Last month I was working in the Warehouse with Justin, Donny, and Aidan. I worked with the forklift a little bit unloading box trucks and putting pallets on the rack. We pull down items that other ministries have shopped for through our site and stack and wrap them on pallets to deliver to them. The forklift is very different from any other machine I’ve ever used because you stand sideways in it looking forward and the controls take a while to get used to. It has been hard to learn how it turns and make it muscle memory in tight spaces in between the aisles. 

The head of the Warehouse Justin is super cool and is definitely my favorite person up at the Warehouse. He will let me come with him when he runs errands or picks someone up and buys me drinks when we shop. We set up a trailer delivered from Lowe’s that had no instructions or title, but it was fun to build. It is freezing in the Warehouse so I have to wear two pants and at least two hoodies. 

This is the first month back here at CMTS after winter break. Winter break was fun and I got to see my family and friends and catch up with them. Here at CMTS it is freezing out and snowy. The dorm barely has heat inside too so I’m always pretty cold even being from Colorado. Luckily I’ve moved from the cold warehouse to the heated mechanic shop and I’m working on cars with Nick. 

We do a lot of oil changes there. I’ve also taken apart, cleaned, and replaced brake pads, taken apart a trunk to get to the shocks on a van and replaced those, and replaced solenoid sensors as well as some other things. Yesterday we replaced a timing belt on a Subaru and put the engine back in the car to be sold soon. We also worked on Donny’s Audi and took off his radiator hoses to replace a cracked part that was leaking heavily. 

I really like the shop and would definitely want to be a mechanic if I knew more about cars, but I’m hesitant to pursue that since I know nothing and would take forever to master it. I’m honestly kinda leaning toward electrical work because the bit that I have done is fun and not too hard. Most of it makes sense to me, it’s clean work, and AI won’t replace electricians so I will always have a job. Everyone that I know that is an electrician likes it and makes good money too.

Pretty soon a group of us with the Equip program will be going down to Mexico to build a house for a family. We’re leaving mid February and we’re going to Monterrey. I’m pretty excited for this trip as long as I don’t get sick from the water because I like to build things. I’ve gone to Mexico to build a house for a family before when I was like ten and it was a good experience, and we have even better conditions this time around. We’re staying in a place with beds and heat which will be nice. It is showing that the weather will be warmer than here up to the 70’s in Mexico which I’m grateful for even though the locals will be freezing compared to how it usually feels. 

I’m learning a lot here at Equip, and it is fun living in the dorm. Thanks again to everyone that supported me coming here, I am grateful that I was able to come!