Went to the birthday party. It was really nice. Tons of food and 2 cakes because two people in the family share a birthday. Unfortunately we didn't get to cut into either.
We arrived kind of late and had to park out by the front gate of a large property. People next door were having a party under a big white tent. Our party was in a beautiful garden with balloons hung along the driveway.
Everyone was eating as we arrived so we grabbed some food and joined them. There were several different groups of seating, one in the shade, one in a garden, one in an outside kitchen/dining area. I sat in the shade and had a good time talking and joking with my landlord's family.
As we were finishing our dinner the group from the dining area filed past. They were headed out for a walk. Suddenly the "cumpleñero" (birthday boy) came back speaking very urgently and telling someone to hurry. We couldn't hear anything more but everyone at my table was curious about what was going on. We went back to eating but at one point someone said that we were going to be left curious about what had happened to make the cumpleñero so upset.
After about 10 minutes someone came over and said that the boy who works as the groundskeeper was found lying unconscious . I was confused, but so was everyone. Over time the story was pieced together. The birthday boy went out for a walk and found the unconscious body of the caretaker, Gustavo. Gustavo is a 32 year old man who has worked for the family since he was 18 years old. Normally he would have been present for dinner parties. In fact someone even walked down to the neighbors to fetch Gustavo when they noticed he was missing. The neighbors acted a little strange and said Gustavo left. That's all they would say.
Three hours later the family found Gustavo unconscious. It was unclear if he had been using inhalants as well as alcohol. He has no history of ever having touched alcohol in the 14 years he worked for the family. But they described Gustavo as a follower. The family just hired a new man to work alongside Gustavo. The new guy had admitted to having a history of drug use.
As more people became aware of the situation and pieced together the pieces it seemed the new guy had been drinking grain alcohol and probably huffing paint with Gustavo. Since Gustavo didn't know his limits, he ended up unconscious. The new guy apparently left him for dead. Later in the night the new guy was peering into the property. Someone who didn't recognized him asked what he was doing. The new guy explained he worked for the family, but left. (He will be let go from his job tomorrow.)
The birthday boy got Gustavo to the hospital in 10 minutes. Normally it is a 30 minute drive with no traffic. Last we heard, he was still unconscious. They had given him a lot of fluids and were doing blood work to see how to treat him. Cell phone reception is horrible so everyone was trying to call Gustavo's family. Finally they got through to a neighbor who was going to go to Gustavo's house and to let his wife and 2 kids know Gustavo was in the hospital.
We tried to make the most of the occasion, but there was an undeniable damper on the evening. Since the birthday boy was at the hospital with Gustavo we didn't even cut the cake, which looked delicious. It was nice to spend the evening with a wonderful family and great food. Nobody is sure what will happen to Gustavo. Thank God they decided to go for a walk, since apparently he had been lying unconscious for at least 3 hours. A sad ending to an otherwise great day.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
A better day :)
This morning I woke up early to be at the Men's Conference by 8:30. We stuffed folders, served food, and I took a ton of photos. One of the men lent me his camera. I think I took over 200 photos. A lot of them were really good. The whole conference was nice. It was special because Jairo is moving to the US on Wednesday so it was his last time to speak to the men he has been living his life with. They said they will invite him to come back and speak at the conference next year. All of the speakers were really good, but to me Jairo was best.
When they first asked me to serve at this I was not thrilled about having to be there all day, but it was really fun and the men were very appreciative. It was nice to be able to serve them. So many of them do nice things for me. This is one way I can show my gratitude to them.
Jairo had me take photos of his empty desk. I staged one completely empty except for his signature Diet Coke (or Coca Light as they say in Honduras). We took photos of him with his bag, walking out of his office, turning off the lights and closing the door. He seems pretty excited to be going. I know he will miss his friends in Honduras, but I also know he will be a blessing to people in the United States.
One elder's car was not working so I got an opportunity to talk about how awful my day was yesterday in more detail. He told me that the church will support me in any way they can. He said things will change a lot after Jairo leaves, not because Jairo's way was bad, but because the people who are in charge have different gifts and manners of leading. The elders will meet with each of the people who are currently heading up programs (including me) to ask what we think, how we feel, and if we see any changes that need to be made. Everyone is in agreement that I will be serving in different capacities. We are just not sure exactly how yet. But I am open to any ideas.
As you can see, today was a much better day. Tonight I am going to a birthday party with my landlords' family. Tomorrow I am driving a ton of people to church because Jairo has an early breakfast down in the city so he can't take the people who normally ride with him.
To those of you who prayed for me, thank you. I think things will continue to get better, but I could use your prayer coverage for a few more days. I feel you interceding on my behalf and I appreciate it!
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| Jairo and me |
When they first asked me to serve at this I was not thrilled about having to be there all day, but it was really fun and the men were very appreciative. It was nice to be able to serve them. So many of them do nice things for me. This is one way I can show my gratitude to them.
Jairo had me take photos of his empty desk. I staged one completely empty except for his signature Diet Coke (or Coca Light as they say in Honduras). We took photos of him with his bag, walking out of his office, turning off the lights and closing the door. He seems pretty excited to be going. I know he will miss his friends in Honduras, but I also know he will be a blessing to people in the United States.
One elder's car was not working so I got an opportunity to talk about how awful my day was yesterday in more detail. He told me that the church will support me in any way they can. He said things will change a lot after Jairo leaves, not because Jairo's way was bad, but because the people who are in charge have different gifts and manners of leading. The elders will meet with each of the people who are currently heading up programs (including me) to ask what we think, how we feel, and if we see any changes that need to be made. Everyone is in agreement that I will be serving in different capacities. We are just not sure exactly how yet. But I am open to any ideas.
As you can see, today was a much better day. Tonight I am going to a birthday party with my landlords' family. Tomorrow I am driving a ton of people to church because Jairo has an early breakfast down in the city so he can't take the people who normally ride with him.
To those of you who prayed for me, thank you. I think things will continue to get better, but I could use your prayer coverage for a few more days. I feel you interceding on my behalf and I appreciate it!
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