These were taken on Friday, 

June10

For the guys who worked so very hard to get the walls of this large tank complete, here is the end result of your labor. Thank you!!!

The 40 cm of top soil will go on after the top piece dries for a few days. 

I don't envy the men who will climb down into this to take out all the wood-forms and vertical supports that are holding up the forms. It's all going to have to fit through that cap. The cap is about 2 feet in diameter, not small, but not big enough to let a lot of light in.

So the house is to have 8 wooden columns in the main room, the dinning-living room area, and one in the kitchen as interior supports for the lofted roof. What you see here in the following pictures are the foundational footers for both the posts and the fireplace, on the left here.

There's 4 footers lined up along the right of the room

this is the one in the kitchen

The two in the far center of the photo are alongside the basement wall, that totals 7. 

Stumped, still trying to figure out why we're missing the last two.

Was just informed that the pile of dirt will go back around the newly laid foundational wall, then the 2 additional post foundations will be dug up and poured in place.

Below is the completion of the house foundation, the entire wall now intact.

Sasha went Friday to look into purchasing our building blocks for the walls.

If I haven't already shared, the documents for obtaining the rest of the garden property

for Stephen's home was given to the owner, our neighbour Larisa, on Tuesday. Sasha then took it to appropriate local offices in Kherson to process the ownership division between Larisa and PROMISE. 

We have waited over a year for this to happen, all in God's time. 

June 5th

The last Sunday & last day for Paul and Bryan

Bryan & Paul with the congregation in Darivka

Paul preached on community in the body of Christ

This Sunday was communion Sunday, shared once a month in most churches.

It was also the birthday celebration for one of the ladies in church. 

Then we were off to the Kherson airport to see the guys off. There were some tough goodbyes, some deep friendships made, and much hard work and care that came from these two men.
We're grateful to you!

that says airport

Team #1 comes to a close

June 3rd

Winding down, we hosted lunch with the crew from Comfort, 

the hired building company. They've been very gracious & helpful in interacting with the team that has been here to help build.

These are the foundation hole prepared for cement for the 8, floor to lofted roof, columns that will be in the main dinning room/living room hall & the foundation for the fireplace at this end of the room, the big hole on the left of the picture.

June 2nd

Finished the pit for the septic tank!

Sasha is thrilled

Done!

The hired company is going to begin putting on the top -

reinforced cement

June 1st

What an amazing day!

Before lunch we were all outside working and it looked like it was going to be another day like many others before where we'd had the morning to work, but after lunch was just going to be a downpour. As the storm from the west came, it crossed over on the other side of the river to the north & we watched a funnel cloud as it was forming and rain just pouring into the neighbouring valley. What we all realised very quickly was that the funnel of the tornado was actually on the ground and quite large, we'd just been watching the upper portion of it as it reached the upper clouds. Prayerful as no one was effected directly in the path of the tornado, it was amazing to watch from about 10 miles distance. The entire storm seemed to surrounded us, but not a single rain drop fell and we were once again able to work through the whole day.

action at the top of the pit, cement mixing, waiting for buckets to refill with mortar

action in the pit, Sasha and Vladamire setting their scaffold a bit higher

though it doesn't begin to compare with this height in scaffolding - 

an interesting image, glad not to be in the air like that

Doing backfill by hand around the tank walls as they go up, 

lots of shovels full of red dirt. The wall is just about the height it needs to be, one more days work, then it will be complete.

the foundation of the house just about set

The last trench dug out for the front foundation wall of the kitchen, 

the last to be set in place.

Looking over to the front of the kitchen wall trench 

from the far side of the basement, standing on the ceiling of it.

May 30th

A very long day, finding out at a long meeting in the morning that there are problems with the quality of materials used for the project & that this could cause some set backs if the materials in question have to be removed and redone. Prayerful and asking lots of questions. Learning a lot in the process. Trying to trust the Lord in all things & prayerful that He will provide the answers we need to move forward.

The Lord has a way of brightening my days

May 31st

The construction came to a slow, back fill around the house was the main order for the day. I learned to put insulation on the lower foundation of the house, the portion that will then also be covered with backfill.

The guys continued their efforts on the walls of the septic tank.

& we got a second opinion on the quality control problem concerning the concrete, though making some progress in the right direction, still prayerful for wisdom as there are a lot of unanswered questions. 

MAY 28th

The focus, at this point, is to try & get the walls of the septic tank complete before Paul & Bryan depart the end of this week. It's taking all the man power we have to get the different tasks done from making the mortar, bringing the sand to mix with the cement, distributing bricks for the guys in the pit building, getting buckets full of mortar into the pit, filling the outer wall back up with dirt as the walls get higher...

Sasha, working hard with Vladamire in the pit, just about half way there

I forgot to share this before, the team who's made a great difference.