Reynosa Spring March 27, 2018

Tuesday, Mar 27, 2018

7 AM the usual morning lineup

Woken up with fruit salad, egg casserole and breakfast brownies (okay, they were just brownies), we prepared for the day of work ahead. The drive through the border was uneventful at most, but it was of course filled with the fatally catchy songs of our favorite artists, JB and Taylor Swift. After the group reconvened at the Community Center, the guys in the group headed off with Bruce to work on the house. The girls stayed with Paula to help the ladies that meet every Tuesday and Thursday to sew quilts that they sell and gave to the missionaries to furnish the newly built houses.

Every Scrap of Fabric Counts

At first, only one lady was working at her sewing machine, but as 3 more arrived, the mood in the room lifted. Our team could communicate with the talented women in the room through laughter and shared love of patterns and colors. The team made 2 entire quilts from scratch, but with a lot of help from everyone in the room. No matter how many times a patch was sewn on incorrectly or a stitch was sewn wrong, all of the ladies were eager to help, and endlessly patient and encouraging. To work, laugh, help, and smile with these wonderful women was an honor for me, and I could see my joy reflected on my team members’ faces.

Not only were the ladies a joy to be around, but they were incredibly talented. They worked magic with their sewing machines, and could take the smallest squares of patterned and plain fabric alike, and create a miracle. I could see how happy they were to teach us – they had been as inexperienced as we were once. Kami used her talents to reach out to the 2 young girls that showed up at the Community Center. They played games, the language barrier no longer a setback for Kami, but rather a challenge as she connected so deeply with the girls. Through hand gestures, smiles, our limited Spanish, and our translators Abby and Marlo, we made quilts, and we made them for Christ. It was a day that would without doubt be remembered by everyone in our mission team and everyone we met today.

House:  Nearly Complete

Did just the guys finish the house today? Half the crew from yesterday quilted. Well, we rolled up our sleeves and saw what we could get done. Before we knew it, we had installed the front door with locks, rafters, the loft, and a good part of the electrical systems. The crew was working strong, but we missed the rest of our crew. It was a welcome sight to see the women, which meant it was time for lunch. The amazing food prepared for us by the family that we built the house for. The menu was empanadas (with delicious and very spicy salsa verde) as well as chicken and rice tacos. But what about the sandwiches prepared for us by Paula and Mary Lou? The food by our hosts was so plentiful we didn’t even think about the sandwiches. 

After lunch, we got back to work and completed the roof, trim, upstairs windows, outside awning, inside railing and 90% of the electrical. As we left, we were able to actually give the family the keys to their house (it was not quite done, but it looks it from the outside). 

The whole day, it was amazing to see various groups of people working together on each section:  Clint and Caleb tackled the awning, Pastor Jaime and Todd; the upstairs windows, Caleb and Scott; the front door.  Everyone else installed the rafters; Colin, Charles, and Ian did the inside railing, and the local crew were knocking out the electrical like they were experts.

Oh…and dinner: Paula’s amazing Meat Loaf and Cheese Potatoes, along with Lemon and Chocolate pie. 😊 What will tomorrow bring?  

Eva & Scott