| Day 4 (Tuesday March 13, 2007) |
Today’s workday started just as yesterday’s did, crammed in the backseat of a small car
next to the bishop on the way to San Marcos. He is a very sweet, almost shy man.
Both days he told of the challenges he faces as an Episcopal bishop in Mexico.
He understands the controversy going on in the American church but his church is just
struggling to survive. Those issues have no meaning to his church. He told us of a
conversation he had when he was asked why we would come so far just to paint.
Shawn, Ralph and I listened as he said that everyone knew that we had left our families and
our jobs. “I can tell them Jesus loves them but you must be practical. The church has
Getting Our Behinds to Work!
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not been painted in 25 or 30 years, since it was built. When we paint their church they
know we think it is important, that they are important.” Then he showed us the meaning
of practical. Yesterday, he helped move furniture. Today he scrubbed toilets.
San Marcos is a big church, at least it seems so when you are painting it.
But it had fallen into a state in dingy disrepair. We had an almost overwhelming job:
paint the entire outside (2 stories), the entire inside, and the building next door that
contained 3 bathrooms and a small sacristy/office area, also inside and out. We have one
paid helper, Sergio, who speaks no English and an Episcopal priest who speaks some
English. We, also, have each other. It would be hard to find a harder working easygoing
bunch.
As we begin to transform the church into pristine whiteness, we have begun to be
transformed ourselves. For me it is the sweet moments I will remember: listening to
Jerre persistently, and sweetly, try to talk to Sergio in English with an occasional
Spanish word thrown in while he barely responded and yet today he was miming silliness
to get his point across or watching Betty diligently working as hard as the rest of us
After a Hard Day's Work, Dixie Is Dozing!
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when most women her age would be home knitting, or hearing why a young man had left the
Roman Catholic seminary to become an Episcopal priest to the mystification of all his
friends, or seeing a cooler filled with cold water dragged into the church by 2 women
who spoke no English but smiled with glowing beauty.
Each person in my group became an inspiration; Ron, our captain, is aware of everything
that must be done and commands his forces with courtesy and loving strength. Barbara
worked without complaint while fighting a migraine. Shawn, our interpreter, lets us find
our own words with our new friends rather than trying to dominate the conversations, she
has the grace to wait for us. Carl, who quietly and cheerfully, does any task asked of
him, a solid friendly companion. And finally, Ralph, who is just ‘one of the guys’ and
yet is also our shepherd. Each day he gives us beatitude and shows us, with his attitude,
how to be beautiful.
But today’s favorite moment for me was when one of the women from the church appeared
at the doorway of the sacristy (where I had spent most of the day) and spoke determinedly
to me in Spanish. I had no clue what she said but she did not go away discouraged by my
Painting Stops Long Enough to Enjoy Dinner Together
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inadequacy. Instead, she continued to repeat herself until her mother said, ‘She wants
to paint’. I gave her the roller in my hand and motioned her to the wall I had been
painting. She grinned a delighted grin and attacked the wall with energy I hadn’t had
for hours. I realized I had better find something else for her to paint or we would back
to square one with the miscommunication thing. So I stole paint, a brush and a roller
from Jerre and began trimming the lower section of the wall so that my new friend could
begin rolling the new color once she was finished with the wall she was painting.
We spent the next hour or so painting together and learning to understand each other. Words
from my high school Spanish class seemed to appear from nowhere while she quickly taught
me new ones. The color we were using was ‘melon’ and we were using ‘dos manos’ (2 coats).
I believe she felt as comfortable and as delighted as I did, 2 women talking together
about ninos y familia as they did their work.
Today I learned a new version of a prayer I have said for years, the Jesus
Prayer: Jesucristo, ten piedad de esta iglesia; Jesus Christ, have mercy on this church.
Family, I miss you and love you!
Xoxoxo:
Linda Long
P.S. Beccy, when I sat in the cathedral on Sunday I opened my prayer book and found that
it had been donated by Beccy Smith. I knew then, it was going to be a good week. It’s a
God thing!
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