Dear Friends,
We're back from Lajas. Actually we got back almost two weeks ago,
but have been quite busy. Anne Marie's father and sister have been with us from Canada and we have enjoyed having them with us. It was great
having Peter around as the extra hand meant I was able to get some beds made for our house in Lajas, and also we were able to do some overdue repairs and maintenance to our truck.
We had a good time in Lajas although the kids seemed to be more bored
this time, and struggled to think of things to keep themselves entertained. On the other hand, we amazingly got quite allot of work done on the house. I say amazingly, as it seems there is much that can deter the process. This time it wasn't the lack of water as on arrival I filled up two barrels just in case. The rest of the village might have gone thirsty, but at least we got our rendering and whitewash done (joke!). Fortunately right now the water is flowing. The main thing that seems to really hinder productivity, is the incredibly organized way the Tepehuan seem to visit. They seem to deliberately wait right till we are about to start doing some work. Of course to show friendliness, one can't continue on working, one is obligated to sit and visit. Once the visit is over, we quickly try and get something done before more arrive. It can get quite frustrating especially if you are mixing cement or lime to work with. A couple of times the mixes got quite thick before we could get back to them.
Thankfully for the most part, we were able to keep all our visitors feeling loved and accepted and we were able to get allot of work done. Anne Marie was quite the trooper and managed to get nearly all two rooms in the existing house painted with lime. This is no easy process as lime is much more difficult to paint with and requires a couple of coats. The finished product is quite impressive, so much so that we forgot to take a picture of it.
Barry and I will be heading out to Lajas again on Friday for about a week. Barry will be getting a start on his house, and I'll be trying to get as much work done on our house extension. We're trying to catch up, as previously we held off on house improvements due to the conflicts in the village. Now that things seem to have settled down and we seem to have acceptance again, we are steadily trying to get back on schedule.
Continue to pray for open doors and hearts in Lajas. We also appreciate your prayers for endurance. As many of you know, it is a slow and long haul, and at times its easy not only to get weary of what we are doing, but sometimes actually quite bored of it. House improvements that would normally only take weeks or months to do in the city, are taking well over a year in Lajas. Of course the remoteness and road are a large factor, and also the recent resistance in the village, but some days all we want to see is the finished product. But amazingly we find ourselves heading out to Lajas again, and once out there and once with the people, things get encouraging and exciting again.
For Jesus,
Andrew and Anne Marie
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January 2006 trip report
