As expected, the day didn't turn out as planned. Oh well, that will be the norm for the next few months so I best get used to it. We did get the food to the warehouse and my Land Cruiser Jeep is getting some attention in preparation for the abuse it will take in the mountains this summer and I did get to Dunkin' Donuts (love those Crema de Vanilla) and I visited San Miguel and I went by Mine and Lori's apartment (much to do to get it ready), so all in all the day was very productive.
My trip to San Miguel was a little overwhelming today. Sometimes it seems like I become a little cold and calloused to the plight of the poor here. I get pretty bombarded with sad story after sad story by men and women who would like us to help them with a house or food or clothing or money or all of the above and I become quite cynical as I know that some of the stories are a total fabrication just to take advantage of the rich Gringos. Today I was remonded again of just how difficult life can be here and why people will do just about anything in an attempt to improve their daily circumstance. As I stood on the front porch of the church building that was built last August, a little girl and her brother came by me carrying one five gallon bucket and two one gallon jugs full of water (just below the church is a fresh water spring that those in the community use to get water). The little girl was climbing the mountain (it is very steep) with the bucket balanced on her head and the little boy was carrying the two one gallon jugs. I don't think the little girl was more than 5 years old and her brother could not have been 3 and here they were carrying the water up the mountain to their house. I was overcome with emotion as I watched them expertly traverse the side of a steep mountain with no shoes on with what was more than likely the family's daily water supply. Life here can be very difficult and I am so grateful that God has seen fit to allow Lori and I the chance to lighten that difficulty, if even for a moment. I was reminded again of how incredibly fortunate we are that the basic necessities of life like water and food and shelter and clothing are never an issue for us. I was also reminded of the blessing that it would be to live so simply. This little girl and little boy were not complaining or frowning or whining at all. As a matter of fact it was just the opposite. Even though their work (at 5 years old and younger) was more difficult than most of us in over the mountain Birmingham will ever experience, they appeared content and happy. They talked and laughed their way up that mountain. It was as if they understood that getting this water home was just part of life and they didn't feel like the world owed them something to make up for their misfortune in life. It really was an incredible and surreal scene.
Well, time for bed...see you soon.
My trip to San Miguel was a little overwhelming today. Sometimes it seems like I become a little cold and calloused to the plight of the poor here. I get pretty bombarded with sad story after sad story by men and women who would like us to help them with a house or food or clothing or money or all of the above and I become quite cynical as I know that some of the stories are a total fabrication just to take advantage of the rich Gringos. Today I was remonded again of just how difficult life can be here and why people will do just about anything in an attempt to improve their daily circumstance. As I stood on the front porch of the church building that was built last August, a little girl and her brother came by me carrying one five gallon bucket and two one gallon jugs full of water (just below the church is a fresh water spring that those in the community use to get water). The little girl was climbing the mountain (it is very steep) with the bucket balanced on her head and the little boy was carrying the two one gallon jugs. I don't think the little girl was more than 5 years old and her brother could not have been 3 and here they were carrying the water up the mountain to their house. I was overcome with emotion as I watched them expertly traverse the side of a steep mountain with no shoes on with what was more than likely the family's daily water supply. Life here can be very difficult and I am so grateful that God has seen fit to allow Lori and I the chance to lighten that difficulty, if even for a moment. I was reminded again of how incredibly fortunate we are that the basic necessities of life like water and food and shelter and clothing are never an issue for us. I was also reminded of the blessing that it would be to live so simply. This little girl and little boy were not complaining or frowning or whining at all. As a matter of fact it was just the opposite. Even though their work (at 5 years old and younger) was more difficult than most of us in over the mountain Birmingham will ever experience, they appeared content and happy. They talked and laughed their way up that mountain. It was as if they understood that getting this water home was just part of life and they didn't feel like the world owed them something to make up for their misfortune in life. It really was an incredible and surreal scene.
Well, time for bed...see you soon.
posted by Mark at 12:52 AM
1 Comments:
Hey...good post!
How do you discern through who you are building houses for? Which ones need it the most?
Lori and I were in a cross-generational small group last night..discussing "Shades of Grey" by Billy Joel. Cool discussion.
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