I DID IT! :)

I ordered my own ice cream…. IN SPANISH!   And I got what I wanted!   *LOL*

Okay that wasn’t the highlight of the day, but it was certainly a milestone.    We walked more prayer walks, and are really learning more and more about the people and their culture.   It is easy to see God’s hand in many things here, and at the same time it’s discouraging to know that most of the people here don’t have hope, faith or knowledge that God is truly in control.   I can’t imagine living in dismal arrangements, with no hope or faith.    I recall some of the difficult times in my life, and know that there is no way I could have survived without faith or hope, and see many people here in similar situations, without that hope and with no faith.  They are discouraged, and they do not seem joyful.    The one joyful circumstance was yesterday while walking when we saw two young girls playing in the street with a pair of roller skates – each one was wearing one and they were arm in arm balancing against each other.  Joy in simple circumstances.   A very rare moment indeed.

One of the things I find even more foreign than the language is the lack of casual greetings.  I love saying Hello to new people, and that is not the norm here.   I’m not shy (really…I’m not kidding here!) and I love meeting people or just talking to them in a store or wherever…. And that’s not something I can do here, partially because of the language, but moreover due because of the distrust of strangers.

I am beginning to feel drawn to the area – and am finding some very quaint nuances of the places we have visited.   We began planning the Hora Feliz that we will be doing tomorrow – this is where we will do a small gathering with children.   Our part will be to draw attention and try to gather a group of kids – we will dress like clowns, pass out candy and make the much-practiced balloon animals.   Thankfully, we will have spanish speaking helpers along for the day.   It is my hope that we will provide a glimpse of hope, and bring some small joy to some kids tomorrow.   J