Day 2: More of visiting El Ranchador and Camecayo

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We had the wonderful opportunity to be taken by Pastor Francisco into the community. We saw a new home that Willow helped to build - WOW! The lady living there was full of joy! She was excited to be making tortillas in her kitchen OUTSIDE her home. Something as simple as a brick home with secure walls and a door that locks.....the joy on her face brought tears to my eyes. We then headed to our first site where we would be working. Along the way, we were able to experience the excitement of 3 little boys (no older than 8 years old) who were running and jumping into the creek. They were screaming and laughing and one could not help but giggle themselves. I couldn't get the smile off my face! 😊 The only thing that was interesting is that their mother cared about making sure that they had shows on each time they jumped into the creek.....never mind the fact that the creek was maybe 2 feet deep and they could possibly hit their heads on the large rocks in the surrounding area!! They were happy to show off their jumps though 😊
The site had two homes on it - a bit more work than we expected. The first family was a young 24-year old couple, Juan Carlos and his wife, Alba. Together they had two sons, Juan (6 years old) and Giovani (2 years old). Juan Carlos was a mason and Alba made the cardboard cones for fireworks. We finished examining the worksite and headed back to Pastor Francisco's for lunch.
Awaiting us was a meal prepared by the hired cooks, Gloribel and Ortencia. We enjoyed friend chicken, corn, and a macaroni/carrot salad. I did notice that them women served us and the men first, then took some food for themselves and sat in the kitchen. Walter explained that this is a part of the culture, which explains why the women are so excited when they have the opportunity to speak to other women.
After a bit of rest, we headed out to see Pastor Raphael at New Jerusalem church in Camecayo. We saw the bridge that was being built with the support of Willow across from the escuela. Apparently over the year, lots of kids had been injured/killed from trying to cross the busy road, so it was decided to build a bridge. Pastor Raphael is considered to be quite wealthy in his community, but he deserves it! He brought us into the school area where he was entertaining retired pastors. We sat down in a circle and he shared his story. He was married and had three kids, but his wife became sick and died. Mimita (his current wife) was there to help him through the crisis and assisted in building the current church. As of yesterday, they have been married 15 years and are absolutely adorable together! He said they are still dating 😊
We were introduced to the elders of the church, who were so amazing and imported great wisdom to Raphael. Together we all enjoyed some fresh coffee and homemade pastries. We were then brought back to his home to get ready for their church service. They have such a beautiful home!!! I was shocked for being in such a poor community.
We walked to church and could hear the beautiful singing!!! (The Power of Your Name). The church was very large....singing went on for about 30 minutes and welcomed the people of the community. Afterwards, testimonies of about 5 others were given....they were not short, but super passionate!! We were welcomed as a group and Wally had the opportunity to speak. We had to laugh because he forgot his dress shoes, so he had sandals on! LOL oh well..GUMBY! 😊 After he spoke, the actual message came...what a long service....2-1/2 hours! I was shocked at the fact that the children were able to sit that long...I was getting anxious...! After the service, we had the opportunity to meet a few people of the congregation. They are all so friendly and full of smiles.
We then packed up and headed out for a beautiful steak dinner. We enjoyed fresa frozen drinks and beef broth to start (tipico). Then came a little salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. We chose our dishes - I had authentic Punta Jalepena (steak with spicy onion cream sauce with brocoli, carrots and potato)...omg yum!!!! The conversation was quite nice...we are getting to know so much about our team members. Talking to Pastor and Mimita was incredible - they are so passionate about what they do for the church and community. Thank you God for them - their smiles, laughter, dedication and love for people. We decided to have an extra meal with them later in the week. We said our goodbyes and took some beautiful group pictures together. I had to laugh because Walter keeps telling people that I speak Spanish....I told them that I speak German and struggling to re-learn Spanish...my mind battles back and forth!
Our ride home was quite comical...Walter took us down the road that Wally walked last year as he decided to go to Mister Donuts. It was quite a scary road...I can't believe he walked all that way because the group was hungry!
After a long day of not doing too much, we were all exhausted.

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Photos

Sites
A lot of work to do....starting from the ground up!