Johann arrived back last week from a successful trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo to help with the construction and raising of the roof trusses for the Kanzala Mennonite Church. These solid mahogany trusses weighed close to 900 lbs each and were almost 50 feet long! It is cool to see the resemblance to the model that was made prior to the trip only 40 times the size. To raise the monstrosities onto the bearing walls a 27 foot tall crane pole was constructed with a boat winch and car v-belt for the pulley system. This project could not have worked out so well if it weren't for the input and man-power of all the local carpenters and everyone involved. We are very thankful for the safety during the construction process which alone makes the project a success.

While Johann was building bamboo roof trusses for OSA Conservation in Costa Rica, Sam and Ethan were designing roof trusses for Kanzala Mennonite Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Johann will travel there in February to participate in the rebuilding and supervise the roof truss construction. To help us visualize the truss connections, Sam built this 1:40 scale model out of Popsicle sticks and Elmer's glue. Our elementary school skills are being put to good use!

Sam and Ethan visited the Hopkins job site to see the Solar Tracker installed and working like a charm. They even had the privilege of seeing it rotate a couple degrees to track the sun while they were there. Cool!