The seventh day of the seventh month of 2009.

Before embarking on this story-telling journey, we shall rewind to adventures of the past, in an effort to clarify some main details.

Yesterday, we went up to Santa Clara, to assist the local teachers, in the kindergarten. (Or pass time, as Roxanne went to SPS to pick up the newest additions to the mission team.) While we were there, we noticed one of the young men standing watching us. ‘El Abuelo’, as we like to call him, explained to us that this boy has had a rough upbringing, does not attend the local high school, and is known to be somewhat of a troublemaker. ‘El Abuelo’ offered him a job chopping shrubs and grass on the side of a hill. The young man (TYM) accepted the job offer, and spent the morning with his machete, clearing brush from the rocky hillside. After we had finished in the classroom, us two girls took to the shade under a large mango tree, as we waited for the local masons to provide us with some more work. After some time, we were given the job of moving a pile of wood from one location to another (something we got quite used to doing during the last trip)…TYM, as we were working, took rest under the shade in which we had previously rested, and proceeded to watch us work. In the spirit of making light of the awkward observations, we jokingly asked TYM to help us move wood. Not wanting to be known as lazy, in the eyes of the pretty white girls, TYM assisted us in our job. As long-winded as that may have been, hopefully you have a good enough understanding, to comprehend the significance of the part that follows.

Today, our missions team packed up and headed for Santa Clara. The two of us had the pleasure of joining ‘El Abuelo’ and another team member in a garbage-picking adventure. (A.K.A. we picked up garbage.) As we went about our business, TYM sauntered up and continued to observe our every move. Again, we asked for his help. This time, before he had the opportunity to act, ‘El Abuelo’ told us that he had never helped before, thus we should not expect him to be of any assistance. To all of our surprise, especially that of ‘El Abuelo’, TYM picked up a garbage sack and joined as we walked the town’s streets, cleaning as we went. This was a rather rewarding experience, and we were able to spent the rest of the day playing soccer and working alongside TYM. We left Santa Clara in the mid-afternoon, with the feeling that we had made an impression and impact on this boy’s life.