Improvements, Repairs, and Upgrades

Three weeks ago the Zaragoza family gained five new children, David, Carolina, Miguel, Leo, and Fatima. This prompted the addition of another room on the house for three new boys. Fortunately the room was started and enclosed by the Upper-Deer Creek work team who was here at the beginning of the month. The room is constructed of a steel frame with styrofoam insulation made with heavy wire in it for plaster to stick to. When the work team left, the outside was ready for stucco and the inside was ready for wiring and a ceiling. I got the wiring in place and Dave Claassen, who was here for a week helped me put drywall on the ceiling. While I was doing this Cirino and Alejandro were working on the exterior stucco.

Getting wiring in place

Cirino and Alejandro working on the exterior

When the ceiling was taped, I left for nine days on an EMMC to the Puerta Vallarta area and Cirino and Alejandro moved inside to plaster the walls. They first apply a rough coat in strips which creates a uniform depth. Then they fill in the gaps so it is fully covered with the rough coat. The final coat is made with fine sifted sand and smooths and evens the surface.

The first stage of the interior plaster

When I got home from the EMMC, I finished the ceiling, painted the interior of the room, and finished wiring the light and outlets. This was just the first coat of paint on the walls because Victor and the boys are going to pick a color and paint the walls together. The room is almost ready to move into!! Today the family got home from vacation so they will be eager to finish the painting.

Me with my long handle paint roller

The outside of the addition, ready for paint and roof tile.

Some of you loyal blog followers may remember a story about Victor and I coming home with a couple of extra doors to replace the dented ill-fitting ones on the black truck. Wednesday this week brought this project to the top of the priorities. Adrian opened the driver's door into the path of an oncoming vehicle, finishing off the drivers door. Fortunately Adrian was not hurt. Today I swapped the drivers door.

In order for the "new" door to fit, the front fender needed some "adjustments." The old door had made contact with it on more than one occasion.

The old damaged door

The new door in place making adjustments for the best fit

The truck door project is also a work in progress. The "new" doors are from a newer model so there were subtle differences that I am still addressing. They work but every thing in them had to be switched from the old truck and we still need a window to replace the one broken in the accident. I am told this is not a problem, we can get glass directly from the factory in Mexico City.

I mentioned earlier that I had been to Puerta Vallarta on an EMMC. While we were there, Victor saw a truck like what he has been looking for. It was at a shop having the brakes worked on and he stopped and asked about it. It turned out that it was for sale so we went back together to take it for a drive. It is a 1997 Ford F350 Diesel 4 door with dual rear wheels, just what Victor wanted. We were wearing our Fishers of Men vests when we looked at the truck and bargaining for a price. Victor told the man selling the truck what we were doing in the area but we did not agree to buy the truck that day. On one of the following days the man came to the church where we were set up to have the dentist look at his teeth. He and Victor had agreed on a price by this time, but the really good news is that he also spoke with the evangelist and received Jesus Christ as his Savior. Some of the people in the church were amazed because they had talked to this man before but had not had the same result. We truly have to rely on God's timing and remember that it is perfect.