A regional teacher’s strike means no school this week for the children of Piedras Blancas, but somehow word got out that the Marine View team was passing out gift packs and dozens of kids turned out in the school courtyard for the giveaway.
Marco organized the children into several rows then summoned the team to the front. The children sang three songs for the team then Ed broke out his ukulele and led us all in a semi-together version of “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” which came out okay despite our lack of practice. We also sang Jesus Loves Me.
Then we each grabbed as many gift bags as we could carry and distributed one to each child. We were rewarded with big smiles and sites of children throughout the day playing with their jump ropes and tennis balls.
Following all of the fun in the school yard we set out on our mission to finish the stove installations in Piedras Blancas. The five teams, as expected, each showed far more expertise than yesterday as each developed their own processes and rhythms for getting the job done.
I mused to Dick Shenk, our near octogenarian who sings bass in the Harmony Kings Men’s Chorus, to think of each installation as a barbershop quartet, with each person having a different part yet individually critical to the success of the whole endeavor. He seemed to enjoy that analogy. Dick, by the way, is a very solid worker and hikes the often tricky trails between homes with relative ease.
As I type this there’s a chorus around me of a different type – lots of heavy snoring by the men of this hard working crew and a dog loudly wailing in the somewhere nearby.
A little more on stove assembly: Each stove comes with its parts packed tightly in the stove box. Our first job is to pull everything out as quickly as a five year old tears into a Christmas present. Out comes the pipes, the side wings, the legs and other various supports and metal pieces. There are also 40 sets of bolts, washers and nuts that hold the whole works together. Laying close are some bricks that insulate the fire box.
So one person pours the bolts into a bowl and we all start bolting and tightening everything. Without going into great detail there are three other key ingredients: silicone, sand and sweat. Once the stove is assembled the pipe goes up and out to the roof. Each assembly is a little different in construction and even material. Most homes are dirt floor with wood plank siding and tin roofs. The nicer ones have concrete floors and walls, which makes it more challenging to create a hole for the stove pipe.
Our man Alex with the Hands for Peacemaking staff used what I called the “Little Bertha” method by boring through a concrete wall with hammer and chisel.
So in this fashion today our team did finish up all 87 of the stoves for the first village in plenty of time for cold showers and a warm dinner. Lunch, by the way, featured a chicken or two freshly slaughtered just for as by our grateful villagers.
And oh, to share a little more about the guy in jail by our shower yesterday. He was released about 1 am according to Marco who happened to be up at that hour. As it turns out the jailbird is the son-in-law of my stove team’s village leader, Mateo. Mateo, who knows English well from 20 years of living in the US, said his drinking had made him argumentative with the local volunteer law enforcement, hence the visit to the tiny concrete hot box (see photo below). It was his second offense. There is no alcohol sold in the village and the penalties for doing so are harsh. You are thrown in jail and can’t get out until a hefty fine is paid. Mateo knows of a woman who had to pay the equivalent of about $250 US. Consider that the average pay here is about $5 a day.
This is an area of frontier justice. There is no judicial system and no formal law enforcement. This is not a tourist area so they see very few visitors from outside. Mateo, 46, says no one from the U.S. has visited before.
Yet we feel welcome, safe and extremely well treated. Curious children are everywhere and it is their smiles and laughter that are helping to keep us all in very high spirits.
Such a great diary of the day and excited to hear that you all met your goals with the stoves. Praying God continues to encourage and strengthen you all as well as give you the gift of communicating beyond the language barriers.
Hey Brian! I was going to ask if you have seen any pigs! Hahaha
The pictures of the kids make me smile from the inside out! Love the picture of the young boy with the pack on his back! His eyes seem to say so much……….
I am thoroughly enjoying all the well written descriptions, and the pics. Thanks so much . Continuing with prayers for your health, safety and continued strength to accomplish the job. Peggy
Brian, I thank you so much for taking the time & energy to write the blogs. Your information & many photos help me to under-stand what the group is doing & the environmental conditions. With God’s help you are accomplishing amazing things.