One last shot of everyone!
In just five days 16 Global Village volunteers from North America managed to move more earth with shovels and the strength of our own backs that we thought possible, mixed concrete and cement multiple times by hand, learned to link rebar, use a hand trowel and comprehend just a little more of the Spanish language.
Aided by many national volunteers on four worksites, each day was a new and exciting experience. In part because of our effort four more families, each with a strong woman at the helm, will have a safe, clean, affordable roof over their heads. Still, in my mind, it’s not the most important work we do as Global Village volunteers.
True, the experience we share is building. But the bonds we forge are not made with the tools we use with our hands, but tools of the heart. Most of us didn’t know each other before we arrived in Paraguay. Many had never been a part of a Global Village team or had ever been to South America. Some had never left their home country! Yet we departed as friends. Friends with common and unique memories of a country and people we have grown to love.
This is why I build.
Global Staci 