Today was a rather slow day for us, which is good because I am still recovering from being sick. We are still waiting for the city officials to okay the construction work in Lomo de Corvina.
The church we work with, Iglesia Shalom, has about 80 small groups that meet around the area. About 50 people from the small groups went on a retreat this weekend that occurs once every two months. The time is geared towards educating and encouraging the new believers in the church. This evening when we went to the church service the people from the retreat still had not returned. About halfway through the service the bus pulled up and the pastor asked us to gather and make an aisle for them to walk down. The band played lively music with a disco ball and colored lights; the congregation threw confetti in the air and handed out flowers. All of this was done amid applause, shouts, hugs, and of course kisses on the cheeks. It was quite a welcome; all after a weekend retreat. What a simple way to make people feel special and welcome. Maybe in the States we ought to start throwing confetti with a disco ball to welcome people down the church aisles.
Even now, life in our little neighborhood is not very comfortable. I have about a 3 foot by 6 foot space that is my own, but I share a room with three other girls and tons of stuff. Noises permeate the house throughout the night from moto-taxi’s, dogs, a discoteca (Saturday nights the music is blasted from 10pm-6am), and even roosters. We were told to shut the windows to stay safe, but the nights are so warm that we keep them open. Two girls from our group were walking down the street and a drunken man stole the one girl’s hat. He started for their bags, but they ran back to the house before he could steal them. Meanwhile families and shop owners sat and watch the scene and heard the girls yell, yet they did nothing. We try not to go out in groups smaller than five or six and now girls must have a guy with them at all times. Our neighborhood is not safe and it is even less safe because we are Americans. Many people assume we have a ton of money because we come from the US. Today a girl asked to have her picture taken with me, because I was from the US. In contrast to these difficulties, our hosts are amazing. They have allowed 13 of us to take over two and a half rooms in their house and their bathroom. In the evening they often share the baked goods that permeated the house with an amazing aroma and in the morning we often find a gift of fruit on the table. They do so much and never ask for anything in return.
