Today has been a full day thus far. We began our day not wanting to get up and get dressed because it was a bit on the chilly side. The wind is still pretty wicked here right now but the sun is out and other than the wind it has been a beautiful day! The ladies that work here and many in town wear tobaggans on these days and many had them on today! I even saw some in the village with winter coats on. Anita and I did begin the day with our jackets on. Now I am just back to slacks and a shirt. After we pulled ourselves out of bed we dressed and went to a nearby ladie's house to watch her make the corn tortillas. She makes them from scratch and cooks down the corn into a paste and then makes the corn flour out of it somehow. She has a little press that she uses and she makes about 150 plus of these each day. She sells them to the orphanage and the kids love them. It was interesting and yet kinda sad to see that they are two generations probably behind us in how they do things here. Also sad to see how little they had in their home. One raggedly couch and a few old pictures on the wall. Old woooden chairs. The rooms were separarted only by a large drape of some sort with mattresses on the floor to sleep on. I am sure Delma is considered middle class here. This girl is about 26 and was raised by her grandmother and still lives with her to take care of her now in her older years...although she has a house of her own nearby...but she rents it. She works here at the orphanage also and makes one dollar per hour. (six dollars per day) Anita tried her hand at making the tortillas but quickly decided she did not want to do this for a living! :) We then went back to Ojojona, a small village next to Santa Anna, and went back to the pottery place that we had went to last year where the little girl was burned so badly. We asked the mother how she was doing now and she said that she is doing well....she of course has a scar from it, but did well without apprarently getting an infection. :) It was good to get the report. I bought a small vase there that was hand painted. It is neat just to watch them as they sit there and paint these ceramic pieces with such ease. We then came back to the orphanage and helped Terri Tindall put prices on some of the candles and things we got last week.......more of the pewter stuff is to come tomorrow and we will price them and get them into the store here on the grounds also. Along with each piece sold is the story of the starfish that is the major theme here at Casa. Most of you know the story but for those of you that do not I will place it on here now....... The "starfish story" tells of a small boy that went to the beach one morning and found that a storm had stirred the ocean and washed up 1000's of starfish. The little boy immediatley began to throw them back...one at a time! An elderly man walked by and asked him what he was doing. The boy explained and the old man told him that he could not make a difference. The boy looked at the starfish in his hand and told the man, "It makes a difference to this one!!" So....that is the story behind Casa de Esperaanza, the orphanage. Sometimes with all the thousands you see each day in this country and so many needy people, one would have to wonder if what I do ever makes a difference. But for the one you reach out to, feed, build a home for,or give a simple smile or hug to....it made a difference to THAT one! :) So.....the store here at the orphanage is full of candles, pottery. jewelry, etc that all are in the shape of stars that reflect this story of making a difference........one person or child at a time! :) We may never know what the tiny "seeds" that have been planted here will do.....God is mighty though and I am certain the seeds will grow! The pictures I have included are those of the lady, Delma, at her house making the tortillas. One is as she is preparing the corn to be pressed, one of Anita "attempting" to press it correctly, :) One of her "stove" and then the two of them baking them on the stove. She flipped them after about one minute by hand usually and stated she never gets burned. She does this alot! The last picture is of an" outside oven. " It is just a large cement dome shape that they heat up with a wood fire. The cement apparently absorbs the heat and then they remove the wood and flame and let the oven do the baking from there. Karen said Delma uses this when she prepares chickens or larger meats for the churches dinners, etc. Otherwise she just uses her wood stove. So......as I have said before...we are EXTREMELY blessed in the USA. As bad as our economy is right now....I cannot see any of us reaching the poverty level that these people have here....yet they are a content and happy people. We all could take a lesson from them....I am certain! We then came home from all this and ate rice, tuna salad and french fries with the orphans. I asked Anita how they did their fries.....and her response was deep fried but I really DID NOT want to see the grease....so I took her word for it and did not look! :) My mama did not raise no fool! :) I ate them all though. :) So......in ending....lets all take a lesson from the little fellow with the starfish......make a difference for even the ONE!!!!!
Today has been a full day thus far. We began our day not wanting to get up and get dressed because it was a bit on the chilly side. The wind is still pretty wicked here right now but the sun is out and other than the wind it has been a beautiful day! The ladies that work here and many in town wear tobaggans on these days and many had them on today! I even saw some in the village with winter coats on. Anita and I did begin the day with our jackets on. Now I am just back to slacks and a shirt. After we pulled ourselves out of bed we dressed and went to a nearby ladie's house to watch her make the corn tortillas. She makes them from scratch and cooks down the corn into a paste and then makes the corn flour out of it somehow. She has a little press that she uses and she makes about 150 plus of these each day. She sells them to the orphanage and the kids love them. It was interesting and yet kinda sad to see that they are two generations probably behind us in how they do things here. Also sad to see how little they had in their home. One raggedly couch and a few old pictures on the wall. Old woooden chairs. The rooms were separarted only by a large drape of some sort with mattresses on the floor to sleep on. I am sure Delma is considered middle class here. This girl is about 26 and was raised by her grandmother and still lives with her to take care of her now in her older years...although she has a house of her own nearby...but she rents it. She works here at the orphanage also and makes one dollar per hour. (six dollars per day) Anita tried her hand at making the tortillas but quickly decided she did not want to do this for a living! :) We then went back to Ojojona, a small village next to Santa Anna, and went back to the pottery place that we had went to last year where the little girl was burned so badly. We asked the mother how she was doing now and she said that she is doing well....she of course has a scar from it, but did well without apprarently getting an infection. :) It was good to get the report. I bought a small vase there that was hand painted. It is neat just to watch them as they sit there and paint these ceramic pieces with such ease. We then came back to the orphanage and helped Terri Tindall put prices on some of the candles and things we got last week.......more of the pewter stuff is to come tomorrow and we will price them and get them into the store here on the grounds also. Along with each piece sold is the story of the starfish that is the major theme here at Casa. Most of you know the story but for those of you that do not I will place it on here now....... The "starfish story" tells of a small boy that went to the beach one morning and found that a storm had stirred the ocean and washed up 1000's of starfish. The little boy immediatley began to throw them back...one at a time! An elderly man walked by and asked him what he was doing. The boy explained and the old man told him that he could not make a difference. The boy looked at the starfish in his hand and told the man, "It makes a difference to this one!!" So....that is the story behind Casa de Esperaanza, the orphanage. Sometimes with all the thousands you see each day in this country and so many needy people, one would have to wonder if what I do ever makes a difference. But for the one you reach out to, feed, build a home for,or give a simple smile or hug to....it made a difference to THAT one! :) So.....the store here at the orphanage is full of candles, pottery. jewelry, etc that all are in the shape of stars that reflect this story of making a difference........one person or child at a time! :) We may never know what the tiny "seeds" that have been planted here will do.....God is mighty though and I am certain the seeds will grow! The pictures I have included are those of the lady, Delma, at her house making the tortillas. One is as she is preparing the corn to be pressed, one of Anita "attempting" to press it correctly, :) One of her "stove" and then the two of them baking them on the stove. She flipped them after about one minute by hand usually and stated she never gets burned. She does this alot! The last picture is of an" outside oven. " It is just a large cement dome shape that they heat up with a wood fire. The cement apparently absorbs the heat and then they remove the wood and flame and let the oven do the baking from there. Karen said Delma uses this when she prepares chickens or larger meats for the churches dinners, etc. Otherwise she just uses her wood stove. So......as I have said before...we are EXTREMELY blessed in the USA. As bad as our economy is right now....I cannot see any of us reaching the poverty level that these people have here....yet they are a content and happy people. We all could take a lesson from them....I am certain! We then came home from all this and ate rice, tuna salad and french fries with the orphans. I asked Anita how they did their fries.....and her response was deep fried but I really DID NOT want to see the grease....so I took her word for it and did not look! :) My mama did not raise no fool! :) I ate them all though. :) So......in ending....lets all take a lesson from the little fellow with the starfish......make a difference for even the ONE!!!!!
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