I have wrested the site from Beth!!!

Hola, amigos!! This is Beth's husband, Jeff. Knowing we've failed to get pictures on the site, I wanted to give you a few thoughts on the past few days and our crew.

First, the Col North Spanish class crew..... What a terrific bunch of young people. Tim White, who is the "alumni", provides a third interpreter for all our events/activities (along with "Senora" (Marcia Cheek) and Juana). That's not his only skill, though; soccer (futbol as they call it here) and concrete finishing also have to be on the list. Mariah Schwenk keeps everyone's spirits up, rolling with the punches and always managing a smile. Natalie Bush plows through every situation with the same panache, always inserting her personality into the equation and keeping her teammates on their toes. Jason Bowman was terrific in EVERY situation, always diving in and not being intimidated by his language skills, but at least 4-5 times I observed Jay 1-1 with local folks, getting their story and just sharing his. Tessa Lane, truly the take-charge type, was at her best leading the "shoe team" in the Indian village we visited yesterday. After sharing school supplies, toys, shoes and dental hygiene supplies with all 6 grades and kindergartners (can't wait till we can post THOSE pictures) (about 130 kids), we saw another 100+ villagers, many of whom desperately needed shoes. Tessa quickly became our go-to person for identifying who really needed shoes and getting them fitted. Her concrete skills weren't too shabby either. Siri Retrum and Robert Dorenbusch, clearly the quiet ones in the bunch, were huge hits with the local kids, quickly adopting them and making great friendships that started the minute we hit the ground and lasted through the week.

The FBC gang was extraordinary, but I've got to give the biggest kudos to our pastor, Dan Cash. A local pastor (also named Daniel) of a start-up congregation (who pays the bills and feeds his family by being a plumber) asked us to share in a Wednesday night service. Marcia (Sra Cheek) interpreted and did a great job, while Dan spoke to the group and likened their situation to Nicodemus, being planted in the middle of a religious establishment and trying to be true followers of the faith in their own right. It was the right message for a group of new followers in the right place at the right time. Truly led by the Spirit.

Forrest (Dr. D) got medical work all week, and Marsha fretted over us all; kind of nice having their steadying influence in all our work. Carolyn Curry and Judy Rhude treated every bug bite, concrete abrasion, and general unwell situation, making us all feel "taken care of". (Knock on wood - - no one has had any REAL intestinal issues.) The Jones gang (Ryan, Heidi and Reilly) were a trip - - but really missed Kayla, well, maybe not Reilly ALL the time. Reilly managed to build quite a following of her own, and dived into all the lives of the neighborhood kids. Elisa Watkins was a soccer star in the street, and created a few friendship bracelet masterpieces to share with the kids outside our door. Jane Ellen Watkins, Beth and Mrs. Mason (better known as Dr. Cindy and/or Tessa's Mom) were our photographers, and I hope and pray we can get most of the photos on the blog eventually, because all three are TERRIFIC photographers, and they got some outstanding shots. Cindy also finished a floor in one of the houses (along with Robert D's able assistance).

Kip/Lianne kept us on schedule, even though Lianne did learn more about Mexican schedule flexibility!! Kip's eggs were the best breakfast we had all week, and Ryan Jones can really flip a pancake. We've had black beans almost every meal, and Lupe, our cook for the week, fed us with great meals of authentic Mexican cuisine. Jacob Cash eventually got into it, even; I don't think he lost any weight prior to 3-a-days for the Olympians just around the corner!!!

We've been touched by the generosity of our hosts in Calnali. All of us will have special stories to share, and don't be surprised if you see a tear in the corner of their eye during the telling, nor if they express the desire to return. The valley Calnali sits in is so beautiful, truly a paradise.
OK, I'm being harassed to get off the site, so I will. Sorry for the words, but this impromptu team of do-gooders really bonded, worked well together, DIDN'T get on each others' nerves, and in general had a great time sharing our love for our fellow man with our new friends in Calnali.

Hasta luego.