Throwing Mud!

Mark shoveling mud with Kahilu

 Our friend Ernest, who lives out in Kaisosi village, has been working hard building his own mud hut. When we heard, we all eagerly volunteered our services to help in any way possible!! So, one day this past week Mark took the project bakkie out to Kaisosi and helped Ernest load the truck with dry mud to use for his hut.

Laura and I stomping mud!

 Then a few days later, we all made the trip out to Kaisosi to help mud his last wall! First we unloaded all the dry mud onto the floor of the hut in a pile. Then Ernest added a whole bunch of water to it and then...us girls jumped in and began mixing it with our feet! (I felt like I Love Lucy in the episode when she stomps grapes!) Then, when it was the perfect consistency, we all grabbed piles of it and molded it into nice snowball sized mud balls. Then, we pushed them down inbetween the sticks and molded them into place. The best part was at the end when you have to “fill in the gaps” of where air and light were getting through. 

Mark and Laura working away! :)

 Ernest made a thinner mud and we just grabbed piles of it and threw it onto the walls! Ernst, Kahilu, Dockie, Maki, Laura, Hannah, Adam, Mark and myself were all inside at the same time throwing mud – it was somewhat chaotic and of course messy, but an absolute awesome time! It was so refreshing to be involved in doing something important, but knowing that you couldn't do it wrong... if there was a hole or a big gap... just throw mud at it! :)

Ernst's finished hut

The entire afternoon was so fun. We've really grown to love these guys and are enjoying our friendships with them too. While standing in Kaisosi village covered in mud, I couldn't help thinking that it's a great feeling knowing you might not totally fit in and you stick out like a sore thumb, but you do belong and are 100% welcomed.

Ernst, Mark, Julie, Kahilu, Adam, Hannah, and Laura