Carlos is our jefe, maestro de obra or cabezon. Any of these words means he is in charge. And he does an excellent job. The project would be nowhere near 152 houses built if it was not for him. And he has been our construction boss for all of those 152. when I commented to him once about his driven nature he responded 'siempre adelante, como el sapo' 'always forward, like the toad'.

He loves to work. When we get near lunch (he loves lunch) he never lets us break any earlier than 12:00. There is always something that can be done to fill fifteen minutes or a half an hour. And it always moves us forward.

Carlos' crew is made up of ten young men. Several of them are family. He serves them as both boss and father figure. And he gets alot of work out of them. He can scold a worker for a bonehead move but then he will be joking with that worker fifteen minutes later. He knows how to work hard and puts that same determination into a game of baseball. One suggestion about Carlos....don't ever bother him during siesta. You will find him in his hammock...recharging.

Carlos also is a family man. He has four wonderful daughters. And he has essentially raised them himself. We are grateful to have Carlos as our 'jefe'. He and his crew are a great example of the Nicaraguan spirit.