Hot Showers, A Chilly Bed

Thursday, February 28, 2013

We spent the morning clearing a field and digging furrows for planting alfalfa. It drizzled most of the time we were in the field. We were wet, tired, and ready to call it quits.

We made our way back to Chacacal. After a last dip in the creek, we ate our last meal in Chacacal. Beans and tortillas of course. They also prepared pasta for us which was a treat.

We returned to our house and finished packing up. Chuck arrived at about 2:30 and said our good byes and headed for San Cristobal de Las Casas.

A warm shower and a nice dinner (without beans, but I did have tortillas), and I am ready for bed.

Sandbags and Glow Sticks

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Today was our third day of work in Chacacal. Yesterday was much cooler we were expecting rain, but it never came. Today it was just hot. It was probably in the low 90’s, but we don’t have a thermometer so we will just pretend. 

Coloring with Chris

Pour the floor for the pigs

Each time we construct an animal pen, we begin by leveling the ground. This includes much swinging of the pick, much shoveling, pounding the ground flat. Their “pounding stick” is great. It is about an eighteen inch piece of a heavy log on the end of three inch stick. It weighs probably twenty-five pounds and does a remarkably good job. Michael Capshaw and Michael Buckles were the kings of the heavy work again today. They did the majority of the leveling. Then, they each made five trips up a steep hill carrying sand for pouring concrete for the floor of the pig sty. Each bag contained two five gallon buckets of sand.

Al worked in Maravillas. We did not see him at all today. I feel bad that he has not been with us as much.

We finished up the electrical today. Michael Buckles says I have to work on the trench because I did not properly pack it in like where they leveled the ground for the pens. Therefore, I will have to pack the dirt in my trench before we leave.

At the end of the day, Michael and Michael played a game of soccer with the young men.

Glow Sticks

The highlight of the night was giving the kids glow sticks. Michael Buckles’ daughters insisted that he bring enough glow sticks for all the kids. Even the adults were fascinated by the glow sticks. One person asked if they had an on and off switch. Another asked how long they would last and were disappointed when we said less than a day. Even the ladies who have been cooking for us enjoyed receiving them. A side story: Michael B. was telling the lady who prepared his taxes about the trip to Chiapas. She gave him $50 to purchase the glow sticks. She will never know how her generosity touched the lives of so many young and old in Chacacal.

Let There Be Light

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Another wonderful day in Chacacal.

Chuck Shawver delivered the electrical supplies late last night. We were up early and started working on the electrical. Our first task was to pull the wire from the Temple to the education building/house. No easy task without a fishing tape. We tried to use our air mattress pump to suck a small piece of twine through the conduit, but to no avail. We finally pushed as much through the conduit as we could and then we cut the conduit and began again. It took a while, but we had the wire pulled and the conduit buried by breakfast (about 9:00 a.m.). Chris and I wired the education building with three outlets and two light bulbs.

Ready for School

Al Bowie working on the church

 

While we were working on the electrical, Michael B. and Michael C. were working with the men of the village on the goat pen. They built a shelter that was about 3 meters by 5 meters. They are waiting on the material for the roof, but other than that, they were able to complete the pen. This included building a gate (designed by Michael B.) and moving about two cubic meters of soil to level the pen. (After seeing what they were working on, I was glad I was doing the electrical.

Anywhere Chris goes, she has an entourage of three or four little girls following along. It doesn’t matter if she is headed to the stream for a bath, or to the bathroom, or to help move dirt, she has her little girls with her. 

After lunch (about 2:00 p.m.), we began working on rewiring the Temple. They had cobbled together one light over the pulpit area, one light bulb outside, and one outlet for the church. The wire to the outside light was the old antenna wire. How it did not melt over the years is beyond my understanding.    We were able to get the lights wired and the power turned on just in time. (We had to use headlamps and flashlights to make the final connections.)

Al Bowie has been in Maravillas with Chuck and the two electricians. When Chuck went for supplies today, he dropped Al off to work with us. He spend the afternoon working with me to make sure that 

I didn’t burn the Temple down.

Story of the Day: Chuck has been working in Maravillas and going for supplies. That leaves the four of us in Chacacal without a translator. No one in the village speaks English and we only have very limited Spanish skills. Eleasar was trying to explain to us why they didn’t have plans for the animal shelters. After much gesticulation and several attempts, we finally realized that he was saying that one of Pastor Mario’s sons had “ripped the pages.” The next part we understood with little difficulty. The reason he tore the pages is that he needed them for the baño.

We all bathed in the creek and headed up for dinner at Pastor Mario’s house. Dinner consisted of black beans, pasta, jalapeños, onions, and sweet coffee. Oh, and tortillas of course.

 No longer homeless

I am writing this with my computer plugged in while my phone is charging. It feels good to have  poer again. Eleasar came in and asked if we were on Facebook.

A good day.

Exhausted, Exhillerated

Monday, February 25, 2013
Chacacal, Chiapas, MX

Monday was our first full day working was exhausting and exhilarating. Al Bowie and I dug about 50 feet of ditch to connect the new education/house. It was only 30 centimeters deep, but it took all day.

Leveling the ground for a chicken coop

Temporarily Homeless Goats

Mario's House where we ate each day

While we were digging, the rest of the crew was working on the animal shelters. They built a new chicken coop and run. They put the four new pullets in the new coop, but the other chickens still run loose. (By the way, we are planning a pot of rooster stew for tomorrow night.) The turkeys have not arrived, but they have a pen ready for them when they arrive.

At the end of the day, we walked 2 or 3 miles. They promised us a wonderful relaxing soak in the river. Of course, we were wondering if we would ever get there. We were tired. We might even have whined to each other. When we arrived, however, it was unbelievable. We played in the river for about an hour. It was cool and deep. The kids would run up the hill roll down the sand and then jump in the water. Michael B. decided he would try it.  The current was just swift enough to make swimming across the river.  Chris and I took the long way around both times. The others in the group and all of our friends from Chacacal crossed on an Indiana Jones style foot bridge.

When we returned, we went to Pastor Mario’s house for dinner. Tortillas, black beans and Kool Aid.

The story of the day: Chris made her journey to the outhouse. For those who are not familiar with traveling outside of the US, there is often a trash can next to the toilet for the paper. This is even true for outhouses. When she went into the outhouse, she had to chase a chicken out of the baño. In the paper bucket, she found two freshly laid eggs. After using the bathroom, she gathered the eggs and gave them to one of the women. All in a day in Chacacal.

We turned in early. A good day.

Our First Day in Chacacal

Sunday, February 23, 2013
Chacacal, Chiapas, MX

Elda

So much has changed in the eleven months since I was last in Chacacal. The kids grow up as fast hear as they do in the States. (I guess somehow I thought time would stand still. That Elda would be eleven forever.) 

Tonight we had dinner in the house we began building last March.

Some things don’t change much. The young men of the village wanted us to join them in a game of basketball. A quick rinse in the creek feels like an incredible luxury. And, I don’t speak Spanish and wish I did.

Chacacal is a beautiful place, filled with wonderful people.

In the time sense we have been gone, they have started purchasing animals for the villagers, new chickens, goats, and rabbits. The turkeys and pigs have been purchased, but the vet did not think they should ride with the goats to the village, so they will come later.

A wiring mess

As American Baptists, we are truly changing lives. We have helped fund a new ministry to a people who live on the thinnest margins of life. Tomorrow we will begin wiring a church in Maravillas that might not have been built if it weren’t for the mission dollars of ABCRM. We will also rewire the church in Chacacal and run electric to the new room for Eleazar who directs the economic development project.

Michael Capshaw sings in church

Tomorrow we will build chicken coops and a shelter for the new goats. It is exciting to see the changes come to this village.

Tuesday Is a Good Day For Rain

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Carlos (Chuck) Shawver Preaching in Chacacal

We were driving from the airport in Tuxtla-Gutierrez. As we were discussing the work to be done, the weather, the food, all of the things that you talk about before leaving for a work trip, I mentioned to Chuck Shawver, our missionary, that it was supposed to rain on Tuesday. 

“Tuesday is a good day for rain,” he replied.

For those who do not know Chuck, you don’t know how that summarizes his view of life. There are no problems, just good ways of looking at challenges.

As we walk along the cobblestone sidewalks, I see rough terrain. Chuck, sees an opportunity to tell the story of the indomitable spirit of the people. “You will see people who can barely walk, yet they are so full of joy.” Chuck sees the world not as a glass half full, but a world that is overflowing with good people and opportunities. He sees joy in the people because it reflects from his own heart.

We are blessed to be working with Chuck and the others here in Chacacal.