Un Dia en Cielo

Un dia en Cielo…

Today (Wednesday) was a very special! The house is really starting to look like a house and we are coming down to tasks that take a few people (like putting up the trusses for the roof).

We decided to divide and conquer first thing in the morning. One group went on to Matamoros and the job site while the other stopped at the Home Depot for some supplies. Once we were all there, the working was in full swing! There was, of course, more painting and lots and lots of hammering. Today we had to secure the siding to the house at all of the studs and install the windows. We had to put up the trusses for the roof. We also had to start laying the pipes for the plumbing. All of this was done with the usual joy.

What made today so special were the things that happened in between the work. One at a time, a few of the local children starting making their way down the street, probably hearing that we had a soccer ball and candy! They were very excited to play “futbol” with the Americans and more than happy to take the candy off our hands. We chatted with them about their favorite “futbol” teams and school. They were great!

In the afternoon, Krista took us in two groups to “Casa Bethel.” Casa Bethel is commonly called an orphanage, but in reality it is a home for children. The difference being that the children living here have not lost their parents, their parents simply can’t take care of them. Some of them have been removed from their homes and some have been sent there by parents who don’t have the means to raise their own children. Many of the adults who work at Casa Bethel lived there as children. Unfortunately when we went, the children were still in school so we did not get to meet many of the 50-some children who live there. We did get to met Ricardo who is a deaf and mute. He was extremely sweet and very excited to show us his room and dance with Kenny!!

While at Casa Bethel we had some enlightening conversations with Krista about the Mexican culture and immigration issues.

One member of our group pointed out last night that we work hard all day long, but when it’s time to leave the Garza family for the day, we tend to slow down a bit. We are trying to savor every moment we have with them. Even the girls try to slow us down when we start cleaning up. Ashley and Leslie have discovered out cameras and want to take a lot of pictures! I went to get my bag and Leslie had taken it. They are also trying to savor the time we have together. As we prepare for our last day with the Garza family, we struggle with how to leave them. We can’t just pack into the vans and drive off….

Check back for an update on our last day…

Con la paz de Jesucristo…

(pictures to come later...)