Christ Come

'Cristo Viene' is the name of the girl's home where I work. It means 'Christ Come' and yesterday I desired his return in a desperate way.

The bus took me an hour and twenty minutes out to a town called San Luis where a few of the homes gather every Sunday for a church service. Yesterday was my day to take charge of the girls but, when I arrived (a little late), the location was void of people. Returning to the one and only road back to the Nacer home, I was waiting on the edge and watching as a man crossed the two lanes. His silhouette appeared as the letter 'Z' against the still rising sun. The crutches were as crippled as the man himself. Each step spanned a few slim centimetres as he struggled to cross the road. Meanwhile, a transport truck quickly approached the stumbling sir. From a few hundred feet away, I earnestly prayed that the man would cross the half-way point and that the looming vehicle could decrease enough in speed to give him a few more precious seconds. Helplessness paralysed me but not as much as it must have overcome the now trembling man slumped at the side of the road.

The man boarded the same bus as I. Actually, he didn't board. Two battered crutches were stored under a seat as two other passengers pulled him by the armpits, face down and along the floor, onto the bus. His shriveled, twisted legs were clothed in ragged, baggy, and dirty pants. He rocked on his seat and I noticed that he had a sweet, safe face. Within seconds, the smell of urine filled the air and when I got off the bus, I noted that he had wet himself.

I have not a clue where this man was going. Perhaps a church service to remind himself that his present reality will come to pass. Perhaps a local bar to drink so much that he temporarily forgets his sorrows. The dust on the dirt road to Nacer was darkened by my tears. My eyes and heart weep for the shame and sadness that exists in this world. My depths cry, "Cristo viene! Christ come! " Please come.

La Vida Loca

Blogging has not been a priority for me these days. I've been pleased to just answer emails and respond to Facebook remarks. Besides that, my head is so full of stuff that I'm not even sure what to write. I suppose this blog will only be a wrap up of all that's been going on for that past few months.

Life, and my house, has been full of people and activity. Ruthie, the Georgian, hooked up with me and the kids from February to mid-May. She loves it so much that she's working day and night to be back here by August 2. The day before Ruthie flew out, my sister-in-law, Alicia, and our friend, Julie, from church, visited me for two weeks. Both of them gave much of themselves to my girls, doing crafts, painting bricks, cutting hair, and playing soccer...of course. They loved the girls and my girls loved them too. To have family here was such a treat for me!

The same day that Alicia and Julie flew in, my old housemate, Alison, also flew in for ten days. In little more than a week, Alison spent time with her friends here, packed up her things, and left Bolivia for good. The sweet thing was being able to travel to Semaipata with her, Alicia, Julie, and handful of other missionary companions. Although, I'm sure Alicia thought it was less than sweet when a small frog bounced off her face in the middle of the night and suctioned itself to the wall above her head.

Twenty-four hours before Alison departed, Adreana, my newest housemate arrived. I should say that before my house turned into Hotel Flamingo, my other housemate, Heather, also left for a seven week furlough. She plans to live elsewhere when she comes back.
This morning, ten wonderful young adults from Toronto Chinese Alliance Church went back to Canada after spending nine days with me and all the homes. All of my co-workers had travelled for one reason or another and initially, I was overwhelmed by the thought of handling the team on my own. Thankfully, Adreana stepped in and gave me hand. The truth is that this team was so great and so funny, that I don't think I would have minded having them all to myself anyway.

So right now, I have noone to keep occupied except myself...until tommorow afternoon. My old Spanish teacher and friend, Mauge, is coming to stay with me for a day and night. The next few months bring dozens of visitors. Laura and Shavonne are visiting from Kitchener-Waterloo (June 10-July1). Two teams from Georgian and Virginia will arrive in July, not to mention the coming of my brother Derek and his wife, Renee on August 6!!

Come on down to Bolivia and get hooked up with 'la vida loca', everyone's doing it!