Back to the days - where God is, nothing is missing.

So the last couple days, provided a little twist of events. Tuesday morning I took off with Father Michael for a driving orientation. It was mainly simple things, the exit to get to the ranch, how to get through the border and then onto the road that goes to the orphanage and minor road rules to be aware of. After running some errands it worked out best if I stayed up and helped paint the inside of a house on Wednesday. I guess it wasn’t necessarily on the agenda, but it was nice to have a little change of pace, something new something different.

The painting took almost all of the day yesterday, and I crossed back over the border following Father Michael’s car in the night. Something I’ve appreciated is how they’ve not necessarily babied me along, they’ve expected me to learn quickly, and hold my own. I like that. All the staff and boys have been very kind, I know that if I struggle they are there to help out, but at the same time they expect you to be an adult and carry a solid load.

That said, I’m finding that to be able to thrive here, you have to go back to your childhood days in a sense. Being with the boys there are a number of games that I initially thought were pretty immature and lame. But the boys like the games, and I’ve learned that I can go back to playing little “last tag” games, and rough housing. If you can appreciate the little things you would welcome as a child, you’ll thrive. On Monday, I helped water plants on the grounds. Something they have to do here is create a small soil wall around each plant. When the water is poured in, it creates a small pond around the plant. This allows the watering to seep deeper into the desert soil that’s destitute of all moisture. In addition to the little ponds, we had to create small canals to chute the water away from some plants, and help the hill avoid corrosion. To do all of this, I had to get down onto my hands and knees in the dirt and mud and make these walls. As an adult, you’re thinking gosh, this ground is rocky, I wish I didn’t have to kneel, there’s mud everywhere. So quickly I tried to think more with the mind of younger boy, basically go back ten years. Suddenly the job was an exciting activity. Could I actually create the river to avoid destroying some of the plants? Could I create walls that would contain the water? In only a few minutes my annoying job turned into a great experience. Recent trips into town, seeing new place and things, it’s like exploring and going on small adventures. The detour and painting the house, could be seen as an annoying job, yet I appreciated it as something new, and something different. I’m trying to take everything as feeding my appetite for new experiences and seeing new places. So far, it’s been a great journey back the days of childhood.

--- other notes
- Looks like tonight I might get to go rock climbing!
- Tomorrow, I’ll probably be shuttling things up and back from the office through the border to the orphanage. A long day of sitting in border lines, but new experiences right?
- I love the southwest!
- Saying from today I liked…
o Donde ha FE, hay AMOR – Donde hay AMOR, hay PAZ – Donde hay PAS, esta DIOS – Y donde esta DIOS, no falta nada.
o Translation – Where there is Faith, there is Love. Where there is Love, there is Peace. Where there is Peace, there God is. Where God is, nothing is missing.