Day 5 -- A Different Sort of Day

As you know, I had a rough night last night.  My dreams (about that stupid horse being the headless horseman -- LOL -- and about whether I have the right clothes for this part of my trip) clouded my morning thoughts.  I woke up feeling less energetic than in days past, but I hopped in the shower determined to make a go of a great day.

As I headed off to morning coffee, the blanket of thick fog began to lift and I started to see some blue sky.  By the end of the morning meeting, the skies were completely blue and it was time to change into shorts.  I came back to my room to update my blog with the events of last night.

Around 12:15 this afternoon, a group of us headed to the house in the village that the group from New Orleans built.  Apparently a group of New Orleans' folk came here in July to begin the build.  Two of the original crew and about 10 more came back to finish the build.  The house is now complete.  It is for a family of 5 who were previously living in a 10'x8' building.  You can't even really call the old place a house.  It was more like a shed, with an outdoor bathroom like the olden days' outhouses, except there was no door with a half moon.  Instead, there was a fabric curtain.  Now these people have a beautiful new 3 bedroom, one bath house.  Before you go thinking that it sounds like a lot, let me tell you that the entire structure is only 20'x30'.  HOWEVER, to this family it feels like a McMansion.  It has indoor plumbing, which is HUGE!  It has a kitchen that they can actually cook in!  These people are so grateful that it's not even funny.  What's even more incredible is that it brought the family back together in a way.  The woman for whom the house was built hadn't spoken to her father in a decade.  Her father said he'd given up on her.  When he saw the generosity and kindness of perfect strangers, he decided that if they could have faith in her, so could he.  They are now speaking again, and with God's grace, it will continue that way.

So, we went to the new house today for a dedication ceremony to bless the house and offer a prayer for the family who will reside there.  The pastor of the church of the visiting volunteers said a wonderful prayer, and it was actually one of their own congregation that was able to translate it for the Mexican family.  It was so touching.  I cried during the prayer.  I cried during the family's words of thanks and praise.  I just cried tears of happiness at God's love...and I didn't even build the house!!!!

This is the daughter of the family.  She was so adorable with her puppy.  As you can see, the puppy enjoyed the painting process a little too much!  :)  You may notice that there is one of the volunteers from New Orleans in the background holding the family's other dog, a very sweet dachshund mix.

The family was so grateful that they had snacks and coffee and tea waiting for all the volunteers (and those of us at DoFo too).  They insisted on all of us partaking.  I felt that it would be rude not to have anything, so I opted for a cup of tea.  I can honestly and whole-heartedly say that I am fairly certain that tea has never tasted so good.  It's like all the love and thanks being celebrated today went into one little cup of tea.  Delicioso!

DoFo hosts groups coming from all over that come here to build homes for the poor every year.  One of the volunteers here estimates that there are about 20 homes built each year!! That's astounding, particularly when you consider all the other ministry and outreach work that DoFo and its volunteers do.  I understand that all of the homes are the same size, but that each group gets to choose their layout and materials.  Thus, each home is a bit unique.

During this trip to the village, I was able to see how the townsfolk really live.  It is clear that some people have more money than others.  It is clear that some people are lucky to have a roof over their head.  The homes are built into the steep hillsides of this valley.  When I say steep, I mean STEEP!  It's a wonder to me that the houses remain standing, particularly in this earthquake-prone region.  As I surveyed my surroundings, I looked up to see a horse, corralled in an enclosure about halfway up the steep hill upon which the new home had been erected.  This lone brown horse looked as if they'd had to lower him into his corral via helicopter; perhaps he was delivered by a stork when he was just a wee one.  Who knows.  All I know for sure is that the first and only thought upon seeing this horse was, "how does he get down?"  I'm told that he uses the stairs.  Huh?  You've got to be joking.  A horse that uses the stairs?  Well, folks, it's apparently true.  To make this whole story even a little more surreal, the horse has a neighbor.  His neighbor is an ostrich.  Yep.  A big, black ostrich.  I suppose he uses the stairs too?  Oy.

After the dedication ceremony, I was feeling a little out of sorts and decided to come back to my room and work on my book, rather than get frustrated by my inability to effectively communicate with the children.  So, I wrote and wrote and wrote.  It was good therapy.  Frankly, writing this blog each day is good therapy too.

After a while, I needed some water so I walked to the kitchen to fill up my water bottle.  On my way back, I encountered Julie and Daniel.  Julie saw me and came running up to me with her arms outstretched, screaming, "AMIGA!!!"  OMG.  My heart melted.  The heart that I'd shut off for a while after last night started to return.  It feels so good to be loved.  In my opinion, there are pretty much only two kinds of God's creation that will give you unconditional love like that: a child and an animal.  After Julie got her hug, Daniel got his.  Both ran off immediately thereafter with huge smiles on their faces.

Notwithstanding the hugs, I came back to write some more, still feeling a little out of sorts.  I think I feel a little lost.  I'm not a regular volunteer (whose terms are 6 months+) and I'm not a visiting volunteer (whose time here is a week or less).  I'm somewhere in the middle and I don't really know where I fit.  I'd imagine that this must be like what a middle child feels like part of the time.  I've never known this feeling.  I don't want to overstep my bounds and act like an official volunteer, but I don't want to be a wall flower either.  I've asked God for some strength and guidance on this one.  I suppose it wouldn't hurt if you said a prayer for me too.  And not that I want to talk about it, but say a prayer for poor little Raúl who lost his puppy (Lucky) today (and you might as well add my little broken heart in on that one).

Before I could get too caught up in my feeling of middledom (that's not a word, but I don't care) and sorrow over Lucky, it was dinner time.  A group of us went into town tonight for dinner.  Actually, we went past La Mision and to Rosarito to a Mexican restaurant that one of the volunteers absolutely loves.  I can understand why.  So good!Fresh salsa made right at the table!  Dinner was great and it was nice to have some bonding time with the other volunteers.  It certainly made me feel like less of an outsider.

Tomorrow all the kids are in a parade for Mexican independent day.  I can't wait!  I'll be sure to get lots of pictures.  Also, there is a rodeo in town that we will go to.  Should be a fun-filled day!  Until then, hasta luego mi amigos!