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Published: November 20th 2011
Ah...what a great night of rest! We met Arturo in the lobby of the hotel bright and early to head to the pastor's home for breakfast (more beans, plantains, eggs, salsa and cafe). This morning's devotional was one of my favorites - "HOW is much more important than WHAT". God asks us to serve with a Christ-like attitude and make ourselves as we are nothing. Jesus is the King of Kings and he came down from heaven and humbled himself, appeared as a man, and became obedient to death. He was not in a hurry on His journies...when people stopped Him on the streets, He listened...really listened. He ALWAYS put others first.
After chowing down, we headed to the second work site, where we found a larger work-crew. Here there were two homes, one for Reena and her family of 4, and the other for Martha. The first thing we were instructed to do, was to level out the floor. This meant using spears and picks to chip away at the cement that had hardened over night. Quite the workout! Pastor Francisco surprised us all....he walked right over, picked up a tool and started swinging away! Then after about 10 minutes,
he quietly set it down and we didn't see him until lunch! 😊 Watching him made me work harder - I figured if an old man can do it, so can I!
Once the cement was all broken up, we had to shovel it into buckets and carry it across the street. All the women, and even some of the kids, grabbed buckets and helped out. These buckets were not light, especially going up and down the steep hill in front of the homes.
I learned how they make cement today. Reena took rocks and rubbed them up against a screen to form small grit. When water was added, this cement was used to fill gaps between the cinder blocks. Patrick took time to show me how to lay the bricks and fill the gaps - nice and smooth. I really enjoyed it and learned a new job!
Break time! The ladies came again with lemonade and himica juice. The himica juice was delicioso! These women are such servants - makes me sick to my stomach because most people in America barely lift a finger to serve others on a daily basis. After break, we spent more time filling with
the cement. I had the opportunity to be surrounded by the natives...apparently no English was allowed and I struggled a bit. "trabajo-espanol" is quite different than conversational Spanish, but I spoke the best that I could! 😊
I decided after some time, that I needed a "kid-break". I joined Candy and Wendy (18 year old neighbor) to play football in the muddy road. It's amazing that these kids just run back and forth in the muddy, rocky streets and the parents trust that the kids will be okay. Whereas in America, parents barely let the kids out of their sight and don't want them to get dirty. I like that the kids have freedom to be themselves here. The kids seem happier.
We then had the opportunity to meet more workers from ENLACE - Gladis and Alfredo. They are so sweet! And we invited them all to join us for lunch at Pastor Francisco's. We were all hot and sweaty, and packed ourselves in like sardines into the van. Lunch was the same sandwiches, but......after the other Americans started eating, traditional black bean soup, tortillas and cream were brought out. I asked Gloribel if I could have that instead. She
was excited to know that I was interested in trying traditional food. The warm, thick tortillas spread with cream and topped with a bit of salt and lime juice just melted in my mouth! So simple, yet so full of flavor!!! YUM!
Arturo brought us some news in which we needed to remember "Gumby". Walter was sick and wouldn't be able to translate for Wally at church this evening. In addition, the work sites did not have anymore work for us the remainder of the day. I was a bit disappointed, but this gave us time at the hotel to rest.
Just before we got ready to leave, Pastor Francisco brought out a little plant with a plastic turtle on it from his office. I couldn't quite understand all that he was telling us about it, but understood that he did have it for a long time. Wally thought he would get a laugh out of everyone and went into his garden to grab a bigger plant and set it on the table. Everyone burst into laughter!
Then the candy bag came out! Patrick is such a giving person. He amazes me each and every day with his compassion. We
should all learn from him.
Back at the hotel, it was so nice to lay outside and enjoy the beauty that surrounded us - something I rarely do back at home. Felt good to slow down. After the relaxation, we were greeted by Gloribel and her beautiful family at Pastor Francisco's church. We sat in the front and watched the worship team set up. I was amazed - the team was made up entirely of children! Impressive! The 3 singers sang first (Gloribel was one of them) "How Great Thou Art". I'm amazed at how passionate the people are - they don't care if they are on key or on beat, they sing their hearts out to God! After a few more songs, Daniela (Gloribel's daughter) sang a song dedicated to us Americans - "Beautiful, beautiful" by Francesa Battestelli. She even sang it in English for us! It was so beautiful. At such a young age, she is influencing a congregation and community. It brought me to tears.
Afterwards, Wally was introduced to speak. He gave a wonderful message on leadership. The best part was all the questions the congregation had at the end. Shows that they want to grow.
Herding cows
We were stopped on our travels as the cows passed.😊
As we were leaving, it was raining! Quite refreshing. We headed back for a scrumptious dinner - popusas! Beans and cheese, chippelin (like collard greens), squash, cheese, and meat. They were served with plantains, and cabbage with hot sauce. The best part was that Gloribel hand-made hot chocolate, using the fresh cocoa beans she had us smell at lunch. So rich, and melted in my mouth! I was in heaven! 😊
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