A Diamond in the Rough!

Yesterday I got another glimpse into the life of  cross-cultural missionary.  I now can see why nailing down a job description is next to impossible: the act of loving others has as many different angles as a brilliantly cut diamond.

On Sunday, Travis was approached by a gentleman in the church to see if he could help his family install a shower.  Having never been to their house, all he could go on were the descriptions he was given.  He was told that the family was given the land and the house by a priest in the area.  He was also told that the shower should only cost about $50 for the parts and that the installation shouldn't be that difficult.  He arranged to meet the husband and wife in the city center on Tuesday morning and invited me and his father to join him in assessing the situation.

Taxi Truck Ecuadorian-style

What a humbling experience!  We met the husband and wife at his place of employment: his shoe shining stand in front of a restaurant.  His wife took us, by bus, out to their home.  We had to transfer from the city bus to an inter-city bus that took us out the highway towards Azogues.  After close to an hour of travel we stepped off the bus and into a taxi truck.  It was a good thing we got into the truck as we found out later that it takes the family about 20 minutes to climb the steep, winding dirt road.   When we came to a stop, the three of us climbed out of the box and were quite surprised to not have to walk more than ten feet to their home.

Cistern for drinking H20 - $5/month to fill

Laundry station

Relationships are definitely more important than tasks in this culture.  Maria was happy to show us around, explaining their water situation, describing the plants in her garden, showing us their 2 roosters and 2 hens, letting us in on how they raise the 10 chicks they have, and giving us a bit of the history of their home.  We had a look at the washroom situation (which was surprisingly newer than some I've seen over the past 5 weeks!).  She told us they would like to build a shower room on the side of the washroom.  She said that she calculated it to be about $300 worth of work.  We talked a little longer about what it would take to build the little addition and then that conversation drifted onto other topics.  She welcomed us into her three room house, asked us if we'd eaten and offered to prepare a snack for us.  Knowing that the family lives on very little we declined.  It was touching to see how, even though their furniture was aging, they really took care of their household.

The washroom and the pallet-fence for the chicks

After about 20 minutes, conversation again turned to the shower situation.  This time we were brainstorming how things might be done at less cost and by an earlier date.  We moved out to the washroom once again and began to envision how it would look if the shower were in the same room as the toilet.  With all three of us having seen the shower/toilet shared washroom before, we managed to convince her that this was a better option.  Right in the midst of our discussion, I noticed that the kitten was chasing four of the chicks that had escaped from their roughly fenced in area.  This turned my attention to how the fence might be reinforced to keep the chicks in.  These little birdies mean a to a family that works hard to make a living.  By raising them themselves, they save a lot of money by not having to purchase them from the store like we do ($.50/chick compared to $8-10/roasted chicken).

When our time came to a close, Maria had a list of items that she was going to price out and we had roughly set a date to meet again.  As we walked the steep, road down to the highway I snapped the picture above.  What a contrast between rich and poor--and only a hillside apart!  One might say that, on this little day trip, I discovered a diamond in the rough of sorts.  All of the extravagant haciendas in the world can't compared to the beauty of a family living on what the Lord has given them.  These are the kind of experiences that I pray we all have someday as I am certain that God uses them to help us see the world through his eyes.  If you haven't had the privilege of sharing time and conversation with someone less fortunate then yourself, step out of your comfort zone and watch what the love of God can do!