First Day at San Juan el Teologo

After a fitful night sleep due to several thunderstorms, our team of thirty-three enthusiastic workers from St. Christophers arose to greet the first working day of our trip. Following breakfast of local fare, we boarded the bus at 9:00 am with lunches, water and sundry painting supplies in hand.

The drive through the mountains to the church which was to be our workplace, San Juan el Teologo, was beautiful. Through many small villages, we were able to get a glimpse of the lives of the people who populated the villages, farms and mountain homes. Among the many farms, we could not locate a single piece of farm machinery. Cars were scarce, many farmers road through their fields on horseback. Most of the homes were stucco and many painted with beautiful bright colors. After skirting the mountains for a several minutes, we began to climb and traverse the lush green hillside, winding around endless twisting roads and descending to a valley where we were to begin our work.

The church was quite majestic, an obvious landmark for the surrounding area. We were immediately struck by the beautiful stained glass window high above the entrance and by the bell tower as well. Our supervisor, Steve, quickly scoped out the work and began to assign adults and kids to various areas inside and out. He even ran a brief workshop to teach the kids the basics of painting! Within a short time, we were manning the paintbrushes, rollers, poles and scrapers. The inside of the church was about three to four stories in height. Thanks to some prep work done before our arrival, the majority of the remaining painting could be done without the aid of a ladder. Most of our team worked inside and a few outdoors. It was clear that we were an industrious and driven group!

A few of the day´s experiences were especially memorable. Scott seranaded the group with several Spanish and English hymns and some old folk songs. He was later joined by the parish priest who played and sang as well. Throughout the day, the kids took breaks from their work to play soccer in a field across from the church. After lunch, the kids took a walk to a nearby abandoned orphanage, also owned by the diocese, and explored the building and grounds.

Most took a lunch break around noon enjoying sandwiches, fruit and water (lots and lots of water). By afternoon, the sun was at full strength and the morning breeze had waned. The day ended shortly after we had exhausted the supply of white paint at about 3:30 pm. The crew was happy to re-enter the bus and return to Cuernavaca for some showers, repast and relaxation.

After dinner, we heard an inspiring talk from the Bishop of Cuernavaca, who thanked us for our support and told us of his vision for the diocese. He asked us to consider how we could continue to serve Jesus Christ in our work here and at home. Scott thanked him for the opportunity to serve that he provided for us and asked how we could assist the diocese next year!

We are all well and enjoying our spiritual journey. God bless you.