McAllen, TX – Oct. 23-29, 2022

Longterm staffers were joined by a group of 8 persons from Central Kansas, most of them from the Eden Mennonite Church. Work crews were divided between the house that was started last week, and a second house nearby.

At the Cisneros house, also fondly designated “House 1,” roof trusses and hurricane straps were installed on Monday, and the front porch was added. On Tuesday, sheeting and roofing paper were added, drip edge installed, and interior walls were assembled. Wednesday the roofing was completed, and the remaining interior walls erected. With the installation of windows and doors, this house could now be secured. By Friday afternoon, the gable ends were finished and sheathed.

At the del Angel house (House 2), Monday was the day for starting at the very beginning, by setting the piers. The manner in which this is done here in south Texas generally causes a certain degree of consternation on the part of volunteers from the north. Solid concrete blocks, weighing upward of 85 pounds, are simply laid dry on the ground, in stacks sufficiently high for the eventual structure to be above any future flood level, then leveled in relation to each other, no mortar involved. After the piers are squared off, floor joists are added, then a plywood subfloor, and it’s ready for stud walls. As some of the crew worked on joists, then subflooring and stud walls, another group constructed the roof trusses. By week’s end, the trusses were finished and ready for installation next week, and the four outside walls were standing. It was beginning to look like a house!

It was a hot, humid, sweaty week. Gallons of water and Gatorade were consumed, new friendships formed and old friendships strengthened, with laughter and camaraderie in generous amounts. We were 18 strong, counting weekly volunteers and longtermers, or namely, Roger, Wanda, Carol, Jay, Sue, Larry, Henry, Joy, Ric, Galen, Duane, Kathy, Lance, Jonas, Gene, Cecy, Linda and Tim.

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