| It could be July in Calgary, in the middle of Stampede. Instead, it is November in South Africa, in the middle of their rain season. Lucky for our construction project, it only rains at night (leaving an empty sky and a scorching sun in the day). But, boy, does it rain. It started raining at about 9:00 and each team member slowly retreated to their slumber. There were constant flashes in the distance, a lulling strobe to put us to sleep. A low rumble reassured us that the storm was a safe distance away.
We were premature in thinking that our night was done, just as a night at Stampede is not complete without fireworks. It was hot and humid last night, so there was no need to sleep with the covers. At around 1:00, something odd happened. There was a sound so loud and violent that I was thrown about 3 feet into the air above my bed, both because the building was shaking and because I was startled awake! We must have been right in the middle of the storm because the flash of lightning came AFTER the thunder. Don't ask me why, but I grabbed for the covers and quickly hid underneath them; a grown man reduced to a whimpering child scared of the storm!
Well, we finished our last full day of construction today and the team has become quite efficient at erecting ring beams, a poured concrete form that sits on top of the brick building where the trusses are tied to. Tomorrow's work day ends at lunch and we'll be packing up for the rest of the day. We're also going to hear from George Snyman, founder of Hands At Work, the organization that we're building for.
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