i never knew . . .
i never knew that standing on an endless shore watching a sea full of multi-hued chocolate children playing freely and surrounded only by love would affect me the way it has. golden and copper children who are so full of joy . . . well, but not always. the ones i spent this past week with were full of joy most of the time. in their families, going to school was a priviledge because your younger brother might be the little one whose mother bathes him outdoors, just beneath your schoolroom or your wish list might include toys, books, and . . . medicine -- even though you do not appear to be ill, or food. i'd thought, in my often broken spanish, that cosina meant clothes. it does not. it means cuisine or more simply, food. i wish there were words for the kick that i felt when i realized that the children used the unlit, unventilated toilet-with-no-plumbing bathroom downstairs -- the one where the door didn't close all the way (but what six-year-old wants to be in a completely dark bathroom anyway, right?). teachers use the ones upstairs (there are two) with at least a toilet that flushes and a partly-effective window for light and slight cross-breeze. i loved those babies, but i still used the one upstairs. i'm hoping that's offset by the fact that i didn't gripe or balk about having to use theirs occasionally, too.
the kids, though, are superamazing! i'm in absolute love with every single one of them. who wouldn't be?
paloma, isn't she just a little heart-stealer?
i never knew that being mistaken for taimo would be so powerful an experience for me. where my darkness is exotica but not foreign. a place where saying the name atawallpa opened doors so delightful that words can't contain what lies therein. we met some incredible people too. yeison was easily my favorite person y mi amigo por vida. we seemed to have this mutual admiration society thing going on from the moment we met outside the airport. when we hung out, we ended up laughing and laughing until i thought we'd both turn blue! i got to meet his wife over the phone and she seems really very sweet. i hope to see his new baby on the next trip. the way yeison giggles, he's gonna make a great papi.
oh and SETH, if you're reading this, THANK YOU for the spanish learning packets you designed for us. one of the coolest things was sitting down with yeison and using your packets; i corrected his english and he corrected my spanish and the way you had the document set up made it a really great tool to have. weird thing is that in school, the reason i like taking online courses is that i learn better as a solitary student, so having those packets came in very handy. THANK YOU, SETH!!!
oh and the food . . . the hotel had this four-cheese macaroni and cheese that just puts my homemade mac'n'cheese to sorry shame.
powerful trip was dominca and i can't wait to reach her shores again. solo Dios puedes un mundo gusto Dominica cos El Tamarindo, El Punto, y Santo Domingo en uno region.
my spanish is improving.
i never knew that standing on an endless shore watching a sea full of multi-hued chocolate children playing freely and surrounded only by love would affect me the way it has. golden and copper children who are so full of joy . . . well, but not always. the ones i spent this past week with were full of joy most of the time. in their families, going to school was a priviledge because your younger brother might be the little one whose mother bathes him outdoors, just beneath your schoolroom or your wish list might include toys, books, and . . . medicine -- even though you do not appear to be ill, or food. i'd thought, in my often broken spanish, that cosina meant clothes. it does not. it means cuisine or more simply, food. i wish there were words for the kick that i felt when i realized that the children used the unlit, unventilated toilet-with-no-plumbing bathroom downstairs -- the one where the door didn't close all the way (but what six-year-old wants to be in a completely dark bathroom anyway, right?). teachers use the ones upstairs (there are two) with at least a toilet that flushes and a partly-effective window for light and slight cross-breeze. i loved those babies, but i still used the one upstairs. i'm hoping that's offset by the fact that i didn't gripe or balk about having to use theirs occasionally, too.
the kids, though, are superamazing! i'm in absolute love with every single one of them. who wouldn't be?
class picture day
reinaldo, sweet and mischeivous one
paloma, isn't she just a little heart-stealer?
i never knew that being mistaken for taimo would be so powerful an experience for me. where my darkness is exotica but not foreign. a place where saying the name atawallpa opened doors so delightful that words can't contain what lies therein. we met some incredible people too. yeison was easily my favorite person y mi amigo por vida. we seemed to have this mutual admiration society thing going on from the moment we met outside the airport. when we hung out, we ended up laughing and laughing until i thought we'd both turn blue! i got to meet his wife over the phone and she seems really very sweet. i hope to see his new baby on the next trip. the way yeison giggles, he's gonna make a great papi.
oh and SETH, if you're reading this, THANK YOU for the spanish learning packets you designed for us. one of the coolest things was sitting down with yeison and using your packets; i corrected his english and he corrected my spanish and the way you had the document set up made it a really great tool to have. weird thing is that in school, the reason i like taking online courses is that i learn better as a solitary student, so having those packets came in very handy. THANK YOU, SETH!!!
oh and the food . . . the hotel had this four-cheese macaroni and cheese that just puts my homemade mac'n'cheese to sorry shame.
powerful trip was dominca and i can't wait to reach her shores again. solo Dios puedes un mundo gusto Dominica cos El Tamarindo, El Punto, y Santo Domingo en uno region.
my spanish is improving.
para yolanda. 21.07.06
posted by Rev. Phil at 1:15 PM
1 Comments:
All of you are truly great examples of God's Unchanging Grace.. What awesome pictures of love and care, a sermon in themselves. So glad to read the stories and see God's hand at work .. Welcome Home Folks.
Love .. Bob and Jerry
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