Orica has no Internet which means that blog posts were unpostable. However, I kept notes of each day so I could relay them to all of you.
Day 1: we had a very rocky ride up the mountain and back down again that included one near death experience, my full bladder was not a fan. After we got settled into our house with no running water we went to the church for our first service. It was exciting to finally meet the people who we have worked so long to see.
Day 2: today was our first work day. We got a lot done. It was interesting to see the different techniques the Hondurans use to build. There were a lot of people who came to see what we were up to. Children were our most frequent visitors, they were everywhere. They tried to help and didn't really play, but eventually we had them singing and dancing with us.
Quote of day: "Joelle, I'm not lying, a dog just peed on tour backpack..."-Levi Young
Day 3 the highlight of today was my visit to the Orica clinic. It is absolutely amazing to me that one woman can be the doctor for 350-400 people a month. The clinic needed alot of supplies and repairs but the dedicated staff still provide for the people of Orice. We ended the night with a very powerful church service.
Day 4- today was a pretty slow day for work. We mostly played with children. We found out we were over budget on the project but within 2 hours or phone calls we raised 2000 dollars with the help of the very generous people at home.
Day 5 we got fried chicken today...I could have cried with joy! We also discovered a very efficient technique for showering...or as close to showering as possible. Tomorrow we poor concrete which will put us one step closer to a finished product.
Day 6: because we were laying concrete today and because there is no running water at the work site it was my job to visit the river with two other girls on the trip, Laura and rebekah, and fill up Drums of water. To say the least it was a messy job. :) the rest of the day has been spent relaxing and preparing for the church service we are doing tomorrow.
Day 6 today we worked not only on the church but on some other side projects. For one lady we poured a concrete floor to replace her dirt floor and built a beautiful oven that Mark used his amazing masonry skills on. While we were working a huge swarm of bees passed overhead and we all had to duck for cover. The children laughed when me and Laura screamed, haha. The service tonight was beautiful. We taught the congregation some new songs that truly lift my spirit when I sing them!
Day 7: today we passed out school supplies to the children at the work sight. It was a beautiful sight. When the crayons were all passed out the children began coloring on the table, it is cool to think that their artwork will stay there for a very long time. We began working on a lady named Rosa's bathroom. We gave it walls. She has been an amazing inspiration on this trip. She works hard to help at the work site despite her 85 years and even though her house is small and somewhat empty it is spotless and decorated with her children's school accomplishments and psalm 123.
Day 8: today was a big day of culture shock for me. We tore the kitchen down in a house and it was infested with termites, cockroaches, and mice. It was hard not to over react and attempt not to offend the people by running away from the bugs they live with daily. One of the little girls brought out her coffee filter butterfly that I made with the children the night before. When we where all getting ready for bed we got a visit from David, the man who's home served as the church before we arrived in Orica. He brought us baskets the indigenous people made for us. They were beautiful.
Day 9: today is our last day in Orica. I woke up this morning and sat outside just enjoying the beauty and simplicity of the morning in the small mountain village I only have one more day to experience. I want to bring this all home with me. The openness, the connectedness, the ease of life. After a hot day of work to finish up the last of our projects we headed out to have some fun at the river. We climbed on old rusty bridges and swam through gentle rapids. We have our dedication service tonight. I sat with the children, it was a horrible yet wonderful decision :) It was so nice to be able to celebrate our work and new friendships with the people we'd labored with all week. For dinner we ate the cow slaughtered in our honor. No joke. The chocobanana place was closed when we finished with the service but no worries, I bought chocobanana chocolate so I can make them at home!
Day 10: we just left Orica. The women who has cooked with us all week woke up at five to make us pancakes and send us off. Before we hit the road we gathered together one last time to pray and say our goodbyes, it is amazing how close you can be with people who don't even speak your language. There are so many things that I am looking forward to as we head to Copan, hot showers amoung them. However, there are just as many things, if not more, that I will miss about Orica.
Stay tuned for Copan updates and trip pictures!
Joelle
No comments:
Post a Comment