Mauricio,
Ramon, and Memo sitting on the backof the truck
I've been here for ten days now, and even though that’s a short time,
I’ve quickly become accustomed to the life style. “Community living,”
as we like to put it, has been interesting, but it’s always worth it to
me. Last year was a very similar situation, and all the same, it was a
wonderful experience. The people I’ve gotten to know both from the US,
and here in Veracruz have managed to find a place in my heart rather
quickly. My family can attest to the fact that I’m not a morning
person, and yet every morning while I’m here, I wake up early, and
start the day with a smile. The kids here are the most inspirational
children I have ever had the joy of meeting. I look forward to seeing
their smiling faces every day and the kiss on the cheek that always
welcomes me. It pains me that I speak very little Spanish, and every
time I struggle to understand the kids, it breaks my heart, yet I some
how manage to joke and laugh around with everyone here. Miguel and I
have quickly fallen into the routine of gently poking one another in
the stomach, while Antonio finds amusement in hearing me sing everyday.
Ramon finds the fact that I struggle to say “camioneta” hilarious, and
Alexander gets the biggest smile when I pick him up and flip him upside
down. The kids couldn’t be more welcoming, and their kindness
overwhelms me. I’m very often consumed by the awe-inspiring presence of
God here, and couldn’t be more impressed by the challenges everyone has
overcome. I’ve never seen families who are so happy, with so little.
What Goldi and Saul have done here is truly wonderful, and I’m so glad
to be apart of it.
Now to the facts of the day: We started on time
this morning (a first for this week) even though David M. got up three
minutes before the truck left the house, and we headed to the center a
few men short. David A., still under the weather, and Curtis stayed
behind at the casa. We dropped Anne and Mona (our newest addition to
the group) off for the day, and the rest of the crew left for the work
site. We started out by manually leveling the dirt with the newly built
wall. Once the front loader made it to the site, we moved to a
different pile of dirt, and moved that around a bit too. We enjoyed the
weather today as it cooled off and there was a nice breeze that I know
was appreciated by all.
Around noon, we headed back to the center for a
delicious lunch of chicken and rice soup, as Goldi had put a few of us
on a restricted diet. After spending some time with the kids, we
got the official call from Goldi that the work at the site was done for
the day, so we ended early.
Once back at the house, everyone relaxed and shared some laughs as the group was reunited. We got news that the front loader had leveled all the ground, which is great news. Construction can now begin on the fourth wall. We ended the night with some dinner from the Happy Chicken, and some NBA finals. Over all it was a very nice day, and we’re all feeling better which is always good news. We look forward to yet another fun filled day tomorrow.
-Abbey W.
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