Roofs, weather and reflections on cattle trucks

It has been a great day of building!  It is now 5PM (7PM Sarnia time).  I am sitting on the front porch of our our "room", with several other team members, using Deve's Macbook to post this.  

The rain came steadily most of the night but then stopped just in time for us to finally start rolling out of bed and open the door to blue skies with a pleasant smattering of clouds.  We got two houses built by 2:30PM.  My job for the last hour or so was assisting a fellow named Noe (pronounced "No Way") on the roof, measuring, aligning and fastening the roof assembly to the steel trusses.  Noe was great to work with, and very patient with me as we communicated (with the little english he knows) and worked together.  My screws missed the truss through the steel roof several times but I eventually got the gist of it. Noe preferred to use a "special" method of locating the truss under the metal.  Instead of using a chalk line (which, apparently we do have), he sort of "eyeballs" it and "feels" for it using his foot!  Haha! :)  Anyway, there was a tube of roofing calking/tar that I used to fill in the holes.  The thunder and rain came upon us instantly when I had filled in the last hole!  It was great to be able to huddle with everyone under the roof that I just made,and in the torrential rain, see that not a drop leaked anywhere!  Yay!

The drive in the cattle truck, I have to admit, has taken some getting used to.  After having gone to the site and back twice (4 trips), I am feeling much less terrified (yes I was very frightened) and more able to enjoy the jostles and impossibly steep climbs next to the beautiful (breathtaking) vista, several feet from what appears to be what may be a thousand foot drop.  I now know that I can trust the road to support the weight of the heavily laden truck and the drive is more routine.  I can trust the drivers who do seem to know the road quite well, and are highly skilled at doing what needs to be done to get us to and fro with nary a scratch.  God has also provided me a kind of peace (that passeth understanding) that he is taking care of us in a special way, as well.  

I am surprised that I have had to wrestle so much with my need to be in control and "in the know" and to have everything make sense to me.  I thought that after spending two years in Kenya, this would be easier for me that it was.  I am coming around now, and starting to "get it" again.

One observation:  I have yet to see a single cattle truck with a single cow in it - Do they ever actually get used for cattle?! :)

Matt