...when I needed an unusual piece of furniture built?
...when I needed to convert a set of shelves into a chest of
drawers?
...when I needed someone to build ropes course elements?
...when I needed someone to supervise the construction of a
house?
...when I needed someone to fix something at camp, or at our house, or in one of the Sunday School classrooms?
...when I needed someone to watch the house while our family
was traveling?
...when I needed someone to teach Short-term missions teams to make
cement?
The answer is the same for all the above questions: I would
call Don Carlos Romero. (see pictures on the blog)
Carlos Romero passed away into the presence of the Lord
tonight. 
Alfredo’s aunt, MariaElena, introduced me to him in November, 1998 and
he has been working with us intermittently since then. Every time we received a
work team, Don Carlos would gladly participate with us, often traveling the
week before to the campsite to advance on the project, then once we arrived he
would supervise the workers and teach the North Americans to make cement! The last
team Don Carlos accompanied us with was this past July in El Salvador when we
built low ropes course elements. His specialty was building 12-foot climbing
walls.
He was 88 years old and still very
spry for his age.
I can’t tell you the number of projects he would be
recruited to build, everything from wooden guns for Victor, to a reading nook/loft, closet,
and desk for Valerie, shelves for my office, and furniture to hold all my
Creative Memory photo albums (which he equipped with light bulbs to dissipate the
humidity), office closet and desk for Alfredo, …. He even built a gazebo for us
from a huge pine tree that fell down in our front yard.
Don Carlos was a very humble man, a Nicaraguan, who had
lived in Honduras for the last 30 years, serving with us off and on for the last 18 years. He had a
servant heart and our family, plus those who would visit our home, and all the
short-term missions teams developed a special affection for him.
He often reminded me of my father, both were very handy, and
could fix just about anything. When my father passed away, I brought back a
number of his tools to give to Don Carlos for him to use is his carpentry workshop. 
