What an awesome day - and it's not even done yet!!!!
The day started when David arrived with our trusty white van at 6:50 again. Breakfast was delicious - eggs, refried beans and fruit. Then we all piled back in and headed to the school to drop 4 kiddos and myself off. (The younger kids rode in the very back of the van, and giggled uproariously over every bump. [And there were a lot of bumps.])
I did chapel for the elementary kids from 8:00 to 8:50 and spoke on the power of the tongue - encouaring the kids to speak life! (We even ended by boogying to Toby Mac's song by that same name.)
After, I had a chance to do an interview with the director of the school - Mr. McNabb. I am SO excited to be working there next year!!! It looks like all the details (stipend, benefits, etc...) are even better than we expeccted them to be! And, while it's not 100% guaranteed yet, I feel pretty confident announcing that I will be a teacher at IAS next year. The final hoop will be the board meeting on February 21st (so you can pray for me then). I think it helps a tiny bit that two of the guys we've been working with on this trip (David and Mike) are on the board. At least, their wives assure me that those two will speak favorably for me...
Around 10:30, Mirza picked me up and we carreened (literally) off toward the big market downtown. She was buying food to take to the women's shelter - someting she does monthly. While she shopped, Lesly (Mike's wife) gave me a tour of the marketplace. It was beyond amazing, and I really, really can't wait until I get to do my shopping there! Plus, I found a gift for Mark - but I'm not telling what it is. :)
Then we drove up, up, up the mountain to the women's shelter, where everyone else had been working away at putting up sections of pre-fab concrete wall. I know it was HARD work, but they did a great job, and were happy to see us pull up with a lunch of sloppy joes on yummy bread, chips, and fruit.
When we were finished, Mirza, Lesly and I headed back downtown. Lesly and I went to the money changer, and came out with all kinds of pretty coins and bills in exchange for my American money. I also found something fun to bring home to the girls - also a surprise! Then we all hopped back into the car and headed to a different
market. We parked in a gated parking lot. This area (Minerva lot) is where people often catch the chicken buses. Across the street is the Terminal market - which is much more crowded, a litttle cheaper, and filled with pickpockets (apparently). Mirza told me to leave everything in the car.
It was a sight to behold seeing her weave through the narrow alleys. If there ever was a place to experience sensory overload, this would be it. The colors! The smells! The noise! The textures! She finally settled at one spot and began earnestly bargaining with the old woman sitting on her tarp, surrounded by the most luscious veggies you could imgaine. The piles began to mount up, and a young man appeared out of nowhere with a 2 wheeled cart and began to load Mirza's things up.
On the way out of the market, we stopped at several more spots, and she bought some bunches of celery, cilantro, and parsley from some dirty little boys who eagerly gathered around us, trying to sell their wares. Our 'carryout guy' followed us out, across the street, and back to the lot, where he helped load the bags of goodies. Then we headed back up the mountain to the women's shelter. I don't know how many pounds of food were in the car, but it was most certainly more than the manufacturer of that little station wagon would recommend. We drug bottom on one of the speed bumps (which are much, much bigger than the ones here) on our way.
At the shelter, we unloaded all the food and piled it on the table. It was an incredible amount of stuff, and Mirza paid about $200 for it all. The women and children at the shelter were so grateful, and gathered around and let me take their pictures.
I am grateful beyond words to have the chance to get to know Mirza better. Ditto Lesly, and Sharon, and David, and Mike, and Dick, and all the people at the school. I don't know how to express how good it feels knowing that God has provided friends and family here already!!!
I'm at the hotel now, and we'll be heading to Dick and Sharon's for supper, and then to a churc service. Tomorrow we are going back to the school in the morning to pour concrete around the block that the guys laid yesterday. In the afternoon, they're heading to the hot springs!! Don't know if I'll go along, or hang out in town and get to know the place better. Either way, I'm really looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings!
Don't have time to post pics. I'll try to post some when I get back to the hotel this evening!
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