It is time for another construction project at the chácara! Our next goal is to expand the chapel and build a new kitchen space. This is the current kitchen. It is fine as it is, but we need more space for the chapel, because so many family members of the guys are coming on Sundays for visits that there is no more room (a good problem to have!) The chapel shares a long wall with the kitchen, the one that the green cabinet and freezer are pushed up against. By eliminating this wall, we can make available for the chapel a space that can seat an additional 25-30 people.
This is Airton, the cook, standing in the patio where the new kitchen will be built. (Airtion is an interesting story in himself that I will tell in a future post!) The kitchen's other long wall is adjacent to this patio (left side of the photo). This patio is where they do much of their cooking, actually, on their wood-burning stove, and where they wash their dishes. As you can see, this area is a fire disaster waiting to happen. I'm amazed that this structure has lasted as long as it has!
This is the patio/future kitchen, viewed from the outside (the door leads to the cafeteria). The idea is to dismount the wooden walls, rebuild everything in brick, and put in tile flooring, windows, new sinks, and a new chimney for the wood-burning stove. We will also build a depository for storing non-perishable food items, and try to purchase a new refrigerator and gas-heated oven. Work has already begun. Check back in a few weeks for pictures on how the construction is progressing!
