la carpentería

I (Grant) was talking to my sister Kim last week via Skype and she asked me what exactly I did down here. My answer was that there are some days that I wish I knew. The truth of the matter is, I'm still working on figuring out my job description.

I posted shortly after arriving here about working with Marshall's employees in the concrete block factory. That was my expectation coming down here, and that was what happened for the first several weeks. However, there were several different reasons why that didn't work out. First, the whole goal of Marshall's project was to provide employment for the Mexicans. So, for me to help out when they needed an extra hand, or for me to offer a skill that they didn't have, was fine. But, for me to be working with them every day just mixing concrete was taking a job away from somebody else. Secondly, I needed a more flexible schedule to fit in my responsibilities around the church and the guys needed a more dependable worker. Thirdly, I realized very quickly that God had not made me to pour 110 lb. bags of cement into a concrete mixer. Call it stewardship of my body or laziness, but it just wasn't happening.

The responsibilities that I have around the church (driving, helping with Bible studies, maintenance, helping keep up the guest house, running errands in Zamora, etc.) take up a considerable part of the day, but still leave me with usually around 3-4 hours in the mornings to fill with something. That's where the carpentería comes in. (By the way, that's Spanish for a woodworking shop). A carpentería is actually a very common thing around here - there are probably four or five in Ixtlan. All it is is a wood shop that takes custom orders. Some of the more common items desired are interior doors and windows, kitchen cabinets, closets (something like a wardrobe), or tables or desks. So far, I’ve only had one customer that needed a small step-stool bench, but hey, that's a start, right? I made some bookshelves for the school a while back, and right now I’m working on a piece of furniture for Hannah that I can use as a showcase item.

I really prayed about this before starting the project, and am still a little unsure how God wants it to fit into the ministry here, but I trust Him to do with it what He desires. Hannah posted a while back about spending some time with an 11-year-old boy on Saturday mornings doing some woodworking. That has turned out to be a very stretching but exciting experience for me. Please pray that God would work powerfully in this situation - that God would work in Roberto's (the boy) heart and that He would give me wisdom in being a mentor to him.

Also, one of my desires in coming down here was to work with and build relationships with the Mexican men. Even though it didn't work out for me to work with them, I'm setting up the wood shop in the warehouse where they are making block, so it gives me an opportunity to at least be working around them. Having no idea how to get started with a small business down here has also given me some great opportunities to ask questions and learn from the men and from other carpenters in town.

As far as tools go, that's a different story. My first project was to buy a table saw, so I started asking around to find out where I could find one. I found out really quickly, that the carpenters around here don't buy table saws - they just make them. So, with some advice and expertise from some others, I made a table saw with my Hitachi circular saw. I can't say it competes with Country Tradesmen's Delta table saw, but at least it makes the cuts. Finding good smaller tools and accessories like saw blades and drill bits can be challenging down here too. And, if I can find them, they are pretty expensive. Dad W. sent down some tools for my birthday, which totally made my day. Who knew that Irwin Marathon saw blades could make me so happy!

Here's the table saw

Shot of the underneath side

One of the bookshelves for the school. (This one was made specially for the English teacher)

A router table/jointer

A couple of Marshall's tools that I use a lot

So that's what I've been up to lately. Hope you all have a great week!