Day 7: Working 9 to 5...plus some

Today was nothing but a good hard work day. We woke up early, got some breakfast and headed off to work. The boys stayed at Babcock’s house and finished up the last few things including trim and gluing the linoleum.

All morning and part of the afternoon I helped Annemarie tile the kitchen walls behind the counters and sink. It was really interesting and kind of fun. For a brief moment, I wanted a house so I could do my own work and design on it, but then I decided I would rather use that money right now for more travel…a house can wait.

We were moving right along on the walls when all of a sudden we ran out on one type of the two tiles we were using! Unfortunately the only place to get this kind of tile was on the opposite side of Vienna…about 45 minutes away. Annemarie told me I was in charge of lunch and off she went to get the new tiles.

We had all different kinds of sausages and a special Austrian pork steak. The pork steak was interesting and kind of sweet, but Austrians eat their meat with a lot of fat attached. That was gross and I still cut it off. Rick told me you can go to the store and just buy slabs of fat. My favorite sausage was the knackwurst.

By the time we got everything eaten and cleaned up Annemarie was back and we finished off the tile. Its looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. Tomorrow, after its dry we will finish it off with the grout.

Other team members were working on a terrace in the backyard, and continuing to plaster the walls. All of the insulation was up on the walls, so we covered it with cement and then put up a thin netting. Not really sure what that’s for, but it’s what we were told to do. We needed some extra thick insulation, plus a few more items, so Rick, Madelyn, Nadiya and I ran to BauMax…it is like our Home Depot.

I have always had this weird idea that Europe is made up of small villages, Babushka’s (its Russian I know), bakeries and cafés. I guess it’s my nostalgia loving mind. So seeing a home improvement store was kind of funny. Its just like home, only in a language I can’t read. We were walking through the aisles and I even saw a sale! Rick just laughed at me.

Dinner tonight was a time of more sharing and enjoying each other’s company. We had pizza! It was pretty good, especially for frozen pizza, but Annemarie and some of the girls doctored it up with veggies, fruits, and meats.

After dinner, I came straight upstairs and showered. I was exhausted, but many people went back downstairs and kept working. There is so much more that could be done, but we’ll do the best we can.

Prayers: Strength for tomorrow and the flights back. Good attitudes as we come down to the wire. Thanks for the Iles and the Babcock’s for their willing hearts, thanks for members of our work team and their willingness to work.

P.S. I was too tired to upload pictures. There will be more later.