The Treasures of the Mines

Yesterday was the first day of the class for literacy. We decided the class will be called "The Treasures of the Mines" since the place where they live is called "the mines" or "Las Minitas" and they are treasures!

First we had to carry everything up the mountain, then down the other side. We left the chalkboard at the office because we were already loaded down. I was carrying a backpack full of books that weighed over 30 pounds. The chalkboard can wait for next week.

Luis looking back down the mountain
There are a few steps here, funded by my organization,
built by Luis and his community

This is Luis. He is my only male student. He was the first to step up and say that he wanted to participate in the class, which is strange because he is very timid and shy. He seems so excited! We called to ask one of the men to come down and help us carry a table up the mountain. Although we asked for someone else, we were not surprised when Luis showed up. I followed him up the mountain with a backpack full of books. Finally he suggested I walk ahead because I kept asking him to slow down. With a table on his back, he couldn't see that he was leaving me behind!

The view Luis saw as he looked back at the city

Luis going down the back side of the mountain
Here you can see the 2 tubes that pipe water
to the back of the mountain once/month.
When the water from the city comes, they move these tubes from house to house,
filling every container they own with water to last for the month to come.

My coworker, Doña Angelica (60 yrs old), and Doña Maria (58)
carrying the chairs and dry erase board down the mountain

I can't get enough of the view from outside our classroom

Doña Angelica is my coworker. She got me all settled in. Then she took off to do home visits. When she first told me that was her plan, I felt a little nervous. I didn't want her to leave me alone. Especially since the people who trained me said that I should have an assistant. But Doña Angelica said the people would loosen up and get more comfortable if she left. She was right. For some reason they were much more relaxed when it was just me with them.

First we prayed. Let me tell you I had no problem finding someone to pray in this group! First one lady prayed. Then another lady, who is the mother of three of my students, said she really needed to pray. She said she has been praying to God for the opportunity for her kids to learn to read and write and she needs to thank Him. She said the most beautiful prayer!

Then she sat down and started to participate in the class! At the end she decided to officially join. She struggles most, but I will make an extra effort to encourage her. I hope she sticks with it. Her name is Doña Francisca. She said she doesn't know how old she is.

We started the class by talking about education and why it is important. I told them the class was initially intended to be for single women. But when Luis said he wanted to join and I saw in his eyes how excited he was, we decided to enroll the people who really want to learn. I told the ladies that one day Luis will be the head of his family. He will need to know this stuff! They all readily agreed.

It seems to be a perfect group. Doña Francisca's oldest daughter didn't come. They said she was washing clothes. Sounds like a crazy reason to miss class for you and I. But these people only get water piped in once each month. Yesterday was the day. So she had to wash while she had water coming in. Otherwise she would have to wash clothes using the water that she needs to store for the month to come.

Normally Fany and I get water from the city every 3 days. Right now it is very dry so it only comes every 2 weeks. We do the same thing as the ladies in the mountains. We drop everything and wash our clothes. Tuesday I was almost late for work because the water came at 5 a.m. and we had to do laundry. We filled the washing machines, the pilas and watered all of the plants while the water was still coming from the city. That way everything that needed water in that moment was covered and our cistern was filled for future needs.

Water day is a beautiful day in these communities. Everything is so colorful with laundry hanging everywhere!

In the morning while I was getting ready to leave, suddenly I became really nervous. I felt completely unprepared. Everything seemed wrong. I was a mess! So I sent an email out to my prayer team.

All of the way to the office and in the ride to Villa Nueva with security I kept getting messages. As Luis and I walked up the mountain he asked why my phone kept making sounds. I told him it was people praying for us. As the ladies prayed to start the class it alerted me again that I had a message. After we finished praying I told the group that I was nervous this morning (I figured they were all nervous too) and I had asked for prayer from my friends. Throughout the class more emails came.

As we did an activity where the class was drawing, I had the opportunity to read the emails to them. They were so encouraged and honored to think that people from another country were praying for them in that very moment! They felt really special. Thank you prayer team! Your prayers helped us in more ways than you ever expected!

We did an activity about what things can stand in the way of our learning. Everyone drew pictures of things that can distract them. One lady said she really likes to care for her garden, one lady said she is busy making tortillas to sell, I drew a picture of the water coming and the laundry that needs to be washed, one drew housework, Luis drew a construction project that he is working on at home.

Meet my class!
Doña Maria Virginia is 58, Maria Rosa is 45 like me, Luis is 15, his Mom Francisca (who doesn't know her age) and his sister Erika is 17. Missing is sister Nohemy (18), who was washing clothes, Olga who everyone was very silent about, and Victoria who got a job!

Our Classroom - Look! We already have a mascot!

Francisca is excited.
The opportunity she has prayed for is here!
She and her children can learn to read and write.

Luis is really shy. 
He had trouble learning in the past
but he did a great job today!

Erika got sleepy at the end.
Probably from all of the housework she does.

Doña Maria is a pillar of the community.
She sells tortillas for a living.
These are her tortillas.

Maria Rosa is a quick learner.
Her goal is to be able to read the bible.
Her job could stand in the way of attending the class.
She sweeps the streets for a living.

They had so much fun coloring in their drawings! I am going to have them draw more often. It was relaxing and enjoyable to them. Remember, most of these people never really had a childhood. They didn't go to school and began working just to survive at an early age.

After we finished the drawings we put them on the floor as landmines and had each person walk through the "field of mines" blindfolded. Then we talked more about what could keep them from being successful in class. Francisca insisted that nothing can keep any of them from success because this is God's plan. But it is good to be aware of possible obstacles in any case.

After the game we settled in for some serious studying. This program is based on phonetics, which is perfect for Spanish. The class has already learned to "read" the words 'education', 'eye' and 'one' (in Spanish). When my coworker, Doña Angelica, came back at the end of the class, she was happily surprised to see all of the progress they have made.

At the end of class we have to leave the space empty. There is no door or windows, so things could get stolen. Everyone helped pack up. Then they all gave me huge, loving hugs. They prayed blessings over me and thanked me for coming. I thanked each of them just as much. They blessed me in a way they will probably never understand.

I never take selfies, but here is one.
I wanted to remember this moment!

When it came time to meet security, Doña Angelica and I headed back down the mountain. Although I was carrying 30 pounds of books, I floated. The joy God gave me this day filled my heart to overflowing. I am so grateful for this opportunity!

I wish the class could be more than one day per week. I worry that once/week is not enough to keep them motivated and keep the information fresh in their mind.

I think this day is one I will remember for the rest of my life.