If there is life

Wednesday is in the bag. We’re finishing up dinner, there’s a load of laundry going, and we’re spread about the hacienda unwinding. The day was sure winding, so to unwind is a good thing.

This morning’s group devotion was about hope. I skimmed through it, still munching my Export Only Cap’n Crunch, and nodded in general agreement. Today we were heading into Mandarin, the newer school in a different barrio. We were briefed on the situation, that there is less of a history of presence in this neighborhood, and there is much more tension. We took our adventurous bus ride to the end of the street and descended into the ghetto under a beautiful sky. There definitely is a different atmosphere to this area, noticeable from sky level.

The Mandarin school is a very large, multi-story concrete building. In any other place, it would be nice riverfront property. However, this river is an environmental disaster of human waste and garbage. Toilets are plumbed right out the side of buildings and into the ravine, as is every other drain. Garbage from yesterday, today, and a generation ago is piled along the sides and spills over collapsing hillsides. Today the stench was not unbearable, but on hot days it will be another story.

Today’s chores were a new dental clinic in this neighborhood, some painting at the school, moving furniture, and playing with children. We met with Tita and Kate after loading into the school, and heard the story of the school. Tita related how the gang leader in the barrio had come to Christ, and offered one of their houses for use as the school – for a very very low price. He’s currently serving time in prison, and has a court date coming up. She said that he was considering whether to return to the neighborhood; he thinks it may be part of God’s plan for him, but it’s difficult because the gangs are itching to get back in ‘business.’ One of our group asked if it would be safe to return. Tita replied, “Oh, no. It’s not safe. But it’s safer than being out of God’s will.”

We prayed together, commenting afterward on how it’s possible to have hope in some of these situations. Tita replied, “If there is life, and there is God, then there is hope. Yes.“

From there we got on with the work. We set up the dental clinic in an un-renovated room in the lower level of the school, and began seeing patients. Little reluctant children were triaged, invited in to get treatment, and commenced to screaming every step of the way. There was not the open, warm, ready-to-hug energy we saw at the other school.

It was wrenching to hold children while they scream and cry in pain; even though the results are going to be wonderful and healthy, they’ll get to eat without hurting and have their permanent teeth come in straigher, that’s tomorrow. Today is the hard part. Nearly every patient before lunch resulted in most of us in the room crying. There was a little girl in terror – the needle hadn’t touched her yet, and she was writhing as if being branded. A boy came in with multiple oral problems and developmental disabilities; it turns out that this is his first week out of his house in ten years on earth. He was calm and cool until it was his turn. He’ll be so much better tomorrow, but dang that was tough.

Others of the team got to painting the building, and after lunch they went out to help someone move furniture. This was heavy work in narrow, steep, uneven streets. Another group took a few dozen students out to a field to play ball; again, the students were not as open as we had seen in Limon. After several different games, the children warmed up and really enjoyed their time together.

A home visit was made to a couple residents, with prayers and communion shared with an elderly man who has hardly been out of bed in a year.

In all, a productive, if emotionally draining day.

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