For this group of volunteers, about three days. And that includes multiple clinics under the cashew trees, scores of balloons inflated and bounced to eager kids, stickers placed on noses, cheeks, and chins (stickers that stayed put ALL DAY!) a thousand trips to the brick-cutting saw, dozens and dozens of perfect welds on windows and re-bars, all while the volunteers laid course after course of bricks.

And removed and re-laid five courses that were not quite perfect!

Sabbath worship will be a long-awaited celebration of Beginning Anew. Not just a celebration of a completed building, this service will announce the news of a Literacy Class that will be offered in the building for the village women. That may seem simple, but in a nation where only 17% of the women can read and write their own name, it's a really big deal! The "words" class will immediately have more than 30 members - women who will soon be able to read their new Portuguese Bibles to their children (and husbands).

By the way, the textbooks for the classes? The new Bibles!

A new part of the Maranatha Mozambique team will be introduced at the service. The Well-Drillers have driven their giant drilling trucks into the country and have begun drilling wells at most of Maranatha's new 1,001 church sites.

Imagine... No more need to walk 3-5 kilometers to find and lug 25 liters of water back on your head. The ability to read the labels on the parasite medicine the nurse gave for your kids. Children with smiley-face stickers on their brand new Crocks - for some their first shoes ever. Dry noses, smooth skin, less coughs, clear ears, because of the antibiotics and the shampoo, creams, and other personal care items. And a building. A building that was built brick, by brick, by brick, by brick. Bricks made six months ago, trucked in last month, laid this week, celebrated this Sabbath, standing forever.

A building that is a home. 1) Home for church worship 2) Home for a classroom 3) Home for clinics and health education seminars 4) Home for primary school classes 5) Home for Bible seminars 6) Home for malaria education 7) Home for God - and His kids.

Dick Duerksen writes stories from his travel from around the world. Visit the "Travels with Dick and Brenda" blog at www.maranatha.org for more stories and bright pictures.