Begin forwarded message:
From: Jane boyce <janeboyce@live.com>
Date: January 27, 2018 at 11:15:04 PM AST
To: Jane boyce <janeboyce@live.com>
Subject: Update 7
Today we loaded the van with snack bags, personal cleaning bags, insect repellent, water filter pails & solar lights...all donated from various sources. We also put in a key board & I filled my bag with possible entertainment toys & games and then 3 church ladies, Johanna & us headed to an elderly care home where Johanna's grandmother(with Alzheimers) & great aunt live. About 15 patients live there without water or electricity. Elsi played some lively music which seemed to energize many. Some sang & some tried to sing. I was asked to do a reading & short talk, so when I opened my bible, out fell a Mother Teresa's prayer based on Rev 3:20. Perfect! Sure couldn't do better than her! Looking around, I knew most of the toys & games would not work...but balloon volleyball was a hit. Even the staff seemed to have fun. A few with less mobility liked playing with slime. All got a hug or gently arm caress. We left knowing we'd added a bit of joy to their day.
Lourdes, one of the church ladies, had worked as a translator for a big company...before Maria closed it down...so she was a well of information. She was also barely holding it together as she had not only lost her job to Maria, she'd lost two walls of a new addition she was building...and her Dad. He had been on oxygen which they hooked up to a generator but it ran out of gas & the stress caused a heart attack. He died as she struggled to fill it up & get the oxygen mask on. In spite of this...she said good will come out of Maria. She explained that the gov't had been in control of the island's electricity & water and had been using band aides to keep it going for years. Since the gov't was bankrupted, they had to let in other companies who were rebuilding it much stronger. Maria had blown open their closets and exposed the skeletons.
Though I could understand her point, how she could ever use the word good when talking about Maria...who had torn so much away from her...amazed me. She was firm in her belief that God will give her the strength she needs to go on.
After we got back, Elsi & I walked to the grocery store & then fixed a Taco Salad for later. Then we went to the 5 o'clock church service. Boy do they put their hearts into playing their music & singing..which was most the service. The music surrounded you as in one front corner was the keyboard & drums, another front corner, a singer, up front another singer, in the first pew was a tambourine player & four rows back was the trumpet player. Add the hand clapping congregation singing with gusto...now that's music that can be heard in heaven!
Several joined us for dinner after and most of the taco salad disappeared as we visited & lined up more jobs. We sleep well.
