Lots of Hard Work

Whew! What a day! We spent today in San Jose. It is poor, and the living condtions are unimaginable, but at the same time, there is hope. The people have such tenacity and creativity. The scenery is GREEN. The mountains are beautiful. And God is there. But now, on to the picturas.

One, I really wish I had spent more attention in Spanish and that I absorbed it because my cinco phrases were worn thin. Thats okay though. The kids put up with me and I've made some friends. (Shannon, Amy and I have already bonded!) Two, the kids looove cameras. They keep asking to either have their picture taken, or to take pictures. One of mybest pictures was taken by a little boy. We also made puppets with the kids. It was challenging to convey, but everyone seemed to enjoy it, boys and girls! Mary and Amanda did a good job teaching a dance so that was fun and different. I then got to go play babysitter and watch the kids play soccer with the ball we brought. They were so enthusiastic! The kids in San Jose have so few luxuries and they certainly enjoyed the one toy. The local help has been great. These two boys were helping out with rebar and at the house there was tons of help as well. There was a seventy (i think) year old man building the house! The whole community seems to get involved. I was on the wall building team so I spent all morning spreading mezcla (forgive my spelling) for the bricks. It was a little rough at first, but we quickly got the hang of it. And quickly got dirty. Lots of work was accomplished today, and lots of relationships have begun, so I think its been a successful day.