Tough days and family times

Written yesterday, posted today...

The week before last ended sort of roughly. I had an emotionally Thursday full of bumps and bruises - we had communication and organization issues, nothing went as planned, and I was totally forgotten and left behind at one point. I took a couple of ladies from the mission group with me to visit the paralyzed patient in Corinto with Dr. Christian and then to Dr. Christian's charla in Santa Matilde. We ended up with two trips to Corinto (the patient was out working the first time, which is actually pretty amazing), a trip to Betania to do some tiny cosmetic operations on two of the interns (Brittany's dad was visiting, and he's a plastic surgeon), and a visit to Santa Matilde. Lots of driving, lots of exhaustion, lots of emotional stress from being left behind when the group left for Betania.

But I learned a lot that day about myself, my insecurities, and depending on the Lord for strength and miracles. We had a really touching experience praying for the patient in Corinto, and I made a really close friend and mentor that day in one of the women, Elizabeth. I was in tears when she left on Saturday, but I know I'll keep in touch with her and visit her when I get back to Atlanta.

This past week was the best yet because my dad was here! And he and the rest of the Sugarloaf UMC group impressed and entertained me all week long. On Sunday, we climbed Cerro Negro. I was convinced that my dad would choose to go the easier way, but I totally underestimated him. Jeff, Tom, Maureen, one of the long-termers (Scott), my dad and I ended up going up the medium (or "harder") way. And everyone in our little group conquered that volcano. It was a huge challenge, and it was such a special thing for me to get to share with my dad. I always think of my dad as a strong and talented man, but this was a whole new facet of him that I had never really gotten to see before.

On Monday, I experienced going to the dump at El Limonal with him and the rest of the Sugarloaf UMC group. I got to go with him to Villa Catalina, see Wilfredo's house and family again, and introduce him to the family that hosted me for a night. I then went home to prepare for my charla on iron that I would be doing the next day.

I really enjoyed my charla last week, and I was so excited to bring my dad and Sharon. I talked about the importance of iron in your diet and how to get more iron in your diet, and I also passed out tortillas that I had made with parsley (which is a great source of iron, if you didn't know that already). It turned into a great time to chat with my favorite ladies of El Chonco and introduce them all to my father. I love those ladies, and I love that I got to share them with someone who is so important in my life. After my charla, we got to go to Alex's party to celebrate the end of her fitness class. We had a great time dancing with the ladies and the kids, but it was so sad to see Alex leave for the states the next day. She is such a beautiful member of our little intern family, and it was really hard to say goodbye.

Wednesday was a really special day for a lot of reasons. My dad, Rick, Wilfredo and I went on an adventure to Santa Matilde to find and meet the boy that Rick sponsors. We thought we would be looking for him for at least an hour because Santa Matilde has over 300 families. But God clearly had his hands all over that day because Rick's sponsor kid was standing about twenty feet away from the spot where we got out of the taxi. We got to meet his grandmother, his two brothers, and his mom. We even got to visit the church and hear him sing the Spanish version of "Here I am to Worship" with one of his friends. Of course, my dad and I couldn't resist getting up there and singing the English version right afterward.

It was a great morning, and to make it even better, we followed it with lunch at Tip Top (which is basically fast food fried chicken, so I went and got a salad at Subway) and an afternoon at the pool with Sharon and Steve! They stayed at Hotel Los Volcanes, which is only about ten minutes from the Amigos house. I had an incredible time relaxing at the pool with the SUMC folks, eating some yummy appetizers, and taking a hot shower (thanks again Sharon and Steve :) ).

On Thursday, the interns said goodbye to two more beloved members of our intern family - Courtney and Christian. But I know I'll see them back in Atlanta in the fall, and I already can't wait!

Thursday morning was a busy day of digging. The group finished up the last bit of work on the main line of the water system in El Chonco! It was a hugely exciting day, and it means that this week, we will be able to turn on the water in El Chonco for the first time!!! After lunch, though my dad was anxious to head back to work digging trenches to lay pipe leading up to people's houses, I dragged my dad to the home of my friend Ana. After my charla on Tuesday, she promised me a Thursday cooking lesson.

Ana showed me how to make sopa de guajada, and it was undoubtedly one of the best things I've eaten all summer. You first mix corn flour and water to make a dough. Then you mix in chiltoma (green pepper), onions, some kind of spice that might have been cumin, crumbled up guajada cheese, and one egg. You make little patties out of that and fry them, but you leave some of the mix aside to make the soup. You add water to the left over mix, boil it, at salt to taste, and then throw in the fried patties. It sounds sort of weird and different, but I promise you that it was delicious. And best of all, it was gluten free!

I thought that maybe Ana would just give us a taste of what she was making, but she sat us down in her house for a full meal. She even set up her fan to cool us off while we ate. She didn't really have a dining table, so she put us at the table where she prepared the food. I wish more than anything that we could build Ana a new kitchen like the one Amigos is working on for her neighbor, Lucia. She is so generous and loving, and if anyone deserves a dining table where her family can enjoy a meal together, it is this beautiful woman.

We thanked Ana profusely and left to meet up with the group. We had the usual hour or so to play with the kids before piling onto the bus. Just before we headed out, Ana's little daughter, Sarai, came running up with yet more food for me! She gave me the biggest corn tortilla I'd ever seen in my life and some kind of delicious jam. I just couldn't believe the generosity and friendship that Ana had shown to me that day. It made me reflect on all of the things I guard and keep to myself. How important are material possessions really, and how much more joy could I get out of sharing them? Ana taught me so much more that day than how to make soup, and I will always be thankful for that.

Friday was a morning of work at Villa Catalina for the group (I took that time to enjoy my first couple of hours of office time in weeks) and an evening at the beach. It was really great to hang out with my dad on the bus ride and then chill at the beach with the Sugarloaf guys, Maureen, Charlotte, and Sandy (three of the ladies in the mission group).

It was hard to say goodbye to my dad and SUMC the next morning, but I was really glad that they all came down. It was definitely a week that I won't forget.