In August we started attending one of the daughter churches of the church we had attended since we moved to Arequipa. It is a very humble church with a tin roof held up by wooden poles and sheets of plastic instead of walls. To get into the church, one had to crawl down a pile of white volcanic blocks in the dark. Surely, some people didn't come to the church just because it was too hard to get in the door. We suggested to the pastor to make actual stairs, and we helped build them last week. Today the entire family went to the 'work day' to build a new wall and to move all of the dirt that was piled up under the new stairs. Despite being missionaries, this was the first time the whole family could work on a 'get your hands dirty and your arms sore' type of task. A big pile of dirt was under the new stairs and had to be hauled in bags to another location. It wasn't without whining, but we had a great time working as a family on a specific goal. Afterward, everyone was content with a job well done. The icecream probably helped too.
The Tiabaya Baptist Church Sanctuary
The new stairs without a pile of dirt under them.
The new stairs were built over the prior bathroom. Don't worry, they will move the fixtures so there is enough room to sit without hitting one's head!
Tired Paul
