quincinera

Yessica, who has been involved in our ministry in one way or another as long as I've been here recently turned 15. The 15th birthday is a big deal in Latin culture. Usually 'quincineras' are celebrated with a Catholic mass. The girl rents a dress and hsa both male and female attendants who all rent tuxedos and dresses, much like a wedding party. The mass is usually followed by a party at the girl's home with cake, dancing, and drinking.

Yessica did not want to do the typical 15th birthday celebration for a few reasons. Now that she is growing in her relationship with Christ, she has become convicted about how she should celebrate. She knows she doesn't want people to get drunk to celebrate her birthday and does not feel comfortable with the type of dancing that often occurs at those parties. For a while she didn't want to celebrate her birthday at all.

Rather than avoid celebrating her birthday, Carmen Luz and I encouraged her to celebrate it in a different way that lines up with her convictions. So, we decided to go ahead and have a small party, inviting only her family and friends. We made a cake ourselves and rented a dress for her. She didn't have attendants, like the typical birthday party (more to save on costs than because of any other conviction).

The party was successful. Yessica got all dressed up and even got her hair done. About 80 people came (although only 30 were invited!) and they played games and ate snacks and cake. Overall, I think Yessica did a good job of showing the community how to celebrate her birthday in a Christ-honoring way.

charla con Ramon

I started a club for teenage girls that focuses on the environment. We are doing Bible studies that help them form a Biblical view of creation as well as hands-on things, like building the solar stove last week. On Tuesday Ramon, who works for the Secretary of State of the Environment and Natural Resources, came and gave a talk. He talked a lot about water and how it gets contaminated. He shared a few of the things that rural communities do that really harm the environment. Some of the girls seemed to be bored and others were excited to have learned something. Yessica is especially excited about this club and wants to be an ecologist some day.

A lot of people in the community talk about the environmental department as their enemies, because that department says they can't do some of the things they've always done, such as take sand out of the rivers to use in construction, or catch crabs in the local streams. I was glad that the girls could have direct contact with someone from that agency, so they could see that the agency is trying to enforce laws that will protect their local environment.

estufas solares

A new club for girls has been formed. We are focusing on the environment- studying the Bible to see what it has to say about creation and doing hands-on activities as well, such as today's attempt to make a solar stove.

The stove is made using two cardboard boxes, tin foil, and black paint. The boxes are places one inside the other. Both are lines with tin foil (shown in the picture above) and the outside box is painted black. A lid is made in a similar way and a flap is cut on the top (the lid is being painted in the picture below). A piece of glass (or a Reynold's oven bag, if such thing could be found here) is placed over the opening of the lid, so that light can be reflected from the inside of the flap into the box. We will attempt to cook rice in the box on Thursday to see if it actually works.

new intern

We have a new intern working in Los Higos with Johana at the preschool. Selina arrived about three weeks ago and will stay until mid-December. Johana is about 8 months pregnant and Selina has come to fill in for Johana while she is on maternity leave.

Carmen Luz will also continue to work at the preschool as well while Johana is gone. The picture above shows Selina and Carmen Luz giving a math lesson to the class.

Caminata

I went to my first march (protest?) on Thursday (although I didn't march, I went in the truck). People from Los Higos and neighboring communities were marching against the condition of the road that leads from Hato Viejo through Hatillo and to Crucero (this is the road we take to get to Los Higos before we turn left to go up the big hill). The met up in Hatillo (about a mile below Los Higos) and walked to Hato Viejo (about 1.5 miles, but including a mega-hill). When they got the Hato Viejo, they closed off the road and held a ralley. A Catholic priest spoke about the need for justice in government and spoke against how the government does not use money for projects that will benefit rural communities. Following his talk, he gave communion.

Here is the view from the back of the ralley. I am guessing there was several hundred people there

Here you can see the priest up on the stage:

Meri was at the ralley representing the 'junta de vecinos' (the city council) of Los Higos. Her sign reads, "City Council of Los Higos. No movement towards progress. Los Higos demands reconstruction of the Hato Viejo-Hatillo-Crucero highway"

Tito

I found a home for Tito, the rabbit that turned out to be a boy. Carmen Luz needed a male rabbit, and I sold him to her.

So, today I stopped by Carmen Luz's house. I had heard that her younger daugher, Elisabet, was sick and asked Elisabet about it. Here is how our conversation went:

Arlene: Es verdad que estas enferma? (Is it true that you are sick?)

Elisabet: Si. (yes)

Arlene: Que tienes? (What do you have?)

Elisabet: Un conejo! Ven a ver! (A rabbit! Come and see!)

pulga

On Thursday there was a 'pulga' (yard sale) at the preschool in Los Higos. When we host teams, they often leave donations (usually clothes, towels, and sheets) behind at the base. Rather than give these items away, Students International allows sites to sell them at low cost to raise money to buy things for the sites that wouldn't normally be included in our regular budgets. For example, a few months ago Johana had a pulga at the preschool to buy a television for the school.

The community always looks forward to sales like this. The picture below shows the crowd waiting at the gate for the sale to begin.

These pictures (which are my favorites) shows the people rushing towards the school once the gate was opened.

Here the people are crowded onto the porch of the school, looking through the items for sale: