Today we went to a new location to work with a different pastor and a new family. The house we’re working on today and tomorrow is for a mother and her two daughters. It is a rehab of an older existing home. When we first were at the home, there was extended family also present. Speaking in Spanish, someone asked Reggie if we were Catholic, Reggie responded to them, ‘they are mucho Catholic.’ It was funny, but Reggie didn’t mean it funny. He said most of the Catholics he knows, including in his own family, are not very religious and he is impressed by our faithful commitment.
The primary purpose today and tomorrow is concrete and block work on the home. My absolutely favorite mission activity is mixing concrete on the ground for building purposes. Ever since I first did it in Mexico in 2008 I’ve been hooked. We also bent and wired rebar posts for reinforcing concrete headers and corners. We also mixed and applied stucco to an outside wall and patched a cracked floor. We can see the joy and pride in the mother’s face as we work. Her youngest daughter is very excited as we make progress. The mother’s name is Fatima. The family, led by the grandmother, made us chicken, beans and rice for lunch. Much better than our usual PBJ sandwiches and chips. They even provided Coke, which is a welcome change from our constant consumption of water.
We’ve accomplished a lot this week with a small but dedicated team. I’m very proud of everyone’s willingness to work and desire to always accomplish a little bit more. We have one more day of work before we head home Saturday. Mission of Hope always puts on a fun July 4th party and we expect tomorrow night to be just that. And just like that a week of mission will be done and we’ll have the memories of the work, the people and God.
Dave Berg
