Today was the best day I have had since leaving Idaho.
Sure, I have had some pretty awesome days, but today topped them all.
It was the moment I had been waiting for all throughout training.
Today was the day I got to do some good old manual labor.
A few of us were able to come back to the bible school we had been staying at, and help pay back Eleazar and Marta, who so generously put up all the world racers during our week of training.
My first job consisted of picking up all the rotten fruit from underneath the trees, and putting them in a wheelbarrow to be dumped in a big pile of mulch.
There were all kinds of assortments, from maggot infested lemons and limes, coconuts full of ants, and mangoes and bananas that were impossible to pick up without exploding into a gooey liquid.
Some of the people were disgusted, and didn’t take the work too lightly, but the whole time I had a smile on my face, thoroughly enjoying the task before me.
Next, I worked with Jake and James on carrying cinder blocks across a very sketchy homemade bridge to the roof where they were stacked to make a wall that was being constructed.
This was not an easy task, as there were many obstacles we had to overcome.
Our wheelbarrow blew a tire, which made our pushing efforts extra hard, as there was no way to replace it.
Also, each time we picked up a cinder block there was a new surprise waiting underneath for us, including tarantulas, scorpions, huge spiders, and even a lizard like thing that was bright blue, and so poisonous that if we were to get stung we would most likely die before we could get to a hospital.
Aleazar kept telling me that I shouldn’t be working so hard because I was a girl, and kept offering to carry things for me.
It was fun to prove to him that I wasn’t tired, and to explain to him that this was easy work compared to some of the things I was used to doing.
He kept saying to me that I was too small and pretty to be doing the work of a man.
This is something that has bothered me my whole life, people limiting me because I am small, when I know I can do the job just as well or better.
But today, I felt at peace with this, and for the first time I was okay with it because I know that my strength comes from within and that proving it is half the fun.
After being treated by Marta to a marvelous authentic Mexican lunch, we set out to accomplish our final task, which was to move a bunch of wooden poles and planks to an area on the roof to be neatly stacked and stored.
This was so fun for me, because it brought back memories of home.
The smell of the wood, and carrying the logs brought me back to my job with The Forest Service, as this is something we do a lot of, cutting and stacking wood.
It was very hot, and I was drenched in sweat, but the whole time I felt extremely happy and content.
We finished off the day shoveling piles of miscellaneous mixtures of dirt, wood, garbage, cement, and every kind of foreign insect and spider you could imagine.
It was the best feeling in the world to actually go home to my tent exhausted, knowing that I was able to make a difference and help someone out with my own two hands.
Since coming to Mexico I have at times felt a little unsure of what I can contribute to my team, as I am not gifted musically and unable to speak very much Spanish.
Today as I worked under the hot sun, I felt closer to God than I have in a long time.
And I realized that one of my strengths, as weird as it may sound, is physical labor.
I am able to find joy and satisfaction in working hard, doing jobs that many of the girls here would be completely disgusted with, and that is my strength.
This is what unifies our team, each person being able to contribute in different areas until there are no weak points.
With each other, our weaknesses are made strong.
These are the fruits of our labor.
