Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Feb 21
Our last day here. The team took time to reflect on our time here. We have all be touched by the kids, the needs of Pan de Vida, the extreme poverty of Mexico (we saw a great deal yesterday) and our time to grow from each other. Everyone is healthy again for our trip home tomorrow.
At church the team sang 2 songs. Rebecca and Sammy did a duet with guitar and flute. After lunch we will be playing volleyball, soccer and basketball with the kids. At 3:30 we will be going to the boys home for more interaction and supper.
It will be a difficult day saying goodbye to all the kids but we know that they are in a safe place that is looking after their needs thanks to all the generous sponsors including those that helped support myself. I can't express the impact your contributions are/will have on these children. Kids that have been abandon, abused, neglected now have a place they call home. A place that provides them with structure, education, hope and love. I can see why it's difficult for some to leave Pan de Vida when they reach legal age.
This concludes my blog. I have had a tremendous time of reflection, grounding and growth. I will return with a whole different perspective. If anyone wishes more details on my experience or what is happening in Mexico, I'd be happy to share with you when I'm back in Canada.
Greg
At church the team sang 2 songs. Rebecca and Sammy did a duet with guitar and flute. After lunch we will be playing volleyball, soccer and basketball with the kids. At 3:30 we will be going to the boys home for more interaction and supper.
It will be a difficult day saying goodbye to all the kids but we know that they are in a safe place that is looking after their needs thanks to all the generous sponsors including those that helped support myself. I can't express the impact your contributions are/will have on these children. Kids that have been abandon, abused, neglected now have a place they call home. A place that provides them with structure, education, hope and love. I can see why it's difficult for some to leave Pan de Vida when they reach legal age.
This concludes my blog. I have had a tremendous time of reflection, grounding and growth. I will return with a whole different perspective. If anyone wishes more details on my experience or what is happening in Mexico, I'd be happy to share with you when I'm back in Canada.
Greg
Feb 20
Today is a better day. Dave is getting his voice back. All the sick people are back on their feet and no new outbreaks. My finger continues to heal slowly.
After breakfast we helped the kids do their chores (sweeping, etc) while other's played soccer. One of the workers is getting married in the gym/chapel today.
As our major work was done, we took the opportunity to go sightseeing. We went to a town called Guanjuata. The town is built in a steep valley with most roads tunneled below the buildings. It reminded me of old Quebec City with is buildings and walkways. The town holds international music and film festivals. It was a real treat to see.
After breakfast we helped the kids do their chores (sweeping, etc) while other's played soccer. One of the workers is getting married in the gym/chapel today.
As our major work was done, we took the opportunity to go sightseeing. We went to a town called Guanjuata. The town is built in a steep valley with most roads tunneled below the buildings. It reminded me of old Quebec City with is buildings and walkways. The town holds international music and film festivals. It was a real treat to see.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Feb 19 - Updated
I'll start the daily post while I have internet access. Heather N left for home today. A bunch of us were up early to see her off. The day started with rain and 3 degrees. By 10:00 the sun came out we hope to hit 20. Janet and Rachel were hit by the bug today. I taped my fingers together so I can continue to work. The middle finger is nice and blue this morning.
Larry finished off the electrical work. A team continued to work on shelving led by carpenter John. The painting team finished painting the courtyard of the girls dorm and started around the back side. The rest interacted with the kids participating in classes. At recess some of us played football and volleyball while others just interacted on the grounds. What a great experience.
I'll finished this day later.
Update:
We worked late into the evening to finish all the work. A team laid 2 truck loads of paving stones. The painting team finished all but the back wall of the girls dorms. While we were waiting for the second load of stones the team had a chance to help the kids with homework. Also a volunteer barber from town came in to give haircuts. There was lots of fun when Reg lined up for hair cut. The barber lifted his hat and noticed that Reg shaves his head. All the kids had a great laugh.
I had the pleasure of meeting a simple need today. On Wednesday, the kids struggled loading the donation truck in the dark. They had a rechargeable flashlight that is worn out. Many chores are started before sun rise or finished after sun set. I brought an LED flashlight and pack of batteries. I decided to pass this to Mary K who is one of the older girls and a leader among the kids. Her face light up at the sight and all the kids around were very excited to see that they had a flashlight.
As a treat we went for hamburgers not to far from here for supper. It was a long day finishing all our major work. We are very please with all that was accomplished and the opportunity to show our love to the kids by our interactions at the same time.
Only 1 injury today. Larry had a collision when his wheelbarrow was struck by another. His wrist and arm are swelled. He is sore but able to keep working. No new cases of flu today.
Larry finished off the electrical work. A team continued to work on shelving led by carpenter John. The painting team finished painting the courtyard of the girls dorm and started around the back side. The rest interacted with the kids participating in classes. At recess some of us played football and volleyball while others just interacted on the grounds. What a great experience.
I'll finished this day later.
Update:
We worked late into the evening to finish all the work. A team laid 2 truck loads of paving stones. The painting team finished all but the back wall of the girls dorms. While we were waiting for the second load of stones the team had a chance to help the kids with homework. Also a volunteer barber from town came in to give haircuts. There was lots of fun when Reg lined up for hair cut. The barber lifted his hat and noticed that Reg shaves his head. All the kids had a great laugh.
I had the pleasure of meeting a simple need today. On Wednesday, the kids struggled loading the donation truck in the dark. They had a rechargeable flashlight that is worn out. Many chores are started before sun rise or finished after sun set. I brought an LED flashlight and pack of batteries. I decided to pass this to Mary K who is one of the older girls and a leader among the kids. Her face light up at the sight and all the kids around were very excited to see that they had a flashlight.
As a treat we went for hamburgers not to far from here for supper. It was a long day finishing all our major work. We are very please with all that was accomplished and the opportunity to show our love to the kids by our interactions at the same time.
Only 1 injury today. Larry had a collision when his wheelbarrow was struck by another. His wrist and arm are swelled. He is sore but able to keep working. No new cases of flu today.
Feb 18
The rains and cold weather continue. Yesterday we didn't hit 10 degrees and this morning we started at 3. Normally this is the dry season so this is very unusual. Quite a few team member slept right into 8:00 breakfast. The work and activities have finally caught up with us.
We received another batch of paving stones which a team quickly laid. There is too much mud to work on the pit. A team fixed the pump and the rest went back to painting the girls dorm or working on shelving. We got most of the courtyard painted today.
At recess we played hockey again. I was holding the stick in 1 hand when it got hit by a slap shot. The impact twisted it in my hand and I sprained 3 fingers. The middle one the worst. It's swollen badly and a light shade of blue. Reg pulled his back playing football yesterday so is limited today.
Tonight we had a church service. A few of our team did a card board testimony for the kids. A worker here help translate the words for us. It was really cool. After the service we treated the kids to party (pizza, pop, cheesees and pretzels). All the kids had a great time and we had an even better time serving and interacting with the kids. After we cleaned up I went to say good night to the young boys. There was a boy (about 5 or 6) that was sitting by himself crying. I sat with him and tried to figure out what was the matter. From what I could tell he either didn't get pizza or an extra slice. I could tell he was hungry, shy and a bit intimidated by the other boys. I think he might be the older brother that came in last week with the 4 year old I mentioned earlier. He was so sad that I ran back to the worker dorm and grabbed a cereal bar that I had brought. After eating about half he started to come around. It must be so hard for these kids to be all alone and having to survive even in an environment that protects them like Pan de Vida. They come from such horrific backgrounds with emotional scares.
After diner we had our usual devotionals and testimonies. We continue to grow together in our studies and sharing. The world is a small place and many of us can relate to the many trials and tribulations of each others journey. We are truly bonding as a team, supporting and encouraging each other. What was said at the beginning is truly coming to life. This trip is really to interact and support the kids first, grow personally and as a team second and lastly to work. I can't begin to express the perspective this has awakened in me on our purpose in life and the master plan God has for us.
Dave is starting to catch this cold.
We received another batch of paving stones which a team quickly laid. There is too much mud to work on the pit. A team fixed the pump and the rest went back to painting the girls dorm or working on shelving. We got most of the courtyard painted today.
At recess we played hockey again. I was holding the stick in 1 hand when it got hit by a slap shot. The impact twisted it in my hand and I sprained 3 fingers. The middle one the worst. It's swollen badly and a light shade of blue. Reg pulled his back playing football yesterday so is limited today.
Tonight we had a church service. A few of our team did a card board testimony for the kids. A worker here help translate the words for us. It was really cool. After the service we treated the kids to party (pizza, pop, cheesees and pretzels). All the kids had a great time and we had an even better time serving and interacting with the kids. After we cleaned up I went to say good night to the young boys. There was a boy (about 5 or 6) that was sitting by himself crying. I sat with him and tried to figure out what was the matter. From what I could tell he either didn't get pizza or an extra slice. I could tell he was hungry, shy and a bit intimidated by the other boys. I think he might be the older brother that came in last week with the 4 year old I mentioned earlier. He was so sad that I ran back to the worker dorm and grabbed a cereal bar that I had brought. After eating about half he started to come around. It must be so hard for these kids to be all alone and having to survive even in an environment that protects them like Pan de Vida. They come from such horrific backgrounds with emotional scares.
After diner we had our usual devotionals and testimonies. We continue to grow together in our studies and sharing. The world is a small place and many of us can relate to the many trials and tribulations of each others journey. We are truly bonding as a team, supporting and encouraging each other. What was said at the beginning is truly coming to life. This trip is really to interact and support the kids first, grow personally and as a team second and lastly to work. I can't begin to express the perspective this has awakened in me on our purpose in life and the master plan God has for us.
Dave is starting to catch this cold.
Feb 17
The most humbling day of my trip so far. Heather H, John G, Reg, Gerrid and myself rose at 6:00 to join the kids trip to the market to beg for food. The 5 of us plus 4 girls piled into the back of the 3 ton truck along with empty crates. First we stopped in Los Angeles to pick up 5 boys and the off to the market across town. The market is about 6 square blocks of wholesale vendors (mostly produce). I was amazed at the quantity of everything from onions to oranges. Upon arriving we broke into teams. Heather H and I went with 2 girls and 3 boys. The girls would go ahead of us asking the vendors for donations. They passed several vendor that they know from experience will not provide any support. I was shocked by all the vendors that said no when there was so much to offer. A few vendors provided good produce (50 pound bag of carrots) but most provide the over ripe goods. At one stop a vendor provide lots of fruit and vegetables. The girls immediately starting sorting. We ended up with 5 crates of good produce and 2 crates of rotten which we left. The girls were amazing. I fought back tears many times as I watched these kids get turned down or be given discards. We spent from 7:30 to 10:00 begging. Then it was back on the truck as the kids needed to get to school. Needless to say the trip back was a lot tighter than the trip there. We ended up with about 40 crates full of produce. On our way home we stopped for donations of chickens (about 12) and huge bag of pork rinds (deep fried). In Mexico they make a rice soup and add in the pork rinds. When we got back we helped off load the truck before heading off to work.
The rain started around 9:00 and didn't stop all day. One team finished off laying the floor foundation in the hole while another continued laying a retaining wall. A team staeted building shelves in the boys dorm. I went back to painting the girls dorm. The painting team had moved into the court yard where we had shelter from the rain. For recess we played floor hockey in the gym with the kids.
Everyone was exhausted by the end of the day. After diner a few of the team went to a small town near hear to see the sites. Unfortunately due to the rain most of the outdoor activites were shut down.
Another 2 people down today (Heather R and Peggy) plus John G and I are fighting a cold. The septic pump is losing it's prime again. Ira will be up all night trying to keep it going so that the temporary tank doesn't overflow. I went to bed right after devotional as I am catching a cold. Unfortunately something went wrong with my laptop overnight and I can't break through the firewall. We will have to use the office connection tomorrow.
The rain started around 9:00 and didn't stop all day. One team finished off laying the floor foundation in the hole while another continued laying a retaining wall. A team staeted building shelves in the boys dorm. I went back to painting the girls dorm. The painting team had moved into the court yard where we had shelter from the rain. For recess we played floor hockey in the gym with the kids.
Everyone was exhausted by the end of the day. After diner a few of the team went to a small town near hear to see the sites. Unfortunately due to the rain most of the outdoor activites were shut down.
Another 2 people down today (Heather R and Peggy) plus John G and I are fighting a cold. The septic pump is losing it's prime again. Ira will be up all night trying to keep it going so that the temporary tank doesn't overflow. I went to bed right after devotional as I am catching a cold. Unfortunately something went wrong with my laptop overnight and I can't break through the firewall. We will have to use the office connection tomorrow.
Feb 16
The day started with a light sprinkle of rain and clouds. After breakfast we went to work. We ran out of paving stones Monday. The paving stones are made to order in Mexico so we had to wait for another batch to dry before they could be delivered so no laying stones today. The hi-hoe came in to dig the hole for the new sistern. After the hole was dug out a team started to fill in the foundation for the floor. Unfortunately they only had 1 truck load of material to work with. The remainder of the team continued painting the girls dorm. We finished 2 sides. Great progress by all. As usually we broke at recess to play and interact with the kids.
A few of the team members are fighting bugs which is running it's course. First Marie, then Bob.
The rains started at 4:00. We are expecting 2 full days of rain. We were to visit the boys but due to the rain it didn't work out. In stead we met the senior girls in the dining hall for a bible study from the "Purpose Driven Life" and songs. The session was led by Brenda one of the girls with Bobbie helping to translate. It was so wonderful to interact with the senior girls in a close setting.
A few of the team members are fighting bugs which is running it's course. First Marie, then Bob.
The rains started at 4:00. We are expecting 2 full days of rain. We were to visit the boys but due to the rain it didn't work out. In stead we met the senior girls in the dining hall for a bible study from the "Purpose Driven Life" and songs. The session was led by Brenda one of the girls with Bobbie helping to translate. It was so wonderful to interact with the senior girls in a close setting.
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