Sorry for the delay in posting this. I wrote it, but couldn't post it last week as our internet service was down. When it began working again, I forgot to post it.
This past week had been very relaxing. We had the week off for Spring break so most of the missionaries took off for a little traveling around Haiti. This year, I didn't go anywhere but just relaxed here. It was great to be able to catch up on some things that I normally don't get to, to catch up on some reading and so on.
Earlier this week, some repairmen with John Deere came here to work on our generator engine. The newer one was still under warranty so fortunately for us, it was repaired at no cost. It is great to have two working generators again. It gives peace of mind to know that if one goes out, you have another option. For most of this year we have been operating on just one so it is great to know that we will be in good shape. I had talked to Roger yesterday about the guys who came and was told that they were headed to Port au Prince to work on some generator there that is over three times as large as our generator. For those of you who give a rip, our generator is 150 kW which powers our entire ministry and what seems like the entire neighborhood. I don't know the exact count, but I have heard that we power aroudn 100 homes including several UN units. It sure gets dark around here when the generator is out. I guess the generator that these guys are going to work on is a 500kW generator. I can't imagine what that would be used for. I thought our generator was hard to work on.
Other than the up and running generator, we haven't had much going on. For those of you who read this and haven't emailed me in a while, please do. I'd be glad to hear from you.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
03/28/2010
In Haiti, everything gets dusty and sandy. I like when it rains because it settles the dust and cleans things up a bit. However, when it rains it gets really muddy outside, so it's either muddy or dusty. It would be nice if it rained every three days at night....but that's thinking with my head in the clouds. A more realistic solution would be to have paved roads which would limit the dust tremendously. Most of the ground here is covered except for the dirt/rocky roads. Taxis (mopeds), cars, and trucks constantly are stirring up dust and everything gets covered. Also, with a road out front of your house which looks like the bottom of a river bed, you can expect to get plenty of sand in your house....even if you leave your shoes at the door. Sand gets everywhere and our floor is swept each day. Outside, we have a concrete mini courtyard. Once you enter our gate, everything is concrete. However, coming off of the street, our foot traffic brings in quite a lot of sand. We could sweep the concrete outside on a weekly basis and still be behind. I am amazed at the amount of sand that comes in.
Needless to say, our broom wears out quickly. We have two types. We have a typical household broom inside for sweeping the tile floor. For outside, we have a Haitian made broom. These brooms are very "green" as the handle is made out of the trunk of a small tree or bush while the bristles are made out of a thick grass or dried leaves cut into strips. I haven't found out exactly what tree the bristles are from, but they seem like palm leaves. They are then tied to the shaft and one nail is inserted to keep it all together. I just bought a new one this week because our old one disintegrated on us. It's nice to have something that isn't made out of plastic but they have to be replaced more often. The Haitian broom is great for outside as it is cheap and it is nice to have one broom for sweeping the dirtier messes outside and one for inside. Our broom that we use outside had been worn out for a couple weeks so we weren't able to sweep outside. This week, I saw a guy standing outside the school selling a bunch of these. I asked him how much they were. He said "kat dola" which means four Haitian dollars. I asked him again because I didn't think I understood. Four Haitian dollars is about fifty cents US.
Of course, most things are cheaper here as labor is inexpensive. However, this thing is hand made and unless I am mistaken, I wouldn't think it could be made quickly. Who knows; maybe it is easy to make. Either way, I was blown away by how inexpensive it is....the same price as a Coke here! Speaking of, if you like Coke, you should visit us. Now, I am not really suggesting that the trip is worth the Coke. The ministry should be your main draw of course...but the Coke here is pretty stinkin' good! They use Haitian sugar instead of corn syrup. It tastes very good and you can get it in half liter glass bottles! I don't have a picture of a Coke (I am sure you you can imagine what one looks like), however below is a picture of a Haitian broom if you are interested. If you aren't interested...don't look below.
Needless to say, our broom wears out quickly. We have two types. We have a typical household broom inside for sweeping the tile floor. For outside, we have a Haitian made broom. These brooms are very "green" as the handle is made out of the trunk of a small tree or bush while the bristles are made out of a thick grass or dried leaves cut into strips. I haven't found out exactly what tree the bristles are from, but they seem like palm leaves. They are then tied to the shaft and one nail is inserted to keep it all together. I just bought a new one this week because our old one disintegrated on us. It's nice to have something that isn't made out of plastic but they have to be replaced more often. The Haitian broom is great for outside as it is cheap and it is nice to have one broom for sweeping the dirtier messes outside and one for inside. Our broom that we use outside had been worn out for a couple weeks so we weren't able to sweep outside. This week, I saw a guy standing outside the school selling a bunch of these. I asked him how much they were. He said "kat dola" which means four Haitian dollars. I asked him again because I didn't think I understood. Four Haitian dollars is about fifty cents US.
Of course, most things are cheaper here as labor is inexpensive. However, this thing is hand made and unless I am mistaken, I wouldn't think it could be made quickly. Who knows; maybe it is easy to make. Either way, I was blown away by how inexpensive it is....the same price as a Coke here! Speaking of, if you like Coke, you should visit us. Now, I am not really suggesting that the trip is worth the Coke. The ministry should be your main draw of course...but the Coke here is pretty stinkin' good! They use Haitian sugar instead of corn syrup. It tastes very good and you can get it in half liter glass bottles! I don't have a picture of a Coke (I am sure you you can imagine what one looks like), however below is a picture of a Haitian broom if you are interested. If you aren't interested...don't look below.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
03/21/10
I didn't blog last week because I had a visitor! Normally, I come home after church, make a little breakfast and then write on my blog. Last Saturday, my girlfriend, Lindsey, flew in to visit. Like any visitor, she started her trip on Friday afternoon, over-nighted in Miami, then continued on to Port au Prince Saturday morning and then here. It wasn't quite that simple though. Because of a change in their flight that day, Lindsey had to fly to Cap Haitian from Port au Prince, and then flew here. She was able to see quite a bit of the country by the time she arrived here.
Of course, it was great to have her here. The students here were very excited to have her here as well. Many of them have heard me talk about her and were anxious to meet her; especially the 6th grade. They knew she was bringing cupcakes for her. What they didn't know is that she brought enough to have cupcakes on two separate days. She brought enough candy for them to have something each day. The first day, she gave them Swedish fish. A few minutes after she gave out the candy, Diana had her hand up in a panic. She asked if she could get a cup of water after she told me, "I swallowed one whole!!!!". She was in a panic as if she had drank strychnine. By the end of the week I think the entire class was so hopped up on sugar that we had to tighten the bolts to keep them in line. It was probably the most fun week they have had. It was the most fun I have had.
I got to do many of the things that I don't do every week. We ordered goat with fried plantains along with rice and beans for dinner Wednesday night. Earlier for lunch, we had Haitian spaghetti. It is the strangest combination of ingredients but so good. The plate is covered with spaghetti noodles, then has a little hot sauce on top, a little ham, peanuts, and a garnish. Around the edge of the plate are sliced beets, bananas, and boiled sliced carrots. It is the strangest combination of ingredients for spaghetti, but is so good. We also had papita, which are plantain chips. They sell them off the street in small clear bags for the equivalent of $0.25. They are plantains sliced as thin as a chip length wise, deep fried and salted. They are crunchy like chips, but long strips since they are cut lengthwise.
On Thursday, we went to La Pointe to get some ice cream and to walk around. The trip was fun but in the end Lindsey and I both acquired matching burns on our legs. Lindsey got hers from getting off her taxi (moped). You need to get off the left to keep from getting burnt, however, her taxi driver leaned to right making her feel that she needed to get off that side. On the way home, my taxi sped up and we lost control a bit. The driver put his feet down to keep us stable, and I did as well. The problem is that when I put my feet down as we were fish-tailing, the back of my ankle was hit by the moped and I was burned. My ankle is a little swollen, but not too bad. The muscles are a little tight, but nothing like a sprained ankle. The burn is the worst. It's about an inch and a half in diameter. Fortunately for us, since people often get burned here, Norma had given everyone some prescription burn creme (Silvadene). Hopefully, I should be healed in a couple weeks. There's nothing like getting a matching burn on your leg with your girlfriend. Fortunately, we didn't do that on purpose. Had we, I would hope someone would have a talk with us about our relationship.
Other than the burns, this week was the best week I have had here. It was a blessing to share this place with Lindsey this week, have fun with the students, our staff and the Haitian culture. It is always a blessing to have new visitors here to experience this place, so if you are thinking about visiting, please let me know.
Of course, it was great to have her here. The students here were very excited to have her here as well. Many of them have heard me talk about her and were anxious to meet her; especially the 6th grade. They knew she was bringing cupcakes for her. What they didn't know is that she brought enough to have cupcakes on two separate days. She brought enough candy for them to have something each day. The first day, she gave them Swedish fish. A few minutes after she gave out the candy, Diana had her hand up in a panic. She asked if she could get a cup of water after she told me, "I swallowed one whole!!!!". She was in a panic as if she had drank strychnine. By the end of the week I think the entire class was so hopped up on sugar that we had to tighten the bolts to keep them in line. It was probably the most fun week they have had. It was the most fun I have had.
I got to do many of the things that I don't do every week. We ordered goat with fried plantains along with rice and beans for dinner Wednesday night. Earlier for lunch, we had Haitian spaghetti. It is the strangest combination of ingredients but so good. The plate is covered with spaghetti noodles, then has a little hot sauce on top, a little ham, peanuts, and a garnish. Around the edge of the plate are sliced beets, bananas, and boiled sliced carrots. It is the strangest combination of ingredients for spaghetti, but is so good. We also had papita, which are plantain chips. They sell them off the street in small clear bags for the equivalent of $0.25. They are plantains sliced as thin as a chip length wise, deep fried and salted. They are crunchy like chips, but long strips since they are cut lengthwise.
On Thursday, we went to La Pointe to get some ice cream and to walk around. The trip was fun but in the end Lindsey and I both acquired matching burns on our legs. Lindsey got hers from getting off her taxi (moped). You need to get off the left to keep from getting burnt, however, her taxi driver leaned to right making her feel that she needed to get off that side. On the way home, my taxi sped up and we lost control a bit. The driver put his feet down to keep us stable, and I did as well. The problem is that when I put my feet down as we were fish-tailing, the back of my ankle was hit by the moped and I was burned. My ankle is a little swollen, but not too bad. The muscles are a little tight, but nothing like a sprained ankle. The burn is the worst. It's about an inch and a half in diameter. Fortunately for us, since people often get burned here, Norma had given everyone some prescription burn creme (Silvadene). Hopefully, I should be healed in a couple weeks. There's nothing like getting a matching burn on your leg with your girlfriend. Fortunately, we didn't do that on purpose. Had we, I would hope someone would have a talk with us about our relationship.
Other than the burns, this week was the best week I have had here. It was a blessing to share this place with Lindsey this week, have fun with the students, our staff and the Haitian culture. It is always a blessing to have new visitors here to experience this place, so if you are thinking about visiting, please let me know.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
03/07/10
This week, Ken and Nancy arrived via the shipping boat that we use. Ken and Nancy are from Florida and have visited Sonlight for several years and love coming down here. Ken was here earlier this school year with Grant to work on our generator. Thankfully, it is still running very well.
To get supplies to Haiti, we ship everything to a boat dock in Miami which is then loaded onto the Lady Lotmore and takes four days to get here. Though it takes four days of travel, the boat may not arrive for several months. Sometimes they have issues with customs, with the boat itself or a number of different factors that prevent a one day turnaround (including the most obvious...loading the boat). One way to get into Haiti is via the Lady Lotmore rather than flying. The problem with taking the boat is that you need a great amount of flexibility. Ken and Nancy are retired so that was a big factor on making it a possibility. Without the flexibility, you may show up at the boat and find out that there is a two wek delay. Not too many people can fly back home and reschedule their time off with work. Getting there is also a problem. Ken and Nancy live about three hours from the boat dock, so each time they were told that the boat was about to leave, they would drive down to the dock and when told that there were delays, they had to turn around and go back home. The boat finally left and this week they arrived. They will be here for about a week and a half or possibly a little longer. They will leave when the boat goes back.
Not only did Ken and Nancy arrive, but so did our food. We sent our food orders to Sam's and it was pulled for us by employees at Sam's. The process was different. In the past, someone would have to go there and do the shopping for the entire staff for several months worth of food. That could take two days as you shop for the food, package it up and take it to the boat dock and load it into crates that you build yourself. The freezer food all goes in our deep freezers and is shipped down and the entire deep freezer is unloaded and brought over to the school. This week, we all met at the school yard after school was out to divide up our orders. Later this week, we should get the crates of dry food that we ordered. It's always exciting to get a boat order because it's a treat to get something in that you have been out of for a while. Tortilla chips for example. I can live without them, but I sure like when they show up!! Much more than that, I am going to like when my girlfriend shows up next Saturday!! Heck with the boat orders.
To get supplies to Haiti, we ship everything to a boat dock in Miami which is then loaded onto the Lady Lotmore and takes four days to get here. Though it takes four days of travel, the boat may not arrive for several months. Sometimes they have issues with customs, with the boat itself or a number of different factors that prevent a one day turnaround (including the most obvious...loading the boat). One way to get into Haiti is via the Lady Lotmore rather than flying. The problem with taking the boat is that you need a great amount of flexibility. Ken and Nancy are retired so that was a big factor on making it a possibility. Without the flexibility, you may show up at the boat and find out that there is a two wek delay. Not too many people can fly back home and reschedule their time off with work. Getting there is also a problem. Ken and Nancy live about three hours from the boat dock, so each time they were told that the boat was about to leave, they would drive down to the dock and when told that there were delays, they had to turn around and go back home. The boat finally left and this week they arrived. They will be here for about a week and a half or possibly a little longer. They will leave when the boat goes back.
Not only did Ken and Nancy arrive, but so did our food. We sent our food orders to Sam's and it was pulled for us by employees at Sam's. The process was different. In the past, someone would have to go there and do the shopping for the entire staff for several months worth of food. That could take two days as you shop for the food, package it up and take it to the boat dock and load it into crates that you build yourself. The freezer food all goes in our deep freezers and is shipped down and the entire deep freezer is unloaded and brought over to the school. This week, we all met at the school yard after school was out to divide up our orders. Later this week, we should get the crates of dry food that we ordered. It's always exciting to get a boat order because it's a treat to get something in that you have been out of for a while. Tortilla chips for example. I can live without them, but I sure like when they show up!! Much more than that, I am going to like when my girlfriend shows up next Saturday!! Heck with the boat orders.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
02/28/10
This week had been fairly uneventful. School has been going by normally, which is nice for a change. When I moved here, I expected to have difficulties with daily life as it's a third world country, however, I didn't think I would appreciate a normal week of school so much. I am amazed at how quickly this year is going by. We only have three more weeks of school before the third quarter is finished. It's strange to think that we only have one more quarter after this and I'll be done with my second year here.
I am glad that American Airlines has started flying again. Tuesday, John was able to come back here. He left with Carmen and Isabella (Bella) a few weeks back to finish their adoption process. Since they aren't quite sure when everything will be final, John came back as he is greatly needed here. I am also excited that my girlfriend will be visiting in two weeks. Lindsey will be the second person to fly in (our first visitor) since the earthquakes. I am excited for her to see all that I enjoy here; the students, the people of Haiti, and our amazing staff!
I am glad that American Airlines has started flying again. Tuesday, John was able to come back here. He left with Carmen and Isabella (Bella) a few weeks back to finish their adoption process. Since they aren't quite sure when everything will be final, John came back as he is greatly needed here. I am also excited that my girlfriend will be visiting in two weeks. Lindsey will be the second person to fly in (our first visitor) since the earthquakes. I am excited for her to see all that I enjoy here; the students, the people of Haiti, and our amazing staff!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
02/21/10
This past week has been fairly uneventful. We did have our refugee program on Monday and Thursday which were the last two times that we will be giving out food. We are going to change the aide program in an effort to serve the refugees in a way that will help them in the long run. We will be meeting about this tonight so I do not have all the details yet.
As for the past four weeks, we have given away 9,100 lbs of rice, 2,300 lbs of beans, 1,700 bars of soap, 240 cans of milk, and approximately $10,000 US in small bills. When money was given out, it was given in the amount of $5 for a family of two. The intent was not to just hand out money without a cause as that in itself does not create long term stability. The small amount of money was given to aid in the purchase of simple necessities, such as clean water and charcoal to cook the rice and beans that we gave out. It could also be used to purchase personal necessities such as a tooth brush, tooth paste, deodorant, etc. We tried to keep the amounts low as to not cause temptation of wasteful spending.
Other than the refugee program, I didn't have anything going on out of the ordinary. I did see that American Airlines is flying again. Their first flight was last Friday, the 19th of Feb. This is very good news for us as it means our groups can start coming in again. We haven't had a group here since we returned after Christmas break so it will be great to have visitors again! It's also a great sign to have flights again as it's a step toward getting back to normal and it promises a little more progress!
As for the past four weeks, we have given away 9,100 lbs of rice, 2,300 lbs of beans, 1,700 bars of soap, 240 cans of milk, and approximately $10,000 US in small bills. When money was given out, it was given in the amount of $5 for a family of two. The intent was not to just hand out money without a cause as that in itself does not create long term stability. The small amount of money was given to aid in the purchase of simple necessities, such as clean water and charcoal to cook the rice and beans that we gave out. It could also be used to purchase personal necessities such as a tooth brush, tooth paste, deodorant, etc. We tried to keep the amounts low as to not cause temptation of wasteful spending.
Other than the refugee program, I didn't have anything going on out of the ordinary. I did see that American Airlines is flying again. Their first flight was last Friday, the 19th of Feb. This is very good news for us as it means our groups can start coming in again. We haven't had a group here since we returned after Christmas break so it will be great to have visitors again! It's also a great sign to have flights again as it's a step toward getting back to normal and it promises a little more progress!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
02/12/10
Last Thursday I was at home when the power went out. It didn't go out immediately. It seemed to be out, however there was the slightest glow from our light bulbs. I couldn't imagine they could be any dimmer. A minute later and the power went out completely. We have had strange things happen before where the power dims for about ten seconds or so and then slowly goes back to normal. I don't know exactly what is happening with the generator when this happens, but it usually corrects itself. Tonight was a little different. Sometimes these things happen and Roger will go over and restart the generator with no problems. After about 20 minutes, I had to mow down my mac and cheese that I had made, I headed over. My rule of thumb is to never go to the generator room hungry. You never know how long you'll be there. I went over there one morning at about 5:45AM when the power went off. I didn't come home until 9PM. Fortunately, Roger took a break around 9AM and we got breakfast. The next thing I ate was a bunch of crackers for lunch. So, before I go to the generator room to see what is going on, I always eat first.
By the time I made it over there, Roger and Ermilien had already taken off the end of the generator (not the engine, but the actual generator which is full of magnets and a huge spindle of copper wire). I normally refer to the entire unit as the generator, but there are two main parts: the engine and the generator that the engine turns. Tonight, the problem was inside the generator. Roger had found a wire which broke. Normally wires burn up, but in this case, with years of use, a wire had snapped. We believe it came apart because of centrifugal force as there weren't any burn marks. The room was also filled with a few others. Scott, Lenny, Stephen were already there as well. After finding the problem, the only thing to do is to start fixing it. It seems like such a simple breakdown and yes, one wire is simple to fix. The problem is getting to it. To do the, we had to remove the 500+ pound generator from the engine. It's cylinder shaped and lies horizontally. We needed to take it off, hoist it vertically and then set it back down. Once it was set down, we needed to hoist the copper spindle out of it. To do this takes several hours. Normally, when we need to do this sort of work, Roger or John will get the tractor and pull the generator out of the generator room and into the school's front yard. We would then remove the generator from the engine and hoist it up out there. Tonight, we didn't have that option. It was already dark. Our only option was to hoist it up inside. The problem is that there isn't anything to hoist it up from. The room had a concrete ceiling but does not have anything to connect a chain hoist to. There is also a concrete loft above where the mufflers sit, so our only option was to get a concrete chisel, a large hammer and chisel a hole through the loft so we could wrap a chain around it. We chiseled the hole about a foot from the edge of the loft so we could wrap the chain through the hole and around the edge. The edge also happens to be a concrete beam that runs from one wall to the other so it seemed very strong. About an hour later and we started to lift the generator. It's almost unreal how much that thing weighs. As we started lifting it, we heard the beam overhead start to crack and little pieces of concrete fell. You could expect this as the chain was going through a hole that was freshly chiseled. It's likely to have loose pieces fall to the floor. A moment later and the entire generator had been lifted off the platform and was suspended. At this very moment more concrete fell as the beam overhead had dropped down about three inches. That's when we realized that the beam doesn't actually go across from one wall to the other. It did at one time, however the exhaust pipe comes up from the engine and the beam is in its way. So, years ago, the beam must have been chiseled across. The only thing that connected it to the wall was a single piece of rebar as you can see in the picture below.
Of course all of us were concerned except for Roger. When we hoisted the generator more, Lenny and I would keep an eye on the cracks and give him updates on it's thickness. At one point, we noticed a crack had opened up to about an eighth of an inch. We told Roger and he said, "That's probably good enough." I always crack up when I am in there. He reassured us that the rebar (though it was only one bar) is very strong. I was just hoping that that piece had been tied in to the wall and wasn't just a straight piece that could be pulled away! Fortunately, it held.
The spindle was eventually raised up and Roger took three heavy gauge wire and soldered them to both ends where the wire had snapped. At this point it was much past midnight. We were getting tired, but fortunately for us, we were about half way done. About an hour later, we were lowering the generator back down so we could reattach it to the engine. As I mentioned, it's very heavy and when it pivoted, it hit two of the eight bolts that it connects to. These specific bolts aren't the bolts that hold it on, but the bolts that spin the generator. We were able to bend one back, however the other bolt sheared off when we tried to bend it back. We had to go without, so it now only has seven of the eight. Without going into detail, as connecting it has many difficulties, we finally had it back together a few hours later. I don't know what happened at what time, but around 4:30 AM, Roger turned it on but we weren't getting any electricity. I cannot tell you the frustration of spending over eight hours on that thing and to not have any power once it's back together. Fortunately, the problem was in a circuit board that took some damage while we were moving the generator around. So, at about 5:45 AM we had not only finished but everything was working. Here are a few more pictures of the generator. If you look, you should see a few blue arrows which point out the cracks in the concrete beam. You'll most likely have to click on the image so you can see the full sized picture in order to see the cracks. I also colored the beam in one picture green so you can see where the chains were. The poor quality pictures were taken from my phone's camera the night that we were working. The others I took a couple days later. The last picture is the final product. It's a bit crazy to think that this old generator is powering the entire ministry.
By the time I made it over there, Roger and Ermilien had already taken off the end of the generator (not the engine, but the actual generator which is full of magnets and a huge spindle of copper wire). I normally refer to the entire unit as the generator, but there are two main parts: the engine and the generator that the engine turns. Tonight, the problem was inside the generator. Roger had found a wire which broke. Normally wires burn up, but in this case, with years of use, a wire had snapped. We believe it came apart because of centrifugal force as there weren't any burn marks. The room was also filled with a few others. Scott, Lenny, Stephen were already there as well. After finding the problem, the only thing to do is to start fixing it. It seems like such a simple breakdown and yes, one wire is simple to fix. The problem is getting to it. To do the, we had to remove the 500+ pound generator from the engine. It's cylinder shaped and lies horizontally. We needed to take it off, hoist it vertically and then set it back down. Once it was set down, we needed to hoist the copper spindle out of it. To do this takes several hours. Normally, when we need to do this sort of work, Roger or John will get the tractor and pull the generator out of the generator room and into the school's front yard. We would then remove the generator from the engine and hoist it up out there. Tonight, we didn't have that option. It was already dark. Our only option was to hoist it up inside. The problem is that there isn't anything to hoist it up from. The room had a concrete ceiling but does not have anything to connect a chain hoist to. There is also a concrete loft above where the mufflers sit, so our only option was to get a concrete chisel, a large hammer and chisel a hole through the loft so we could wrap a chain around it. We chiseled the hole about a foot from the edge of the loft so we could wrap the chain through the hole and around the edge. The edge also happens to be a concrete beam that runs from one wall to the other so it seemed very strong. About an hour later and we started to lift the generator. It's almost unreal how much that thing weighs. As we started lifting it, we heard the beam overhead start to crack and little pieces of concrete fell. You could expect this as the chain was going through a hole that was freshly chiseled. It's likely to have loose pieces fall to the floor. A moment later and the entire generator had been lifted off the platform and was suspended. At this very moment more concrete fell as the beam overhead had dropped down about three inches. That's when we realized that the beam doesn't actually go across from one wall to the other. It did at one time, however the exhaust pipe comes up from the engine and the beam is in its way. So, years ago, the beam must have been chiseled across. The only thing that connected it to the wall was a single piece of rebar as you can see in the picture below.
Of course all of us were concerned except for Roger. When we hoisted the generator more, Lenny and I would keep an eye on the cracks and give him updates on it's thickness. At one point, we noticed a crack had opened up to about an eighth of an inch. We told Roger and he said, "That's probably good enough." I always crack up when I am in there. He reassured us that the rebar (though it was only one bar) is very strong. I was just hoping that that piece had been tied in to the wall and wasn't just a straight piece that could be pulled away! Fortunately, it held.
The spindle was eventually raised up and Roger took three heavy gauge wire and soldered them to both ends where the wire had snapped. At this point it was much past midnight. We were getting tired, but fortunately for us, we were about half way done. About an hour later, we were lowering the generator back down so we could reattach it to the engine. As I mentioned, it's very heavy and when it pivoted, it hit two of the eight bolts that it connects to. These specific bolts aren't the bolts that hold it on, but the bolts that spin the generator. We were able to bend one back, however the other bolt sheared off when we tried to bend it back. We had to go without, so it now only has seven of the eight. Without going into detail, as connecting it has many difficulties, we finally had it back together a few hours later. I don't know what happened at what time, but around 4:30 AM, Roger turned it on but we weren't getting any electricity. I cannot tell you the frustration of spending over eight hours on that thing and to not have any power once it's back together. Fortunately, the problem was in a circuit board that took some damage while we were moving the generator around. So, at about 5:45 AM we had not only finished but everything was working. Here are a few more pictures of the generator. If you look, you should see a few blue arrows which point out the cracks in the concrete beam. You'll most likely have to click on the image so you can see the full sized picture in order to see the cracks. I also colored the beam in one picture green so you can see where the chains were. The poor quality pictures were taken from my phone's camera the night that we were working. The others I took a couple days later. The last picture is the final product. It's a bit crazy to think that this old generator is powering the entire ministry.
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