More on Construction Teams…

A volunteer team will usually be stepping alongside work that is already in progress, and will be following the instructions of the local construction foreman on the worksite.  Construction techniques tend to be very basic in Honduras, with a lot of manual labor that isn’t necessarily high-skilled.  No construction experience is required--only a willing heart.  While skills in construction are welcome, they are not necessary.   

It is rarely possible to utilize all the skills that a team brings to Honduras, both because construction in Honduras is low-tech, and because the project needs different skills at different times. There will be times when an electrician or plumber is asked to shovel dirt or haul wet cement because that is the need when the team is there.

Construction methods in Honduras are different than in the USA.  The local foreman will direct your UMVIM team’s work, and will be willing to show and teach what needs to be done.  Keep in mind that while your mission team may have very useful suggestions, it is up to your hosts to make the final decision.  Flexibility, an open mind, and willing heart are all important.

Most every project in Honduras involves digging foundations (with shovels and pickaxes), mixing concrete (after sifting the sand) with shovels, hauling and pouring concrete (with shovels, buckets and wheelbarrows), carrying and laying cinder block, and tying rebar. Light carpentry, painting, electrical work, and tile-laying are also common needs. The little “heavy construction” there is on our sites (welding, roofing), is often hired out locally instead of done by UMVIM teams.

Examples of other jobs a team might do are: laying a tile floor, putting in windows, constructing a fence or wall, or painting the interior or exterior of a church building.  Teams may help to dig a hole for construction of a cistern, or dig a foundation.  You may help build a wall, a basketball court, sidewalk, or church pews.  The site to which you go, the priorities of the church at the time you come, and what other teams and church members have accomplished before your arrival, all play into what you will be doing.

UMVIM teams doing construction are often asked to carry certain tools down with them.  Which tools exactly depends on the type of tasks ahead at the worksite.  Contact the UMVIM coordinator for more tool information.  Some basic tools all construction teams can use are:

We will try to let you know ahead of time what kind of work it will be and what tools might be helpful to bring.  One of the most important “tools” you can bring is the gift of flexibility because things often change at the last minute for many reasons.  It is almost impossible to know ahead of time exactly what work you will be doing all week, and exactly what tools you will need. 

It is always helpful to reiterate with team members that the actual construction work may be the task of the group, but is not the most important reason a team is in Honduras.  It is tempting for North Americans to forget the importance of relating, of listening, of taking opportunities to show the love of Christ, because the task gets in the way.  Practice recognizing that an unexpected (potentially frustrating) pause in the work is an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to work in a conversation between you and your Honduran brother or sister!

If you want to leave tools in Honduras after you finish working, they should all be left discreetly with a Methodist pastor or UMVIM coordinator to be made accessible to future teams.  It is not appropriate to leave tools with specific individuals.