Project in Espinillo

Its been a while since we've updated you all on our latest activties.
We have been asking ourselves, and others, what are the needs and how can we help? Last Friday, after we had already met with several teams working with the victims of the earthquake, we knocked on the door of one Tio Emilio. We've been told he's a large man with the heart of a teddy bear. And so he is.
We met with him that Friday, and just felt something “click”. He told us, "If you are willing and able to help, then come help!". He dove straight in, talking about what work he's doing, how he felt that God was leading him to build 50 houses in 3 different village in hills surrounding Pichilemu. Tio Emilio and small group went out the Monday after the first large earthquake hit on February 27th, with a truckload of food, water and clothing to this area because he had heard the area was badly affected. When seeing house after house completely collapsed, and knowing that these people have neither the money, resources or even time (as they have to be out working their crops all day before winter comes) to rebuild their homes, he wanted to do something. He went home, started praying and planning, visiting other villages as well, and that is how he came up with the number 50 as the amount of homes to help rebuild.
He is a quiet, calm man with a heart that is completely about helping the people, and thereby showing love in a practical way, something we feel is very important.
In the meantime, we have gone out with Tio Emilio twice, both to a rural village about 40 minutes from here called Espinillo. The road there is all dust n dirt, with many bumps and curves along the way. Its an area deep in the hills going inland from Pichilemu (which sits right on the coast). Espinillo consists of dirt roads lined sparsely with the homes of small-time farmers, called campesinos, here and there. The earth is tough and the weather dry and hot, so its not the easiest land to work.
Most of the homes in these parts are old, and cheaply built out of clay and therefore an easy prey for the rage of an earthquake and despite what is said in the news, Chilean building regulations hold no value in these rural parts. However, the houses that Tio Emilio has designed a built to better able to withstand earthquakes.
As we work, we are learning, and are also delighted to meet the locals. On our first day we met Senora Carmen Ruta, her son and her mentally handicapped daughter. They now camp outside right next to where they used to have a house. With pieces of furniture and farm animals scattered around, having to cook on a open fire and living outdoors, the sweet "abuelita" still manages to have a smile on her face. She is tiny tiny, and very talkative. However, she speak with the thick accent of the locals, barely enunciating as well. We were definitely practicing our communications skills that day! We did manage to catch her wondering out loud why it was that people from other countries would come to help them.
The other house we’ve been working on belongs that of a kind widow and her daughter.
The building process is not going as fast as it should, largely for the lack of a vehicle. So Tio Emilio works by faith. This translates to every morning, getting up and making a few calls to see who might have a car available. A car is crucial to getting materials and workers out to the building sites!
More skilled workers and modern construction tools would be extremely helpful to make the work go faster, and to work at multiple sites at one time.
We were also shocked to hear that it costs only $1500 to build a house! Unfortunately, response has been slow for some reason to the need, and even if people/organizations make promises, they more often then not are falling through. Why? We don’t know. But we do recognize that things have been a bit unconventional from the start, and so it will probably will continue to be! This whole project is about living by faith, and as we tell each other, "when we work, we work, but when we pray, God works".