Beautifying the Escuelita!

No lesson again. When Edgar picked me up in the van with all the other disciples to North Carolina, I had a feeling the construction on the school would take the place of any other activities I might have had planned. At least I was able to help improve the school with the others, though I continue to feel disappointed that I’m not able to spend as much time with the teachers as I felt necessary to train them. Still, I know it’s all making a difference.

I helped layout the mural they wanted to paint on one side of the new playing grounds Edgar had made with basketball and soccer posts. Unfortunately, it started to rain heavily, so we weren’t able to do much other than make a chalk-grid and discuss how the rest of the mural would look. We tried to help the guys paint laminate on the new roofing slats they would lay on the school in the next few days.

By the end of the day, almost everyone was wet, tired, and hungry, but hopeful for the work they would accomplish and had already set in motion. It was great to feel that we were making a difference, and seeing the American disciples playing football in the rain with the children from the HOPE school made me see, once again, how incredible it is to be a part of this spiritual family. The way cultural boundaries are crossed and different people are united under Christ and his call for us to love one another…it’s incredible to see.

I also got a close-up on all the things about American culture I don’t miss, spending so much time with the N.C. group. Grumbling, complaining, selfishness, and independence seem to be the reoccurring theme. Namely, we’re immature and egocentric. It’s not that we don’t have other redeeming qualities in our culture, but these are the very things I believe makes most of the world dislike Americans in general. There’s a coldness in our culture, an isolation that isn’t healthy or beneficial for our relationships. There’s also a dependence on technology and an addiction to media which I see more clearly, serving in a place where advanced technology is scarce, and family and relationships are all you have to cling to.

If there is one thing I hope for my country, it is to bring more compassion, purpose, and selflessness to our youth. Maybe that’s why I need to go back. But first, I need to root this selfishness out of myself, and there, my friend, is the rub.

After a brief stop at the group’s hotel, we went out to eat at Pollo Campero, and I’m ashamed to say that I had 2 soft-serve ice-cream cones after a full meal of salad, Buffalo wings, and pizza. But boy, were they good!