We are hoping for God to build something great in the people we know here in India, however we understand that it will be something different, using methods that we would find unconventional.
To further emphasize the unconventionality of the way God moves in different people's lives, consider how homes are made in this county.
First of all you have to consider how cheap labor is in the country 1 billion. Then consider how difficult it is to work in such small areas. Bulldozers and other monster vehicles are not available nor useful in such a small place with traffic worse than NYC.
Labor is cheap but land is not easily available. So things just get built up and up. Also old 1 story buildings are taken down and replaced with new larger and taller ones.
Across our street we have seen almost the whole process in front of us.
The short building on the left was taken apart because it was vacant:
Next walls and windows are added by more manual labor.
Women wear specially wrapped hats to carry concrete and bricks on their heads. Wow!
Even steel beams are transported by manpower....
That is done using bamboo scaffolding that was inserted into gaps in the wall.
To further emphasize the unconventionality of the way God moves in different people's lives, consider how homes are made in this county.
First of all you have to consider how cheap labor is in the country 1 billion. Then consider how difficult it is to work in such small areas. Bulldozers and other monster vehicles are not available nor useful in such a small place with traffic worse than NYC.
Labor is cheap but land is not easily available. So things just get built up and up. Also old 1 story buildings are taken down and replaced with new larger and taller ones.
Across our street we have seen almost the whole process in front of us.
The short building on the left was taken apart because it was vacant:
It was taken apart by a team of men and women (yes women, no rules for employment).
The men battered the walls with sledge hammers while the women cleaned off the bricks with chipping tools and hammers. Then a man carried off the cleaned bricks with his bull drawn cart.
(I have a video to upload of this process).
Next they built a perimeter wall.Thus began one of the many tractor deliveries over the night bringing in the carts of bricks. It happens late at night because traffic is so bad in the day that trucks and tractors are not allowed. It is so loud to hear the wagons banging around on the broken concrete road (at 1 am!). They only bring enough bricks for the next few days because there is no room for storage.
Next holes are dug deep and steel rods inserted in order to pour concrete for the strong foundation.
If the building has to be tall and strong, then how is it built in this small space?
Manual labor and reinforced steel of course!
I remember seeing men tugging on ropes try and bend the steel into the form desired by the architect.
The saddest thing is to see the gate guard's children running around and playing on a
construction site.
These kids just finished bathing, but they may walk around with no clothes all day long.
They spray the concrete to keep it from cracking from the intense summer heat.
Metal slats are added to the beams in order to begin the steel reinforced floor/ ceiling building process.
Next walls and windows are added by more manual labor.
Women wear specially wrapped hats to carry concrete and bricks on their heads. Wow!
Even steel beams are transported by manpower....
That is a serious core workout right there!
You really have to depend on your partner to grab and go.
One slip or drop and you are going straight down!
The final job is smoothing the concrete and painting the walls.
That is done using bamboo scaffolding that was inserted into gaps in the wall.
(Another dangerous bamboo ladder photo.)
This is done by hanging one guy over the edge via a rope swing dropped over a ladder and held by another guy at the top.
BTW... I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as workman's comp here!
No comments:
Post a Comment