Day 2 - Tuesday, June 24, 2015

I had forgotten; almost no need for an alarm here. A little before 6 am the roosters started crowing, dogs started barking, and cows started mooing as the animals in the surrounding barrio helped welcome the new day. It is a beautiful morning, some clouds, a little humid, but a perfect temperature. I am sure all three of these will change as the day progresses.  With the coffee started, it was time to sit back and relax until the rest of the team wakes up. As tired as some were last night, it was amazing to hear all the laughter going on as team members settled into their rooms and got to know one another better. Eventually the clamor subsided and quiet prevailed. After a long day it is no surprise.

Today we will begin working on the house and playground. We need to wait for some supplies from town, so before we begin, Charlie Nackash walks us around the barrio. On the way off the grounds, we stop first at one of the groves of fruit trees planted by our youth team three years ago. Some of the trees have really grown and it will not be long before they will bear fruit to be harvested. Walking past the ditch project we did in 2011, we saw that the pipes we had laid under the road were now filled in with debris and barely visible to the eye.

The first house we visit is the one we will be working on and we even get to meet the family. They are already there working on what they can. The kids are in the backyard filling in around a septic tank. Next, we visit some of the other houses teams have worked on over the years and end up at the house our team worked on three years ago. The family has added onto it and it is now a multi-story building. The second level is cinder block and the third wood. Everyone agreed the upper floor probably enjoyed the best breeze. Moving back to the camp grounds, the team was given a tour of the school adjacent to the camp and the church. Unfortunately, school is not in session so they didn’t get to meet any of the kids, but it was nice to see how things are organized.

After the tour, we began to work on the playground. We started by developing a vision on how it was to be finished given the last team began the work and left no plans behind to follow. Once we had a plan, we began cutting planks, pre-drilling holes, and screwing things together. It wasn’t long before we had a system and worked progressed rather quickly. The long awaited materials showed up right before lunch. One of the items we were waiting for was 3 inch screws. With these in hand we were able to start on other parts of the structure.

Lunch today was wonderful. We enjoyed French fries, hamburger patties, salad, and fruit. Everyone loves the fruit, fresh and cold it tasted exquisite. Sitting around afterwards, we knew that if we didn’t get up and get moving we would not want to. We split the team in two; some stayed to work with Steve, Sharon, Don, and Lauren on the playground and the rest went across the street to begin work on the house. Our job today was to paint the sheet metal for the roof, and to apply creosol to the beams for the frame. We got most of it done by quitting time. The family with some local helpers will finish it up tonight so that we can begin installing the roof tomorrow. You would think painting was the easier of the two jobs, but we were working in the sun and the heat of the day. Despite all the trees, there wasn’t much shade where they unloaded supplies. The sheet metal created an oven effect between the two houses and the creosol really smells. We had to rotate youth to keep them from getting a headache. We even rotated youth between teams to give them a break from the heat. Admittedly the only thing they got a break from was the smell. The sun was just as hot in the school playground where there too was little shade. Fr. Tom, Linda, and Melissa worked most of the sealing, with a lot of help from Shiloh, yet each of the youth helped for a little while.

When it came time to quit working for the day the team headed for the showers. After being in the hot sun, the water felt great and some of our team was ready for a siesta, others explored the grounds. Some of us sat in the dining hall playing cards and talking about the day’s events. One of the more talked about things was Rowan and his love for Blue Beth (a pick axe) he really had fun using. Before dinner, we joined Padre Alvaro as he went into the barrio to minister to a couple of families. It was an interesting experience for all. The first thing we noticed is that we were invited into the homes; not only invited but we learned, expected to enter even though there was barely enough room for us to all stand or sit. We were so glad we did because the welcome we received was like no other. Padre Alvaro led us in song and prayer and offered a blessing on the house. He even asked Fr. Tom to offer a blessing at the second house.

Something we noticed, as we walked through the barrio, people came out to greet us. So different than in the states where we sit in our homes with the doors closed. Maybe that is because we can. There is no air conditioning in the barrio so windows and doors are always open and strangers walking through the neighborhood are immediately noticed. We felt perfectly safe and found we were surrounded by children. Rowan even had a young man named Edison ask him to be lifted up. The smile on both their faces was so big it was an ah-hah moment. Everywhere we turned we were met with smiles and more children. At the second house, Padre Alvaro shared the peace and it was like any small church on Sunday morning. The peace was not over until everyone had passed the peace to everyone else. When some of our team went out on the porch, we passed the peace with so many others that had gathered to see what was going on, join in the song, and to hear the comforting words of Padre.

Back in the dining hall, we enjoyed a wonderful, and again, huge feast. We had rice and beans, chicken and potato casserole, salad, bread, and for dessert – plantano canela azucar (plantain with cinnamon and sugar) which we learned Crystal had helped make. The food was amazing. After dinner, the adults sat with Padre Alvaro, Angela, and Charlie to discuss the next day’s work and some community activities the Padre hoped we would offer the local children. With a plan in hand we headed up to the second floor balcony of the retreat center to reflect on our first full day working in the barrio and finish with Compline. The insights we gained, like our dinner, were amazing and it really was a sacred time together. Once Compline had been said, Don asked each of us to turn our chairs and look into the community. He turned off the light, asked for a moment of silence, and then encouraged us to listen to the sounds of the night; laughter, music, and the night sounds. When the lights came on some on the team hoped we could do it a little longer – mañana he said, (tomorrow). That’s it for today. God only knows what is in store for us tomorrow.