Such an irony

Greetings all post-readers,
John Spence here for Team KCC. After another (failed) attemp to upload pictures of our time here looks like I'll just write a message instead. It seems the wireless signal through the cell phone towers isn't strong enough to handle the photo's. But tomorrow I'll try uploading pictures through the local internet cafe here in San Lorenzo so you can see what we see. It seems a bit crazy that a small town in the midst of poverty would have an internet cafe, but they do. And the cost is $.70 an hour. Yes, that's right, 70 cents for an entire hour!

Today I realized the we have been Sun-less, Moon-less, and Star-less. With this being the winter season the sky's are constinuously overcast. This is good because it keeps the temprature down, but doesn't make for sunny days. In fact, the Team is in such despair for actual Sunlight that when a stray beam appears from the sky someone shouts "The Sun. The Sun. Look, it's the Sun." As quickly as it appears, it blends back into the gray, misty, foggy, dense environment.

The irony I find in the above description is that although we are receiving no direct sunlight, the smiles of the children are more than enough to brighten our day. The beautiful whites of their smiles greet us in the morning when we arrive riding in the back of the dump truck. As we begin to work around the property (of course with the kids working beside us, eager to shovel, use the pick-axe -ugh-, or push the wheel barrow) the smiles and giggles and sillyness get us through until lunch time.

It is just about then that the orphanage bus, which resembles something left over from the 60's, returns with the older (approx 8-12) children that are returning from their morning at school. Blessed are we with the smiles that come off that bus. The older kids then jump in to help, and quite honesty are a bit more productive as the shovels dig a bit deeper, the pick-axe's strike a tad harder, and the chances of a wheel barrow actually making it to the dumping point in-tact is higher. It really is quite fun and the children laugh and giggle at each other... and, well... at us also.

I remember on Friday when Dayana came home from her morning at school with the type of smile a child has when their abstract picture gets posted on the fridge. She announced through her white smile that she received a GOLD Medal, and a few other 2nd places awards in the school field day!!! Think back to when you were that age and came home with exciting news, or when your child came home with something they were so proud of. Now imagine yourself or your child have no home to run to with and share with. ... ... ... That's the difference I see this orphanage making. These children of God have been given someone, something, to share their good news with. With fourteen fellow children, two house parents, their 24 year old daughter and 15 year old son, these once orphaned little-people (notice the past tense use of the word) have people - actual real, breathing, caring, huging, smiling, crying, laughing people - to share life with. As the comercial goes... PRICELESS.

Speaking of sharing... today we celebrated three of the kids birthdays. It was awesome. All the other children lined up at the entry way to the door and as the birthday celebrating God-child's walked through the door a rowdy randition of Happy Birthday in Spanish was sung. What joy! Then came the problem of keeping 140 fingers out of the cake while the candles were lit, blown, and removed. You can imagine the controlled-with-love chaos.

As our two week mission is coming to an end, the sadness grows. But thank God we are finally starting to see some items completed. The pantry has shelves. The school room is in it's final stages of painting (Jim and Joel are painting a mural designed by suggestions from the children themselves). Piles of rubble are bring moved away. Steps are being created. The brick wall and floor for the future skilled-training/maintenance area is near completion (after moving approx 15 yards of clay/dirt/sand/stone/rubble - this explains the shoveling & pick-axing). The volunteer home is almost ready to be lived in - all items are being moved into the creative round structure. There are many more items I can't think of right now, but you'll hear about them soon enough.

Oh, you really need to hear about the city dump we visited today. People worked and lived in the dump alongside pigs, burrow's, horses, voulchers, and who knows what else. I'll leave those details up to the next update.

Oh, Oh, you also really need to hear about how the team has grown some-what accustomed (and I stress the SOME-WHAT) to being near and sometimes intruded upon by scorpions, tarachulas, bats, huge grass hoppers, and the like. Don't worry mom's, these animals are more affraid of us than we are of them and usually run-n-hide and stay perfectly still. Come to think of it, we usually have that same reaction to... RUN like the wind, or stay perfectly still. Hmmmmm.

Thank you for all of your prayers and comments,

For Team KCC,

John

P.S. KJ and mom... Mechelle and I love you and miss you. will be home soon. hope you are well.

P.S.S. "I love you, Chalupa" from your mommy.

P.S.S.S. "Love ya Tracey, miss ya and see you soon". Bun.