Just when I thought I had aced all the tricks of volunteering at a
SCAW distribution, I learned something new today: bedkits and volunteers
do not always show up at the same time.
Each distribution requires a meticulously finessed
arrangement of mattresses, pillows, backpacks and supplies to be at a
site at the same time as the volunteer team. That did not happen today
at Xalteva, our distribution site in Granada. We were there, but some of
the bedkits were not. However, with some fine orchestration on the part
of our calm and careful leader, Judy Dryden, the remaining kits were
rounded up and, after a two-hour delay, we were in business.
The children, as usual, were beautiful, sweet
and thrilled to receive their bedkits. They seemed particularly poor, if
their shabby clothing and bare feet were any indication. One little boy
rushed up to me, threw his arms around me and said, "I love you." What
can you say to that?
I met two young gals from Minnesota, Liz Nichole and
Jaime Belden, who are living in Granada and working in an extremely
poor area called El Pantanal. They teach elementary school and useful
skills such as how to grow a vegetable garden in an old wooden pallet.
At the end of our hot and sticky day the six of us went for our daily helado, or ice cream. No wonder we call ourselves the "Ice Cream Team."
