We now have what is called a Tinako, a
large water tank out beside our house. That means that we get
showers and running water not a lot, but sufficient – anytime we
want! It was a little difficult before, since the water only comes
and goes for the community connection at random times, sometimes
every night, sometimes one evening in the week. Terrible thing to
plan a shower in the morning and get stuck with a sponge bath. The
good part though was if you heated water on the stove for a sponge
bath, at least it was going to be warm – and you knew how much you
had, so you wouldn't just have it stop in the middle of showering!
Elder Spradlin also created us a new toilet paper holder to celebrate
and it is quite impressive!
Our wonderful neighbors have now had
the first discussion with the elders and we are so excited for them.
They have a pastry cookbook and so we are going to make an apple pie
together from it, funny when that was what they chose, and that we
are doing it on the 4th of July!
When we worked with the missionaries
last week on English we noticed there was a problem with some of them
making it to their meetings on time, so this week I took a dessert
with me and anyone that was there on time got some. Inspiration! I
challenged them to memorize a verse in English and be there on time
for next week, and told them I would again have treats. We will see
if our Elders who were late today decide to get there earlier next
week. We stopped on the way back home for a haircut for Elder
Spradlin, about 75 cents, the barber asked about English lessons and
we invited him to attend the class next week for the missionaries.
He says he will be there, so maybe it will not be just English, but
introducing this great guy to our missionaries.
We went out and spent one afternoon
playing with the children from Seamay, stopped in a couple of homes
that had a lot of children outside, and then on the streets,
stringing beads and making necklaces, singing and playing games.
Probably one of the funnest parts of serving a mission here is
playing with children and families! The hardest part is when we feel
totally incapable of helping make a change or a difference for their
future. Ideas are needed here for how to rise above the poverty, how
to improve living standards for the people in a permanent way. There
is too much acceptance by people of things, just being the way they
are, no vision of a different tomorrow, so no idea on how to create a
better life. Once they have the ideas they need to watch them in
action and we need people who make a long-term commitment to
progress. We have met some people here who have that vision, I just
hope many others will join them and they will find success and a
willingness to open their minds to new ideas and progress.
My friend who works at the Centro de
Salud, kind of like a small hospital for the community here, is now
working in the kitchen. For the last two days she told me she has
had nothing to do, they ran out of gas for cooking because the
municipality did not pay for the gas, so they have been telling all
of the patients they would have to get their food elsewhere. So she
goes to work and sits there. The laundry there has a washing
machine, but their dryer burned out. Since it is very rainy and
cloudy now it is hard for them to do patients bedding, but then they
do not have enough to start with. I can't imagine a small clinic in
the US with some of these problems. Our heart has broken for the 5
year old little boy in one of the outlying communities that was
diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma by the American Doctors who were
here. It is a treatable form of cancer but he will most likely die
from it, due to the runaround given by the doctors and administrators
here. The treatment in the capitol would be free, but he and someone
from his family would have to get to the capitol, and then have a
place to stay and food. Issues that are insurmountable here in the
Polochic Too many children die here from lack of proper medical
care.
Lots of rain and cloudy skies this
season, makes the internet connections very slow – so if you don't
hear from us, we are still alive and doing well. There is a much
brighter future, it is just playing peek-a-boo still!
