I wanted to share my observations of my last work day that really summed up my whole week.
Eliud Deida is a project supervisor from Arecibo who traveled to our work site (1 to 11/2 hours away) to bring us needed supplies and worked with us on our last day. He thanked us for what we are doing for God and his people of Puerto Rico. He was very passionate about the relationship of PR and the USA. And about how many Puerto Rican’s have served in the military and have volunteered in the US. Actually Puerto Rico is a state in every way like Hawaii except that it has no congressional representation and cannot vote for The President. He implored us to share that there is so much more need than they can handle after hurricane Maria. As he spoke the pain in his eyes told the story of a country overwhelmed with the task of getting back to normal in so many areas of their country.
We celebrated the victory with Eliud as we got Dennis’s house more livable and we cried at the enormity left to do. We noticed the imperfections in our work as Dennis shouted ‘Lindo…Lindo….Lindo,’ which translates to ‘Beautiful…Beautiful…. Beautiful.’ I promise you’ll never feel the same after working yourself to a sore nub and a man whose sole possessions fit in a 4’ closet, has no kitchen sink, keeps his food in a cooler and only piece of furniture is a bed and a plastic chair is chanting ‘Lindo, Lindo,’ smiles and gives you a huge hug. Our sore muscles will heal and go back to feeling the same but our hearts will be forever be changed with a fondness for Puerto Rico and a love for its passionate, welcoming and resilient people.
Quick Servey
What was the most useful thing you borrowed from someone?
– Greg’s tape measure
What were the 3 most useful things you brought?
– Wilderness Wash
– Small lantern to read by at night
– Yeti travel bag for tools
What 3 things do you wish you had brought?
– Large to go cup for my coffee
– Impact Driver
– Blue tooth boom box
What 3 things did you bring that you didn’t need?
– Solar panel to charge a cell phone
– Bug spray
– Knee pads
What are your 3 favorite things about the people at IMLA?
– How willing they are to give a hug
– That they are gracious and hospitable hosts.
– Everyone smiles a lot
What are the 3 funniest things that happened this week?
– Greg dropping his hammer on Puppy(the dog was not injured)
– Sue thinking the ice cream menu was a column of English with a column of Spanish translation and ending up with the most bizarre double scoop combination of mint chocolate chip and tamarindo.
– Ellen closing a door with no handles and getting locked in the room she was painting but didn’t want anyone to get her out until she finished.
What was your favorite work tool?
– Impact Driver
What are your top 3 moments working on Dennis’ house?
– When Denise walked around saying Lindo,Lindo,Lindo
– Just the amount of teamwork and cooperation from 10 people all working in a small space
– When Seungsoo walked in with the last piece to go up.
What are your top 3 moments of the entire trip?
What surprised you about Puerto Rico?
– How put back together Old San Juan is. You would never know Puerto Rico had a hurricane if you only stayed in old San Juan.
What was your favorite nature moment/discovery?
– The tiny lizard
What was harder or worse than you expected?
– Hammering nails in those dang boards
What was your favorite food?
– Bebo’s rotisserie chicken
What are 3 things you most looking forward to when you get back to the States?
– Hot water
– Ice
– Not wearing my hiking boots
What 3 things surprised you about yourself this week?
– The thing that surprised me the most was how calm I was when we didn’t have what we needed on the first day. I felt an amazing calm resolve to just get it going and not waste time complaining. I normally would call out a guy like Anthony for wasting our time and valuable resources and not being prepared. But I had this peace covering me all week.
What 3 things did you discover about others on our team?
– How fun they are. There was a lot of laughs and good-natured teasing. I loved getting to know new things about our team members.
– Seungsoo told stories of the deep sacrifices his father made
– Greg told a super funny story about a hotel he and Daph stayed in while on a rafting trip in WV
What are 3 strengths of our team?
– Determined
– Cooperative
– Supportive
What word or phrase would you use, to sum up, this week for you?
– Provision
To learn more about our experience, click here and read our blog
I wanted to share my observations of my last work day that really summed up my whole week.
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