My main assignment in Ecuador was to help in Arts and Crafts, (so
obviously my resume got to the right people). Since 500 people show up on the
first day, there is a wait to see the doctors. The St A's team brilliantly
organizes arts and crafts for the kids while they wait.
And we ain't talking crayons and and a pair of scissors here. No
sirree.....2 days, 300 kids, and extravagant crafts that your average useless
accountant can't do.
Imagine the entire contents of Hobby Lobby shipped to Ecuador and
deployed with military precision: Vacation
Bible Bootcamp
The first session was making beaded bracelets. Judging by their
excitement, you would have thought these kids were getting a Tiffany bracelet
at the end of this session.
I was worried threading the wire through those tiny beads might be
too tough for the little kids, but apparently it's a lot easier when you don't
have to look through bifocals to do it.
My assignment was to greet each kid and then start their bracelet
for them. When they finished, I would then put on the crimper bead to secure
the fastener. I started out asking their names, but I’m pretty sure the first
little girl's name was Ayiyaiaiiia and so was the second girl's, so I quickly
dispensed with the pleasantries. (It's not like my name was any easier for
them....so whatever)
It took me a little while to get the hang of the crimping bead
used to secure the fastener, especially when you are trying to push 200 kids
through this process and Ayiyaiaiiia Is. Ready. For. Her. Bracelet. Dammit. In fact, if
you got your bracelet in the 8 o'clock hour, you were pretty much screwed. The
plaza outside the school was probably strewn with the beads (and dreams) of the
children from the first hour who were assigned to "Señora Alta". (Actually, I
scoped out the other gringos and I wasn't the only one having trouble applying
all that higher education to the task at hand.)
I did note that there appears to be no universal symbol for
"put out your wrist" (so I could try on the bracelet). I spent many
a precious minute trying to chase some kid's hand around the back of his body.
(The personal connections I was making with these kids are truly the stuff of
missionary lore). I'm not sure what he was afraid of....maybe that the tapping
of the wrist is also the universal sign for handcuffs?
There were so many kids that every once in a while a niño would
get on a roll before I could stop him and he would get halfway to a belt instead of a
bracelet. Given the traffic we were trying to push through A&C, I had
little choice but to wrap the beaded masterpiece around his wrist a few times,
tell him he would grow into it, and send him on his way with a "que
bueno!! adios!"
As
I sat there huddled next to a dozen 6 yr olds all tugging on my recently
acquired REI camp shirt, I couldn’t help thinking there's something precious
about close proximity to a child emerging from acute medical care. It makes this assignment especially inspiring (and contagious,
methinks). And I know
we're not supposed to drink the water, but what's the position on putting the
bracelet liniment that's been sitting on the table with the six year olds in
your mouth to get a fine point to thread through a bead? But I will say this....I could debit and credit my way to eternity
and ain't nobody gonna be as excited with my work product as that six year old
boy was to get his properly finished bracelet.
