From the right are others in the community: Balbina, Don (He's one of ours), Graciela, and a couple of other eleven-year-old girls whose names I unfortunately forgot. Perhaps others in our group remember their names?
Last night, as we were hanging out around the house, we did sidewalk chalk, bubbles and played with their pet parakeet:
(PS - There's Hector in the background)
The parakeet kept trying to bite Graciela's finger! (It actually did bite mine the next day and almost drew blood) Graciela was VERY nervous.
Alexis and I helped move their kitchen table to the side, and they borrowed thin mattresses for us to sleep on their kitchen floor. I slept relatively well in spite of the mosquitoes, flies, dogs occasionally rustling and fighting outside, pigs snorting, and roosters crowing seemingly all night long.
Funny story: they told me not to worry about the rats, since they are not too big (holding up their fingers about 9-12 inches apart). Then they said something else to Alexis and all began laughing. I finally convinced Alexis to tell me what they said, and he told me that they said, "We have nothing to worry about. The rats will go for the biggest one first!" I guess I was the biggest person there, so they were talking about me. Talk about getting "thrown under the bus!"
All in all, I had a great time connecting more deeply with these beautiful people and better appreciating their existence and struggle for a better life.
Tomorrow morning we'll return for a short closing ceremony of sorts before we leave for a different part of El Salvador.
Please keep us in your prayers. AND PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS!
Peace,
Pastor Gregg
4 comments:
Thanks for sharing your journey with us. It is wonderful to be part of the experience, even though we are not there, but many miles away.
The joy of the team and people of El Paisnal is evident, and inspiring. Sometimes it is so easy to forget to be 'joyful in all things.'
Continued prayers for your safety, endurance for the team, and special prayers for the relationships being formed during your visit.
Blessings to all, and keep Gregg away from the rats...we really need him to return unharmed.
Nancy M
My dear friends,
I "enjoyed" reading and seeing the photos,on Pastor Greg's blog. Hopefully, you will be impressed that I actually got on the blog!
Each of you, have been in my daily prayers, as you continue your Salvadoran adventure, both in the physically and spiritual realm. I can close my eyes and immediately be transported to sleeping on the church floor of El Paisnal and being surrounded by a wonderfully warm community of believers. I am confident that God goes before and after us, so, be in the present.
As many of you know, I am on another spiritual adventure, with my mom and her cancer treatments. She is strong in spirit, but the fatigue is setting in. We have some other dr. visits and upcoming tests for some other concerns. We believe God is in this chaos and we enjoy being in the present, too. When we gather here for our dinner, we will faithfully keep each of you in our prayers.
God bless.
Faithfully,
Debra Robinson
Whittier, California
Oh the creatures of another world! The mosquitoes (often pronounce mosKweetos by my African children- Spanish isn't yet one of the many languages they know), the chickens, the pigs. And I experienced bleating goats in the sunrise hours of the day. Each sound reminds you of the blessings we take for granted in America. We can shut out sight, sounds and smells, and yet the blessing you find in this situation is the connection to life.
With each cluck (often times more like a SQUAWK!) you can be thankful for breakfast the next morning. The pigs might remind you of lunch or better yet, the wonderful books you learned to read as a child such as Charlotte's Web. And the mosquitoes. Well, they just remind us all we're alive and good enough to eat. Enjoy the randomness of a different culture. May God grant you the eyes to see the depth of his awesome imagination, power and sense of humor with all you encounter.
Paz de Dios,
Sarah
My dear friends, it is a joy to see these photos and to have up-to-the minute descriptions of your time there. Thank you for bringing us so close to your experience. I kept seeing pictures of Kathy from the back - then at last, there was her face. I enjoy imagining Kathy and Jeanne with the bubbles, and Judy dancing, and Mahlon - looks like you're having a great time. Bless you, Gregg, for taking all the hits from the mosquitoes (as if). We think of you all frequently each day, and hold you in our hearts and prayers. No mosquitoes here at Wellen Lane at the moment, but the sound of street re-paving on Division. I'll bet you're not listening to anything like that.
Much love to each of you,
Marty and Jayce
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