Well day 2 is in the books. We had a great day. A wet day but great nonetheless. My Spanish has come back again pretty good according to me, I am sure the folks I am speaking to are not too impressed but hopefully not offended. :).
We talked as a group about many things and one thing we discussed as a group was not that we were here to serve and help people but that we are here to recieve as well. Here are some of the things I received today.
This morning we went to the Pan de Vida orphanage. It is home to over 30 kids from ages 10 months to 14 anos. We did some work around the compound and played with the kids. We also gave them so much candy that they are all probably still awake. One of the guys brought playdoh and some bubbles which were a huge hit. A guy named Scot and I taught a boy named Mathew how to play PIG which we named GATO because we didn’t know the word for pig. We only got about half of the water off the court which was about a 10×15 slab. Mathew is 11 so his jumper needed some work. One of the special things that happened to me today was when Scot started teaching Mathew how to shoot correctly. You know these kids don’t have parents at all but the women that run the orphanage give them tons of love but there are no men. Lots of men are imprisoned and not all for bad things. In Mexico you are pretty much assumed guilty until you prove otherwise or pay someone off. So as I am watching Scot teach Mathew the jumper I immediatly think back to my dad teaching me how to shoot in our driveway, our games of pig and around the world and in that moment realized how huge this is for the three of us. Mathew will for many years remember how to shoot the jumper. He will also be thankful for the time we spent with him laughing and playing some crazy game called Gato and for his new jump shot which was starting to get pretty good. I recieved that special moment where a boy with no dad got two to help him learn. I also realize how thankful I am for my time with not just my parents but my family and all of you. Each happy memory you can think of your family today be grateful there are those that do not know their parents.
Well, that was just the morning. Our group has really gotten pretty tight. I mean the level of razzing that goes on is pretty high considering we just met 24 hrs ago. I have been suprised at how much you can learn about guys on these trips. There are some amazing guys here and all of them has struggled with any number of things. But everyone is open and not guarded, just being true to the work.
In the afternoon we worked on the house and I learned alot about building I spent a lot of time working on the roof and putting up the trusses to hold the roof. There I also met Blanca who is moving into the house with her 7 kids that I can’t remember all the names. Libby, Ella, and Beck gave me some toys to bring down to the kids and I gave those out to the family. Libby gave some favorite groovy girl dolls to the girls, Ella gave me some dress up stuff and Beck some cars. They were all a big hit by the time we left the two youngest were wearing the dress up clothes. Great pictures will come later. These kids are just so great to be around they could be your neighbors’ kids that are just the same; they just live in a very different place. They clown around, they give you puppy dog eyes to get candy, and yes they fight with their siblings. We Americans are truly loved and respected by the Mexican people they really appreciate the things we as a people do in the world and in Mexico.
We will see them all tomorrow and finish their house.
I am looking forward to tomorrow but also a little anxious because I think we are going to the prison to see the men. It is safe and this is definitely the way to see the mexican prison system although some guys on this trip will now see it from the other side of the bars. Those stories of their youth are for another day. I am going to turn in and will write you all tomorrow. If you have any questions shoot me a note I will try and answer tomorrow night. Thank you all for your notes and prayers goodnight and God bless.
Jiame
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