This is why we are here...

Not every day (or week) of mission work is fun.  Some days you need a break... you want to check-out and be back at home.  You want the liberty of driving your own car or the security of eating at a favorite restaurant.  Yesterday we were feeling a bit sick, lazy and lacking in motivation.  Days or weeks like this always end in a good way... you always get a spiritual lift.

Yesterday we overcame the temptation to play the "it's raining" card (which is a wholly valid reason to stay home from our visit debajo del puente as the mud gets really bad).  Like many days, we went to visit the bario with no real plan as to who or where we would visit.  As soon as we got within view of the neighborhood, the kids ran to us, shouting "Bill,"  "Chelsey," "look...its our professors."  This is an awesome feeling.

Earlier in the day, Chelsey and I had purchased new flip flops for a girl (Pamela) who wears a flip-flop and a half. (The sole of her shoe from the ball of her foot, back is gone from heavy use).  We also had some really pretty hair bows from Amy Morrison (one of Nancy's friends) to pass out.  Pamela was so excited to get her new flip-flops and hair bow.  She followed us around for an hour and explained to every person she passed that she had gotten presents from us.

For the better part of an hour, Chelsey and I played soccer, with a tire and stick and visited with a group of 10 or so kids.  These groups always seem to materialize out of thin air.  There are always a few kids outside.  Then, you see a kid poke their head out from behind their wood house to see what is causing the commotion.  Before you know it, half the bario is there.  One of our fave's from Jardin, Edu (photo left) came prancing down the path solo (he is 4 years old) with a new toy.  Take a close look... know what it is?  If you guessed 'stroller wheel' then you are right.  Kid had never been happier.

In the middle of playing, one of my favorite 4-year olds, Anahi  (above) appeared next to Chelsey.  She lives close to where we had been visiting.  She agreed to take us to her house and so we got to meet her mom.  She also got a hair bow and we let her mom know about the health center.  The visit continued and we found another student's house... Rolando.


Rolando deserves a thorough introduction.  He is 4 years old and has a major attitude.  He only has one functioning arm because the other was broken during childbirth.  Nobody realized his arm was broken and, as he grew, his bone fused in such a way that he has very limited mobility.  This bad arm, however, does not stop him from landing a good punch.  He has learned to adapt and, despite the setback, is one of the more aggressive kids in class.  On two occasions he has gotten so worked up that I have had to pick him up and take him out of class (right).  I got scratched and punched quite a bit in the process but, after a while, he settled down.  I think he is a good kid but, when you grow up in the bario, you learn how to defend yourself.  Eat or be eaten.

Rolando's house is situated off a side alley (think 2 foot wide, dirt path) off the main path (4 foot wide, dirt path).  It is similar to all the other homes in that it is made of ill-fitting wood planks.  There is a crib on the porch and his little sister, Anna Nicole, was in the crib, unattended.  Rolando's mom came out to greet us and, after a couple minutes of talking, Rolando heard us and also came outside.  He had a puppy in hand and his brother (Angel, age 3) followed close by.  At first, Rolando was skeptical... he probably thought we were coming to talk to his mom about his behavior but after a few minutes of visiting he realized he was safe and started playing.  We took pictures and chatted a bit.  That was the entirety of the visit.  We visited a few more houses and headed home for the day.

I walked into class today, again begrudgingly, because we have both been a little under the weather.  I sat down at a table by myself.  Rolando immediately walked over, and positioned himself on my lap.  This is not a 'touchy, feely' kid.  He listened to the teacher and just leaned on my knees, totally content.  After the song was over, Roland walked back to his seat, picked his things up and moved to the seat beside me.  This, too, is an accomplishment because normally Rolando will not ever pick a seat.  He just floats around, starting fights with other kids.

It was time for our breakfast routine.  First, we say prayers, then kids get little towels out that serve as territory marking, place mats.  The kids put their cups on their towel and, occasionally, kids will share a towel with their buddy.  A few minutes afterwards, I got up from the table to serve milk and bread for breakfast, leaving my Jonah and Elliott coffee mug on the table.  I served all the kids and went back to find that Rolando had spread his towel out and moved my coffee mug onto his towel.... the deal was sealed... we are amigos.  The day went on and Rolando was great.  No guarantee he will be good tomorrow (chances are he won't be) but he was good today.

Anyhow, I got to thinking and this is why we are down here.  We are not missionaries in the way you would (or at least, I did) think of missionaries.   To be honest, this country has already been missionized.  The people are way more devout here than they are in the US.  Of those that participated in the census, 89% are catholic, 6.2% are protestant and only 1% do not have a religion.

We do not preach and, often, we don't even talk about God with the people we serve.  We wear a cross on our neck and, beyond that, we help people... simple as that.  We visit, talk with families and enjoy time with our friends. Often it is difficult to know if you are reaching people or if they will even remember you 2 months after you leave.  But then a 4-year old comes to school, talking to his friends about how the prof visited his house.  You can tell the kid is happy and they change their behavior a bit.  All Rolando needed was to know others care about him and that we care about him enough to visit his house with his family.

I think, this is why we are here.