Bricks and Sweat

Muttom Village Overlook

bricksandsweat — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 02:04:18 +0000

This is the village where Homes of Hope began in January 2005. Muttom is a fishing village on the coast, near the southern tip of India. Silently, 60 families lost loved ones to the December 26, 2004 tsunami. Homes along the shore were demolished. The fishing industry there was nearly crippled. That’s the condition we found it in. Thankfully, five years later after the restoration efforts of Homes of Hope setting the pace for other restoration efforts, the village has been rebuilt and families are again thriving in homes that are small, but rock solid.

The Barricade

bricksandsweat — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:22:40 +0000

We’ve all seen images of monster tidal surges sweeping in and wiping out whole towns. That happened here in Muttom Village, and they don’t want it repeated. I was amazed at this seemingly un-sophisticated attempt to protect a coastal village from the force of a tsunami until I understood a bit of the science behind it.

Mrs. Groundbai

bricksandsweat — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:25:51 +0000

Some victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami weren’t caught in a sea wave. Mrs. Groundbai (spelling approximate) was abandoned and homeless, overwhelmed by waves of depression and hopelessness. Today, she is putting the finishing touches on a home that will bring hope not just to herself, but to others.

A Walk Through Peryavillai

bricksandsweat — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 03:01:03 +0000

Take a virtual tour through the village of Peryavillia five years after the work got started there. Pastor Paul Billy guides Bill and Ted down the streets where our first team did construction in September, 2005. They are accompanied by the Homes of Hope project manager (purple shirt) and a resident of the village named Vincent. You’ll also tour Vincent’s home, which was probably the most-improved home of all that were built by our team.

Vimilla’s Home

bricksandsweat — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 01:51:30 +0000

Vimilla’s home is her security, not only against tsunami, but also in the midst of domestic abuse. The priest of the village (who is ministering to her family) stopped by to talk about the impact of the Homes of Hope project and Pastor Paul Billy’s leadership.

A Fisherman’s Tale

bricksandsweat — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:48:47 +0000

Bill talks with Melchius, a fisherman of the coastal village of Helenaga in Tamil Nadu, about how he has been doing since the 2004 tsunami, when he lost his house and his boat. The interview took place outside his home, a house built and given to him and his family by Homes of Hope.

Trip to the Market

bricksandsweat — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:48:30 +0000

Bill and Ted hopped on an auto rickshaw for a quick trip to a downtown Bangalore grocery market. If you’ve never ridden or driven in India, you’ll be amazed at the traffic patterns, which include pedestrians, animals, bikes, motorcycles, scooters, buses and trucks all competing for inches of space. Yet, it seems to work. Was it worth it to hire a cab? Well, the ride was only around 40 rupees (a buck or so), and the variety of spices in the market was a-mazing (literally; Bill got lost in it).

The Sugars!

bricksandsweat — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:41:51 +0000

One night in a small farm town (small, meaning only around 100,000), we attended a local festival. Sponsored by one of the local companies, the festival was named the Satish Sugars Awards. Here, we found talented young people singing and dancing in an “American Idol” like competition.