Never Say Goodbye

Paint, paint and more paint. Scizz was so excited, we painted the clinic Carolina Blue.

Our teens spent the entire day Friday painting and cleaning our (yea, that sounds good) facility. Formerly it was painted the color and style of a giant Tecate’ can (as are most buildings in Mexico). Now it is the color of our choice, and it feels good. It also may have been the hottest day of the week. Another group of kids cleaned out some of the facility that we didn’t have access to until after the sale. In other trips we have saved the easier jobs for the last day. This was not the case on Friday. Painting down there was hot sticky work.

That night we attended the last night of the Revival and building dedication that followed. Here is a brief description of the events that followed.
- Worship in Spanish and English
- A Sermon by Nathan in Spanish and English
- A Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
- Chris reading an adjusted version of Solomon’s temple blessing

Then all of the members of the Mission trip went up front to be thanked by the congregation. They sang to us some songs in Spanish, then gave us handmade pillows so we could remember the trip. After that they lined up to say goodbye, in what could only be described by what happens at the end of a tee-ball game, except for bigger and with more hugs (and without the free pop afterwards). It was great to personally connect with all of the members of the church. Dana gave her pillow to Eugene. I was a little mad because I wanted to give him mine. We argued about it while we were in line smiling and shaking hands the entire time (if any of them had spoken English, our cover would have been blown). Finally I gave mine to Oulanda (pronounced to Yolanda), She was the lady that cooked our lunches every day. When I gave it to her she cried, and said “thank you” in English. I was one of my favorite moments of the trip.

Next, we went outside to admire Eugene’s handiwork. He had done the lettering for “Manos Abiertas” with two outlines of giant hands. Then, member of our group and members of the church dipped a hand in paint and put handprints inside the outlines of the hands Eugene had made. It was a great moment.

To sum up my feelings about this night would be impossible. All I know is that I have never felt more appreciated and more grateful all at the same time.