Monday's feature pancakes for breakfast. They're a natural, cooked up on the grill just like tortillas. In prior years they were served with maple (flavored) syrup, rumored to have been donated in vast quantities by some Canadians. It must be gone now, and the Tias (housemothers and cooks) have made up their own sugar and water substitute. (How can we work under these conditions?!)
Our group meets in the orphanage chapel for our morning prayer. New in the chapel is a photo of a Tia's young son who had died in a car accident some months back.
Rather than the readings for each day, we always hear a Gospel reading chosen as pertinent for missionaries. Today it's Matthew 25:34-46. While the local priest's talk of exorcism in yesterday's homily elicited some raised eyebrows in our group, today we're warned about winding up in "the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels".
Some of us will be staffing the medical clinic on the grounds and seeing patients from the surrouding area. Some people will walk for hours to see our doctor and nurses. Some of us will be teaching English to groups of kids from the orphanage. I'm among those working in the Carpentry Shop, making components for the rebuilt housing units. When they're not in school, some of the kids work with us. The lumber will have to be cut, joined, and planed to size, brushed with insect repellant, and spray painted, with light sanding between coats.
Lunch includes what looked like cookies, but turned out to be lentil patties. Surprisingly (to me) good. One of our group says they were like something available at a Boston Falafel King. Back in our quarters, someone had stopped at a local panderia for some bread and the slightly sweet rolls. They'll be a tempting alternative when we're back to breakfast frijoles, probably tomorrow.
After lunch, spray painting has already started in the interior courtyard. My wife has only a morning English class to teach, so now takes on this job.
The fumes don't come into the shop, so don't paint high the roof beam carpenters.
One of the bearings in the planer fails, maybe from the years of working green wood. They'll check for a replacement in nearby Tecpan tomorrow.
At quitting time, not only is the water on (which it isn't, most of the time) there's hot water. I'm about due for a shower, and hot water is a plus.
The women's "dorm" is upstairs in the main building. It's just a large room, now with thin mattresses on foam rubber pads on the floor. The windows don't have screens, since this doesn't cause a problem with insects, but a couple sparrow families are nesting in the rafters. With the fledglings, there's a lot of flying in and out of the room. It creates pollution problems for those under the flight paths.
More rehearsal.
No comments:
Post a Comment