Day 04: Making Bricks and Making Friends

After some of the best sleep of my life, we woke up to the wonderful sounds of boys laughing right down the hall at about 7:30. We promptly got up and played cards with the boys; they can't get enough cards. Keep in mind that every game we play is in spanish and we have to translate everything that is going on; not too easy. When we don't understand, they take their time to talk slowly so we understand fully which is very helpful. Now imagine them teaching us a game that we don't know; even harder. We ate a fresh breakfast of homemade biscuits and fried sweet potatoes, and it was delicious as expected. We continued to enjoy the company of the boy and started a soccer game; USA vs. Peru. The boys are incredible at soccer, and I mean INCREDIBLE. Our best players are made to look like fools against the boys and most are half our size. It was a blast and the weather was perfect to not get too hot before working. After, we split up into a few groups to work around the community; one to VBS, one to work in the village, and another to make adobe bricks next to the boys' home. I was with the final group and we made as many bricks as we could. We dug a massive hole the day before and mixed water with the loose dirt/sand inside the hole and with some experienced help, got it to the right consistence. It was very difficult making a paste for the brick molds, and it was even more messy. Everyone was covered in mud. After the mixing, we packed the paste into a brick mold that had been coated in sand to prevent sticking. Finally, we took the mold and flipped it over hopefully without messing up the previous brick we had made. After using all the paste, we would loosen more dirt/sand and start over with a slightly bigger hole. After repeating the process all afternoon, the hole became enormous, meaning the amount of paste we made increased as well. After making a couple hundred bricks, we took a lunch break and all the groups reconvened. For lunch we had rice, Peruvian mashed potatoes and chicken on top. Once again, it did not disappoint. After lunch, the entire group went to continue making brick and we knocked out many hundred more in less time. Not to mention, we had the entertainment of Hunter flipping into the mud pit and falling on his face. After finishing the bricks for the day, we had devotions with our group about having an active faith and taking initiative to do God's work. Now we are at dinner enjoying chicken fried rice and fellowship with the boy. This is the kind of meal where its so good, you want to get more, but you are too full to walk; my kind of meal. Another day in paradise, but one less day to be with the boys who have changed our lives. Pray that we make the most out of the rest of the time we have.
- Samuel