We were building a retaining wall for Melvin's family to keep his house safe from the river due to his proximity. We basically had to bust rocks and dig way down. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. Once again, Melvin and his brother, Joni showed us the best way to bust the rocks. They were incredibly knowledgeable on useful skills and efficient. Even with busting rocks, they knew the best way!
A little bit of background on why we were even building the wall. Eric Connell, Mark's son, said he would buy soccer cleats for Jonathan Martinez, Melvin, and Joni. Joni said he did not want cleats, but he wanted the money for his cleats to go towards building a wall to protect his siblings. When Mark told me that story, I was humbled and blown away. Such an act of selflessness when he has so little. I am so consistently inconsistent with everything including my relationships with my brothers and sisters in Christ. To see loyalty on that level and unconditional love was such a glimpse into His love for His people. I was honored to be able to help Joni. He worked along side us all day. He taught us Spanish and in turn we taught him English. He was very patient, spoke slowly, and worked with us when we could barely convey our ideas.
Joni decided we could not finish the wall today because it would take some special engineering because all the water. So, we then went and got some souvenirs. Then Mark took us to a great smoothie place called Super Jugos. I walked in and the man started speaking really, really fast. Mark wasn't in there so I did the best I could. He was telling me that they couldn't serve any smoothies because they had no straws. I told him, "The Gringos don't care about straws; we just want a smoothie por favor!" So, we finally got some and they were delicious: fruit, milk, ice, and lots of sugar.
Headed up to Villa Gracia and figured out we are no longer alone up here! There are a few executives here from Aguazul (big water company in Honduras since everyone has to buy water) and some more Gringos from Nashvegas. Ate a delicious meal prepared by one of the sweetest ladies on earth and headed to the Jesus statue.
The Jesus statue overlooks the south part of the city and is simply stunning. Mark always points out that while it does look like any US city the darkness hides the pain, suffering, and poverty. Jesus's backside is to the dump. Mark's son pointed out that the people at the dump must think that Jesus turned his back on them both physically and spiritually. Thank the Lord that He is faithful. He PROMISES us He will never forsake us, even in hellish conditions at the dump. What a reassuring promise.
Building day tomorrow for Abraham! Very excited and humbled to be apart of His work and allow a family to have a place to stay that is safe and will provide some relief!
Drew
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