Kevin, Josh and Evan

Kevin Koudys
South Lincoln

Xin chao!
Today was finally the first day of the build. It was nice to do all of the cultural things, but getting down to the build meant that we are truly making a difference. Lugging the sand a good distance in wheelbarrows designed for the local people made the reach to the handles a physical barrier for both Evan and me. Anysa became a professional bricklayer as well as a brick splitter. I was laughed at by the local mason workers for my lack of skill. It's all for laughs and giggles I guess. The language barrier is a real challenge on the job site. They all seem to be complimenting us on our styles of working. All in all it was a very successful first day at the Habitat build. We're finally getting used to the weather and food, with only a few bumps and bruises, figuratively speaking of course. Halfway done now! Stay classy y'all!


Josh Durling
Eden High

We just started building today and it couldn't have been a better start. The build site is outside of the city in the country area, which is very beautiful. The family and the local people were extremely welcoming, and you can see that there is a strong sense of community. Even when we were shovelling sand into wheelbarrows, people would pull up on the street and start helping us. Although the verbal communication we are able to make is limited, we are still able to interact with the local people in a meaningful way. I'm very excited to continue making a difference in the lives of people here, as they make a difference in mine.


Evan Elliott
E.L. Crossley

Wow! That is all I can say so far. This experience just seems to keep growing into something even more amazing everyday. Today we started our build for the family, which I was very excited to see was in the countryside rather than in the city, which we have already experienced for 3 days. The appreciation that the local people feel for what we are doing is unfathomable. Countless people showed us big smiles and had "Hello's" and "Xin Chao's" for us (Vietnamese for "hello"). Today is when it finally hit us - not only that we are actually here, but why we are here. The work is very hard, but it seems the harder the work, the more rewarding it turns out. Before we left for the build this morning, our ambassador Xuan talked to us about the family and the community we were about to meet. This is when the reality set in about how much this means to the family, and how much they look forward to seeing us come. The mention of counting down days and days was heartwarming. I can't wait to see the family and local people again tomorrow, but the sleep will be ever so sweet. To everyone at home, I wish you could all experience this with me, and I look forward to sharing everything with you all.