Ginny, one of the team members, called with the following message: Everyone is doing well and enjoying the trip. Waking up at 7:00 a.m. every morning, to the smell of fresh air and the sounds of the birds chirping has been amazing. Between the sounds of the birds, you can hear people and vehicles in front of our hotel. It’s been a great place to stay and we are enjoying the great food. Driving along the winding roads filled with buses, bikes, people and donkeys on the way to El Obraje is a delight in and of itself. Upon arrival into El Obraje we are greeted by chickens, pigs, horses and cows all walking freely in the middle of the street. The entire team is amazed by the beauty of the flowering trees in El Obraje, they are so beautiful.
The roads are filled with smoke from the women cooking on their adobe stoves. We have been very busy building the Rocket stoves for families. The team has built 6 so far and will build several more. We are split into two teams, each team building 2 stoves a day. The Rocket stoves build up heat up very quickly. The heat spreads evenly throughout the stove and vents the smoke outside of the house. The stoves only utilize two sticks of wood, which is definitely saving wood compared to the adobe stoves.
The team was blessed as they attended a church service in El Obraje at the community center with 90 adults and children present. Pastor Alejandro preached and we listened to wonderful music. Worshiping God with the people of El Obraje has been a definite highlight of the trip. After worship, we served small plates of food to the congregants and shared gifts with the children. The bracelets were made by both the children of Navajo Nation and Resurrection and crosses were made by our friends at Rez West.
We are having an absolutely wonderful experience and enjoying serving and the people of El Obraje. We are all staying healthy and looking forward to several more days of service. – Ginny
Jim – I told the team that I was praying for them and we all send our love.