in the future.  There is talk of a combined house build/Youth Gathering trip next year since the Gathering is in San Antonio next year.

Mt. Cristo Rey from the door of the house

Views

Standing the first wall, with our supervisor in the lower right corner

St. John's team at Scenic Drive

Rafter time

The border from Scenic Drive

Here is that picture I take each time

Erasmo helped out a little each day

A place to hang out hats

Drywall 

Finished

Some of the kids that hung out each day

Interior is looking good

The team with Erasmo