TGIF

May the blessing of God rest upon the people who figured out that the best schedule for our mission trip is to work for two days, have a weekend, then work for three more! It makes life much easier for those of us unaccustomed to hours of physical labor.

Work today continued on the trench for the retaining wall foundation. Part of the soil we're digging through is actually fill that was trucked in more than a year ago to provide flat space where before there had been only hillside. So to get the trench deep enough to be a strong foundation, we have to dig pretty much to the original ground level. This provides some interesting challenges, as for instance when we encountered a tree that had been partially buried by the original fill and now had to be cleared for the foundation. The crowning moment of the day for me was when we dug the tree down to its roots, chopped a couple of roots loose, and watched the whole tree tip over with a slow eerie grace. And we didn't even need to get the ax!

It wasn't all digging, of course. We unloaded truck deliveries of roof beams, roofing sheet metal, cinder blocks, and bags of cement. We painted said beams. We went through another two big bottles of water. It was a hot day today. Once again today, we quit a bit early because the water ran out. I think we've figured this out: drink lots of water, and stop work early. Sounds like a plan.

The town of Copan Ruinas picks up the pace for Friday nights. Saturday and Sunday are market days, but on the Friday nights beforehand the shops open up, the bars are doing more business, there are more street vendors, and generally more people about. This allowed us to see firsthand how some foreign policy decisions have effects on local lives. Oakley and Ted and Michael, who speak enough Spanish to have actual conversations with the owners of the restaurants and hotel we frequent, had heard that business was way down, due in large part to the absence of American tourists because of the travel advisories posted after the ouster of Zelaya as president. Cashapas, a favorite restaurant, had not had a single customer from July to December. Earlier today I saw a few other visitors staying in the Plaza Copan hotel with us, and they were not Americans. And walking by the plaza tonight, I didn't see any other Americans at all; last year I remember at least a few here at the same time we were. One Copaneco starting yelling obscenities at Lee and me as we walked to dinner, venting his general rage at American interference with their enconomy at the only Americans he could see. It is disturbing to come to another place, intending to do some good while you're there, and to realize that you are the symbol of some people's anger at the same time you're doing your best to join with others to be a sign of hope. But then the Gospel is often disturbing, and we are certainly not the first to grapple with anger while we try to share in hope.

Many of our party have been checking emails and phoning home, and there is great interest here in how you all in Staunton are coping with the snow. We are encouraged by the reports we've been hearing. We trust you'll arrange for sunny skies and snow-melting temperatures by the time we get back.

May the Peace of Christ be with you,
Paul+