Mission Life is like a box of chocolates

....You never know what you are going to get.
What is so wondrous and adventurous about mission trip to me is the surprising unpredictability. As we were organizing at our church, some of us regulars decided to come back. But then, John from Charlotte and Nina from Asheville joined after seeing us on the UMVIM website. And then, a week before leaving, I told my parents and sisters I was going to El Salvador again and my brother-in-law Terry joined too! He even drove two days from North Dakota to Northern Virginia to fly with us.

So we have an interesting mix of people from Jhenny's 16 year old son Frank to three retirees, from native born Jhenny to Terry & me who can't speak a word of Spanish. Each mission team creates its own identity or personality and this one is no different. Each person brings something to the table -- you just don't know what that "something" is, hence the box of chocolates.

We "understood" we would work on the new school and do lots of masonry again. No, the permits were not approved so we will work on a rural church site and do some drywall hanging & finishing. We met Aroche, the pastor of this new church and some other local crew members. We typically see him (since 2009) as a skilled mason so it was a joy for me to see him preach this time!

We also typically work on masonry buildings in town. This time the church is a steel framed building with corrugated steel outside & drywall inside with large windows. Our very bumpy road (while standing in the back of a truck) is filled with walking people and dogs that don't seem to care about the traffic, full sized school buses, oxen-driven carts, motorcycles and cowboys herding cattle. Oh, and an occasional "stray" horse too.

...You never know....
The first day was a little confusing as we tried to figure out what to do, and it turned out, the local crew was too! But Jhenny translated and after lunch Aroche said I was in charge of the drywall. Bonding between the local crew & our team was special and continued the whole time. We all ended up having a lot of fun together.

When it comes to drywall taping and finishing, John did a great job coaching everyone and it has been showing in our work. Didn't know anything about him before the trip.

...You never know..,
I warned the team beforehand that drywall finishing is like cosmetic surgery ... if done wrong, it is very noticeable and very hard to fix!

Everyone seems to be having a good time. I am especially trilled that Terry came. He is talking to everyone (here & back home), using his skills, and said he quickly changed his perspective on people here. He can share more if he chooses.

...You never know...
On Monday while delivering food around the neighborhood, we met a blind man with a blind son.This is an incredible story but briefly, God used his blindness (he says) to help many other people "see" as he travels to many countries evangelizing. He even had been to Israel (!!) and soon to Peru. Humbling and awe-inspiring don't adequately describe the feeling.

You never know...
One thing that hasn't changed for me is the pre-dawn view of the volcano where I routinely sit & some time journal. It has power lines, walls & metal roofs in the fore, but it works for me as a place to contemplate. I love the simplicity of this life style and always yearn for more when it ends. And yes,, the endless loud traffic and 350 little red taxis right outside our hotel hasn't changed. Also, Marilu's hotel food is as delicious & satisfying as ever. We finished our work and said our usual goodbyes to the crew. We feel the Holy Spirit is driving this all.

...Some times you DO know...
One more day to go. What will it bring?
P.S. In the USA and particularly in our own Prince William County, there has been a lot of "talk" about immigration. I hope our meager efforts can help make life a little bit better here so that, perhaps, people will decide not to risk their lives over a 1000 miles for a better life.Read more