On Saturday, we went to get buy some books and then take Vinh to his parish. When we got there, sister greeted me like a long lost friend.
Quyen drove, and he takes pride in the car. We all agreed that there is never a time when he doesn't stop smiling.
For a year and a half, the parish has been building a new church. It's French in style. The only thing completed is the top of the spire with the cross painted gold.
As you can see, the core of the walls is brick and then the concrete is applied by hand...no molds here. The workmanship is exhausting but worth it. And the scaffolding? Yes, bamboo.
Inside you can see the vaulted roof taking shape. There are stairs that lead to nowhere and floors that can't be reached. All that will be done in about thre months.
I ran into the construction crew during tea break so they invited me to join in. NOtice the worker on the left. That's a long pipe which takes very very strong tobacco.
Before they began demolishing the old church, the parish built this temporary outdoor church. It has no walls and the ceiling is of bambooa and tiles.
The inside of the church is very long because that's the shape of the parking lot! The old pews were set here. You can imagine how it feels to attend mass during the winter when it sometimes gets down to freezing.
We had tea with Fr. Hung, and he was gracious enough to pose with me for a picture before we left. He tells the best jokes.
To get to the rectory, we had to drive through the temporary church. Quyen stopped long enough for me to snap a picture. We are only half way back from the altar.
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