These days, we are averaging 50-60 kids for the youth service at 7:00 pm, and even more after we start the movie at about 8:00. When we first arrived to the island, we would sometimes have less than half that amount, but thanks to the new sound system can drown out the bar, motorcycles, and the hoppin' church next door, and after making an effort to be more and more consistent in our hours and activities, our numbers have grown and our relationships with these kids and the community have deepened.
Lately, with Brian and Tammie (our bosses/mentors), and as recently as this afternoon, we had been discussing the need to find a piece of property and build our own facility, as the one we are in is tentatively loaned, termite ridden, and in major need of some expensive work we hate to put into someone else's investment. We found a property a few blocks from where we are, in the heart of the barrio where almost all our kids and their families live. With Brian's direction, we could build a concrete building that would be a great asset to our youth ministry and could double as the site of a church plant, if God sends the right workers.
Sunday afternoon- after two weeks of solid rain, there was a break in the clouds, which allowed our kids to come streaming in, excited to sing songs, play games, and watch a movie. As soon as they all got settled, the rain came back. Thick, pounding, torrents of lluvia came crashing from the heavens and collided with our tin roof, making even our sound system irrelevant. We usually have a few little leaks when it rains, but with the volume of water we were getting, it seemed more like it was raining inside. Soon, the floor was wet, the equipment was getting wet, and the kids were going crazy. They were trapped in the building to escape the rain, yet were having to dodge the now streams of rainwater coming through the roof. We realized this was not a good situation, but we couldn't just tell the kids to go home- at this point they would have had to swim through the streets!
Holly ended up holding down the fort, while I started shuttling kids, five at a time, through the twisting barrios, turning our Honda CRV into an aquatic transport. The people were bailing water out of their houses and cursing me as I drove by, creating waves that crested front doors. Others were bailing water with one hand, and drinking either cerveza or rum with the other, using this monsoon of a rainstorm as as good excuse as any to watch the ensuing mayhem and have a little fiesta.
I eventually dropped off all the kids to the approximate locations that they live- several had to wade through waist deep water to get to their house- and returned to our little "coffee shop" to help Holly clean (mop and squigee) up.
It was a loco, crazy evening, but it was fun, too- and helped us realize that we are on the right track to begin praying and planning for a permanent, functional building that would have safe, constant power, running water and serve as a base for both our activities and those who might work with or after us at some point.
I went today to try and get a price- praying that my white skin wouldn't raise the cost by three hundred thousand pesos. It went well- a starting point, at least. Now we have a number to pray about and a goal to reach for. We just pray that we continue to listen to God's guidance in these dreams for his ministry- even when his voice isn't as loud as the rain on our tin roof!
1 comment:
Good to see your clothing style hasn't changed. Call me, fool!
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