Day Two in Bella Vista

Outstanding in Their Field

Our work began in earnest today.  After a brief morning devotion led by Paul Hoard, the men took off, pondos in hand, for several hours of arduous work weeding the coffee plants perched on the steep hillsides.  The men of Bella Vista work with such methodical and organized skill and remarkable endurance, that at one point Mike Meyers asked if we weren’t in their way, holding them back.  The response was a sincere and resounding “No.”  To paraphrase, “Your visits motivate us, encourage us, and  bring us hope.” 

Meanwhile, the women helped prepare lunch and entertained the young children who don’t yet go to school.  Tortilla-making proved somewhat challenging, but hey, what’s wrong with square tortillas?  Libby and Field made their share of taquitos, trying hard to keep up with the speedy 12 year-old working with them. 

 After lunch, the men resumed their field work, fertilizing coffee plants in a protected “nursery” on the property.  The 4700 seedlings there represent a hopeful future for the community, as a cash crop will bring significant benefits.  In particular, paying off the loan for the land will realize the dream of land ownership.

 While several of the women from our team engaged women from Bella Vista in embroidery projects, the rest of us invested a couple hours in songs, stories, and crafts with close to 40 children from the village.  The school age children demonstrated no lack of energy despite having walked for an hour to get to school by 7 AM! 

 

Professor Kerry Does Elementary

Our day in Bella Vista concluded with songs and stories in the community center, highlighted by Kerry Irish reading “Huevos Verdes y Jamon” (“Green Eggs and Ham”), undoubtedly the hit of the day.  With the strains of “Yo Tengo Gozo, Gozo, Gozo, Gozo”

(“I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy”) ringing in our ears, we left the village with gratitude for the joy we are experiencing here in Bella Vista.