Pilorinho

Chicken Update

This week we immunized the chickens.  We were also able to get a good count, 317.  That number matches the count by the technicians so we feel good about it.  The chickens continue to be a source of joy for us as we think about how they will bless families when they go to their new homes around the first of August.

Pilorinho

We also continued our humanitarian work by visiting a community center.  Pilorinho is the name of the infamous marble pillar in Cidade Velha that was used for punishing slaves (We posted a photo in an earlier post.)  It is also the name of a community center in Achada Grande:  Pilorinho.  During our tour we saw this wire sculpture in their library.  It was a symbol of slavery, yet in this instance, a symbol of unity and overcoming.

We also saw community members relaxing and reading.  The center itself is a "recycled" concrete building that community members came together and painted and refurbished to be a positive place for gathering and creating.

On the roof they are making furniture out of reclaimed wood.











And around the building they are using some drip irrigation to grow some banana and mango trees and other things, so that children who come to the center have some food.  The day we were there a group of children and adults were sitting together shelling tamarinds.  They gave me one - - I liked it!  Thank heavens for my limited Portuguese, that I might connect with people and just talk to them about their lives. Since I am a missionary, often they want to talk about faith.  It's kind of wonderful having people from all kinds of backgrounds telling me about how important God is to them.  It's a privilege to hear their stories.










It was a very difficult week in many ways.  But now that we are though it we look back and see that the challenges were actually doors opening.  Challenges with organizing chicken coop construction and with coordinating medical care for missionaries on other islands, these brought frustration and physical hardship as we wrestled with real problems-- resulting in a lot of humility for us, absolutely, as we were reminded how are helpless we are alone, being so dependent on the good people around us and especially the grace of God-- but also resulting in increased faith.  As we endure we feel our faith grow.  We continue to survive and thrive, and our hearts are full of gratitude for help seen and unseen that is getting us through.