29/08/2026
Yesterday was the final day on-site for the team from Gilnahirk Presbyterian Church & St. Colmcille’s Parish, who have spent their week supporting our partner programmes in Romania 🇷🇴 As their experience came to a close, the team shared a final reflection:
“Well, where did THAT week go!
We’ve had a very productive trip. On arrival there was 1 fully occupied semi detached bungalow and 2 more under construction. They were built and roofed, with doors and windows installed, bathroom and kitchen areas tiled and all interior ceilings and walls lined, with some scrimmed and skimmed. There was shuttering in place for 4 doorsteps, and for a pathway around one house.
We have met Andrei from Habitat Romania and Andrei our site volunteer manager, Robert the building site manager, and various bricklayers, joiners, cement mixer operators and homeowners, both present and future.
In 5 days we have mixed and laid concrete for 4 double doorsteps, 4 surrounding pathways; completed skrimming and skimming 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 kitchen areas, 4 living areas, and 4 small hallways, both walls and ceilings.
And today we had a digger on site, starting on the foundations of a 4th unit.
We’ve had mostly perfect weather (if a little hot). We’ve been driven back and forth between hotel and building site by a very pleasant bus driver, past a range of terrains, residential, commercial and industrial buildings with a variety of traffic types such as motorbikes, horse drawn wagons, even an aeroplane!
The next phase is the painting of walls and ceilings, the installation of kitchen and bathroom fixtures and fittings and, running concurrently with that, the laying of founds for a 4th set of semis.
Today there was a special visit from Habitat Romania, bearing a sincere message of thanks for our support, our skills (?) and our visit; and also several bags of delicious pastries.
Following reflections, where we gave thanks to God for His loving care, we ended with a version of the Irish Blessing, in 4 part harmony.
That’s where the week went…!”