ok, it has really been an interesting, compelling, sad, thrilling, encouraging, depressing, unbelievable last few days. we have used my truck as a hearse, attended a baby's funeral, been
"arrested", spent a day at hospital esquela, built a house with a 50 foot drop off the front, and rescued a truck from flooding waters.
saturday morning we received a call from mariano, the oldest brother of six children who have no father and lost their mother to cancer almost three years ago. melvin's family for those who know melvin. mirna, the eldest sister, 19, had given birth to a baby on the 18th and the baby had thursday. he wanted us to know about the funeral saturday at 3:00. we got to their home in mololoa about 2:15 and there on the table was a handmade casket with the baby. mariano asked if i could transport the baby and a few members of the family to the cemetary. mirna was in pretty bad shape physically (from the birth) so she rode with me also. the others who came to the funeral, including lori, walked just behind the truck in a makeshift procession to the cemetary about 2 miles away. at the gravesite someone had already dug a place to bury the baby.... on top of the mother's (the baby's grandmother) casket in the same grave! they then removed the lid of the baby's casket (it was really a box made from half inch plywood) so mirna and others could say goodbye. the lid was then nailed in place and the box was put in the grave. a few of us there took turns filling the grave with dirt and the flowers that had been brought were planted. Mariano then took some white paint and with his finger painted the baby's name (marlon bonegas) on the backside of his mother's 2" lead pipe cross. i led us all in prayer, in broken spanish no less, and after a couple of minutes we headed back the their home.
as we were leaving a few of the kids were riding on the outside of my truck. we were going less than 5 miles per hour and i didn't think much of it. just a couple of minutes up the road a police truck with fur cops in it decided he didn't like the kids riding there and stopped me asking to see license and registration. he took them and told me to follow him to the local police station, which was just a couple minutes down the road. i followed him in the station and there were about 10 cops inside. one of them pulled me aside and told me i would have to spend 2-4 hours in jail to cover the ticket i was going to receive. of course i told him the story of what had happened and he said i would have to speak to the boss. he then asked me to sit down and he and another officer went into another room. when they came out the other officer took me aside and asked me "how much do you have?" now we were getting to the root of the situation. this was about money. they wanted me to pay them. not a fine that would go to the city, but them. 180 limps later, 10 bucks, i was free to leave.
the next morning, sunday, mariano calls again and says that mirna needed to go to the hospital. i had a problem starting the truck late saturday and early sunday (turned out to be a bad alternator) so i had to jump start it by popping the clutch and lori and i went to pick her up. we ended up spending about 7 hours at the hospital. they finally admitted her for tests that afternoon.
today we built another home in a community called los pinos. while there someone broke into my truck and stole my ipod. sort of rubs you wrong when someone takes something from you when they know you are there to meet the needs of someone in their community. maybe it will turn up but i'm not counting on it.
tomorrow the group leaves to go home. the next one arrives thursday, friday, and saturday. this one includes friends from b'ham, louisville, little rock, miami, and new england. about 60 all together. should be another eventful couple of weeks. i'll do my best to keep you posted.
"arrested", spent a day at hospital esquela, built a house with a 50 foot drop off the front, and rescued a truck from flooding waters.
saturday morning we received a call from mariano, the oldest brother of six children who have no father and lost their mother to cancer almost three years ago. melvin's family for those who know melvin. mirna, the eldest sister, 19, had given birth to a baby on the 18th and the baby had thursday. he wanted us to know about the funeral saturday at 3:00. we got to their home in mololoa about 2:15 and there on the table was a handmade casket with the baby. mariano asked if i could transport the baby and a few members of the family to the cemetary. mirna was in pretty bad shape physically (from the birth) so she rode with me also. the others who came to the funeral, including lori, walked just behind the truck in a makeshift procession to the cemetary about 2 miles away. at the gravesite someone had already dug a place to bury the baby.... on top of the mother's (the baby's grandmother) casket in the same grave! they then removed the lid of the baby's casket (it was really a box made from half inch plywood) so mirna and others could say goodbye. the lid was then nailed in place and the box was put in the grave. a few of us there took turns filling the grave with dirt and the flowers that had been brought were planted. Mariano then took some white paint and with his finger painted the baby's name (marlon bonegas) on the backside of his mother's 2" lead pipe cross. i led us all in prayer, in broken spanish no less, and after a couple of minutes we headed back the their home.
as we were leaving a few of the kids were riding on the outside of my truck. we were going less than 5 miles per hour and i didn't think much of it. just a couple of minutes up the road a police truck with fur cops in it decided he didn't like the kids riding there and stopped me asking to see license and registration. he took them and told me to follow him to the local police station, which was just a couple minutes down the road. i followed him in the station and there were about 10 cops inside. one of them pulled me aside and told me i would have to spend 2-4 hours in jail to cover the ticket i was going to receive. of course i told him the story of what had happened and he said i would have to speak to the boss. he then asked me to sit down and he and another officer went into another room. when they came out the other officer took me aside and asked me "how much do you have?" now we were getting to the root of the situation. this was about money. they wanted me to pay them. not a fine that would go to the city, but them. 180 limps later, 10 bucks, i was free to leave.
the next morning, sunday, mariano calls again and says that mirna needed to go to the hospital. i had a problem starting the truck late saturday and early sunday (turned out to be a bad alternator) so i had to jump start it by popping the clutch and lori and i went to pick her up. we ended up spending about 7 hours at the hospital. they finally admitted her for tests that afternoon.
today we built another home in a community called los pinos. while there someone broke into my truck and stole my ipod. sort of rubs you wrong when someone takes something from you when they know you are there to meet the needs of someone in their community. maybe it will turn up but i'm not counting on it.
tomorrow the group leaves to go home. the next one arrives thursday, friday, and saturday. this one includes friends from b'ham, louisville, little rock, miami, and new england. about 60 all together. should be another eventful couple of weeks. i'll do my best to keep you posted.
posted by Mark at 11:02 PM
1 Comments:
Ok - in light of the entire post - there is humor as always - Squirt - you never cease to amaze me - I love you!!! Keep up the awesome work you are doing - my heart went out to you all as you struggled through this time!!
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