|
Hello again! Sorry it's taken me a few days to get
back to writing another update. The time of my return to the USA is
quickly approaching and many things still need to be done. I'm spending
a little more of my time working on cookies, since I need to be
completely done shortly, but I'm also getting invitations to lunch,
dinner, Bible studies, and social gatherings as people realize I will
soon be gone and they won't have another chance to spend time together
with me until at least next year. It is a wonderful time and I'm loving
every minute, but I go to bed exhausted and over stuffed.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! If you prayed for my neck muscle pain,
God has answered the prayer. For the last two days I have been able to
move my head freely without pain. The place in my neck and shoulder
where the muscles were knotted are still slightly tender, but not
bothersome at all. I'm very thankful that I don't have to go through the
whirlwind of these last few days fighting muscle pain and tension.
I've made over 5000 cookies now and Corina, Marco, and the staff and
volunteers here at El Jordán have been giving them away about as soon as
I can get them arranged on plates and wrapped up. That's just the way it
should be. Cookies are better fresh and I don't know where we would put
5000 cookies if we had them all here at one time. I wasn't given my own
copy of the list of all those who will get cookies this year, so I don't
even know how many plates of cookies I still need to prepare. I just
fill the orders day by day and so far I've been able to stay ahead (not
running out one of the ten kinds of cookies I make here before I could
finish the plates ordered and bake more for the next day.) I'll just
keep making cookies until they tell me to stop or I run out of time.
Monday evening Heidi and I had dinner with Curtis and Wendy Juett and
their children. I always try to see them while I am here just to say
hello and see how they are doing. The kids met us out in front of the
house, waving wildly with big smiles as we approached in Heidi's SUV. It
was great to see how they had grown and changed. Jocelyn was friendly,
bubbly and energetic. She showed me several of her picture books and
presented me with her blanket with a toy man wrapped inside as a
surprise. Joel read to me from one of Jocelyn's books and I got to see a
nice model plane that Titus made with his Dad. I also learned that
Curtis is allergic to sugar. (I know diabetics, but I'd never heard of
someone being allergic to it before.) He and Wendy told us how great it
is to have stevia available here as a sweetener and we all enjoyed
stevia sweetened pumpkin pie for desert.
Tuesday evening I tried to finish my baking by 6:00 so I could be in the
courtyard while the students and their children were gathering to get
ready to go home. That way I get to hold a baby, twirl a little girl
around and hear her giggle, and say a word or two to the mom's as they
come to gather their kids. I also get to take some pictures of them and
let the older kids use my camera to take pictures of me and others. I
don't have many opportunities to just mingle with the people here so now
that my time is short I'm taking advantage of any opportunities I have.
After most of the people had gone, Eli put some hot water in a thermos
and brought it out to the courtyard so that we could relax and pass
around a cup of mate (MAH-tay). I don't drink it (although I would do so
to be polite in other company), but I enjoyed sitting at the table as
Eli, Corina, Heidi, Wilma, Sinder, Jenny, and Julie each had a cup or
two of the sweet green tea. I learned another new thing that night. When
someone gives you mate at a gathering like this you should not say
"Thank you" when you have finished your cupful and hand the cup back.
(Yes, everyone uses the came cup and straw). If you say "Thank you" it
means you don't want any more and they will not give you the cup again.
Hmm... interesting. Corina said the local volunteers had to get used to
volunteers from the USA and Canada saying "Thank you" so often for
everything. I guess being too polite can come across as being rude in
another culture.
Today I had lunch with Alberto, Maria Elena, and Regina. I have eaten
lunch at their house often on other trips and the food and fellowship
are always great. This year Maria Elena wanted to invite me over last
week when Mom was here so that we could come together, but she was sick
last week and just wasn't up to cooking for company. Today she served me
Mahau (also called Mahadito here). It is typical or traditional food of
Sanda Cruz made with rice and chopped meat and seasoned and colored with
something that grows locally. (I would tell you what it is, but the
conversation was all in Spanish, so I don't know the right word. They
pointed out the tree in their garden where the seasoning came from and
Maria Elena showed me how the little bead like pods are cooked in hot
oil and then the oil is used to flavor and color the rice. They also
said that the native women use the same plant to paint their faces.) I
always enjoy my time with them even though conversation is a bit awkward
because of my limited Spanish. It doesn't keep them from talking with me
about everything from the name of their new cat (a stray from next door)
to the presidential election and the state of the church in the USA. I
was invited back for lunch tomorrow and I was sorry to tell them I
probably wouldn't come. There is just so little time left and so much to
do (and be expected to eat. :-D) in the time remaining.
I've been writing this update at siesta time today because we are
invited out to dinner again tonight and I don't know how late it will be
when we get back, but siesta is over now and I better get back to
baking.
God bless!
Medin |
