Brad working on the new house

Today was another full day with a talk given by Father Greg in the morning and a trip to the work sites in the afternoon. It was the second time I have listened to Father Greg, the first being when he visited First Church a couple of years go when he described the mission of San Lucas and its purpose. At that time, I’m a little ashamed to admit, I wondered if this was truly the correct way to deal with the problems of the extreme poverty that these and many other people in the world live in. But after listening to him today, and from what I’ve learned about sustainability, fair trade, and the redistribution of wealth throughout the world, I have a much, much, more positive view of what he and the mission are trying to accomplish and/or a better understanding. Experiencing things first hand didn’t hurt that either. I’ve learned that it is not enough for a people to improve economically. This must be done with respect to maintaining their culture.

In the afternoon, while the others worked at the reforestation center, I went to work at the housing site with a group of about 20 or so. Some prepared re-bar, some mixed cement, some carried it to the Mayans who poured it into the reinforced cinderblock walls, others worked on the roof of the house next to the one I was at. My task was to replace the dirt that had been removed to sink the walls about 3 or 4 feet into the ground, around its interior. I started using a shovel. After a short while the fellow who was more or less the foreman came to me with a hoe and handed it to me. “Usan esta amigo,” he said. I felt so honored and promptly returned to my work, knowing from Father Greg that most of these people are practically born with one of these tools in their hands. After about 15-20 minutes I was about to pass out from the thin air. After an hour and a half we had finished about half of the interior and exterior walls of a fairly large house by local standards.

The locals seemed quite pleased. We’ve cleaned our tools, took some pictures, and bade adios to our new friends. Being soaked in sweat and covered in dirt never felt so good. Rather then working at all the sites as originally planned, I think I’d like at least one more day at this one.

As much as I realized that we’re here to enjoy all or as many facets of the local culture as we can, the chance to use my God-given attributes to help others in this place is what I appreciate the most. I thank God for all the people who have made it possible.

P.S. Selling beer in the vending machines at the airport rocks!