Extending the Kingdom – in a very practical way…. three months ago, the wonderful ministry that is the El Abrigo children’s Foundation, needed more space. It also looked as though it needed something on top of it, so Thanney, in his mind’s eye, could see what needed doing. Here’s how it looked then:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In what effectively amounted to a week’s solid hard graft (two weeks were lost to heavy rain, storms, and putting right what other people hadn’t done right), this is how the Foundation looked early in April when we left Cali to return to Northern Ireland:

And, with two weeks still to go of this visit, with one week completed, here’s how it looked yesterday evening:

Today was a bit of an ‘odd’ day – 50% of it lost waiting to see a doctor and then get scanned – Thanney has a damaged ligament in his left foot & ankle, and I felt it was a good idea to get it looked at, even if to know what to pray for specifically: and my injuries to my legs tearing muscles back home slipping off one step, and falling down the length of my stairs back home. It was a morning of waiting – fruitlessly, it turned out, as when we finally got to our turn, we thanked God for the National Health Service back home in the United Kingdom – and left the hospital without x-rays or scans, just a prescription for pain-killers! – as the scan the doctor wanted Thanney to have was going to cost 800,000 pesos – a good bit over £200! – and my x-rays around £80…. we’ve got better things to do with near-£300, like materials for the foundation building! So if you’d ESPECIALLY pray for Thanney’s foot and ankle, that would be a blessing. It really gives him gyp when the day’s over, and on and off during the day, too. But he’s a determined geezer, and won’t give up, bless him….

As you can see, it hasn’t stopped him working wonders on the building in 4½ full working days. Just to ask for your prayers again, as the construction is going SO well, that we’re likely to run out money soon, as we came here some £8,000 short of the budget needed for this trip, to house 150 rescued street kids in that huge extension. Materials are so expensive here, and there’s a lot that can’t be seen in the bottom photo – like the ‘in-construction’ long staircase (not one for me to fall down this time!) to replace a rickety spiral outside staircase…. It’d be tragic to run out of money and have Davy and Thanney, and the willing helpers from Cali, twiddling their thumbs for days next week. I think the lads would be like bears with sore heads…..!