A long bus trip over a series of bumpy roads (including one big bump that high-centered us) brought the team to the village of Montenegro late Sunday afternoon, where villagers provided us with a warm welcome and plenty of hugs.
As part of the welcoming ceremony attended by hundreds, at least two-thirds children, a young girl sang to us in English, and later led us in a rousing rendition of “Heads, Shoulders Knees and Toes” that had us all on our feet singing and motioning along. That was followed by a group of sixth graders – three girls and three boys, doing a lively dance that began with the girls carrying life-size baby dolls in their cloth rebozos on their backs, and jugs in their arms, then trading places with the boys so they were carrying those things. We didn’t know the words but their message was profound.
Afterward the kids took over the school courtyard where team members posed for photos with children, played soccer, basketball and football and played other games with the kids.
This morning we woke early for breakfast then to organize the backpacks we brought for the school kids carrying jump ropes, tennis balls, dental supplies, pencils and other items. This is always one of the highlights of our mission trips – seeing the kids smile as they opened the backpacks is a great treat. Curt gave them all a lesson in how to use a jump rope. My friend Eugene Montgomery, who supplies the gently used tennis balls he collects from the Boeing Tennis Club, would have been delighted to see a session later with the kids as they tossed those very balls around on the schoolyard.
Our real mission today was to begin our stove installation. The team broke up into five sub-teams, each assigned a Hands for Peacemaking staff member and a villager. The day started with a fresh splash of rain on the ground from the night, but became sunny and hot as the day progressed, into at least the high 80s. Team members found themselves installing stoves in a mixture of conditions, some in nicer homes with concrete floors but the majority in homes with dirt floors, plank siding and corrugated metal roofs. Each dirt floor has to be leveled as part of the installation so pots won’t spill and in some instances that is harder than others, especially if the site is on a gentle slope. Stove pipe installations very quite a bit too, with each one a little different depending on the number of stories of the house and roof structure.
At Marco’s prompting I announced at dinner tonight the number of stoves (and water filters) we actually installed on this first day – 43. Each team did eight stoves and some of the Hands for Peacemaking staff we call the “tile guys” put in a few more in between finishing our stoves by grouting in ornate tile after we’re done. That’s a good number, and we were all happy with it as we race toward our goal of a total of 132 (this number could go higher or lower).
Marco told us after our devotion session (led by Nancy) tonight that if we finish up early enough on Wednesday we can go to local river for a swim – that sounds like a true incentive to me.
Christie noted during devotions tonight how well the 17 of us are getting along, and it’s true that there is lots of great conversation and laughter between the serious work, bringing our little adventure to “summer camp” kind of feel – even though the majority of us are in our 50s, 60s and even 70s.
It is the kind of activity that brings people together – we feel we are doing God’s work by helping others in this village and are frankly overwhelmed by the gratitude of the adults and the smiles of children all around.
We do appreciate everyone’s prayers and well-wishes for that brings us joy too. I am pleased to report we are all, so far anyway, safe, happy, well-fed and eager to continue our work.
I suspect most of the team members are sound asleep as I pound this out and given our early hour of rise and the fact I am tired too, so will not go to the extra complexity of sorting and posting photos this time. Trust me, there are countless of them and I will post a good variety soon.
Mostly I just wanted to let you know that we are doing just fine here in the village of Montenegro and I hope to share more later in the week.
Cheers,
Brian