Today things progressed as we had hoped they would – the walls got higher, we prepared tiles to be placed on the roof, the septic hole was finally finished (a huge victory!). All of that was great, but what really happened today was much, much bigger. Beyond the advancement made on the house, progress was made on so many more levels.
First, of course, are the relationships. Today Lorenzo came to a new place in his connection with Camila and Juan, the 2 children who will be inhabiting the house we’re building. All of them were working together for a while removing dirt from the septic hole, and then they started having an incredible Spanish-English dialogue. It started with all three sharing their nicknames. With a bit of my help translating, they learned that Camila is “Cami”, Juan is “Juanre”, and Lorenzo is “Zo”. This was a way of saying, “now we are friends. We are comfortable with each other”. Then Cami would point to something, Juanre would say the word in Spanish, and Zo would say it in English. Lorenzo shared being so excited about how much they were all able to learn. And this was only the beginning. At lunch, it was sweet to see little Camila requesting to sit next to Brian, and at one point Saturnina came up behind Emily and rubbed her shoulders – providing an opening for them to share a wonderful conversation. Though it’s only been a few short days, we are all seeing and feeling the relationships grow.
The second level of progression was our increasing understanding of the Paraguayan culture and socio-economic reality. By this point we have had a few days of experiencing the rural neighborhood where we are building the house as well as the city where we are staying. This afternoon we added to the picture by visiting the community of the indigenous Maka tribe. While our group undoubtedly consists of some very seasoned travelers, it is hard to ever really get over that punch in the stomach you experience when coming face to face with such intense poverty. Yes, we relished the joy of passing clusters of adorable children shouting “hola, hola!”, young women playing volleyball, the boys playing soccer, and witnessing some native dances. But this was accompanied by scenes of tremendous squalor, rows of wood and plastic shacks, trash filled yards, and limited and inadequate bathroom and shower facilities. Though it took away a few hours of our building time, we all agreed that this was an important part of our understanding the “big picture” of need in this country.
Lastly and perhaps most importantly, today was a day of personal progression for each one of us. We had such an incredible conversation over dinner about the great sociological and anthropological questions, “What is our role here? How can we help to make a difference in the lives of people who are suffering? What kind of assistance will have the biggest impact on these communities?” It was truly remarkable to hear the passionate, intense, and compassionate dialogue that took place. By the end of the evening we all agreed that there are no easy answers, but vowed that each of us will take our new understanding and renewed commitment back to our own philanthropic, charitable, and professional work.
In every way, progress has meant an increased understanding by the group that we are here for much, much more than building a house. Yes, it is amazing to start with an empty lot and see a house there by the end of the week. It is wonderful to push ourselves physically in ways we never thought possible. It is incredible to know that we are helping to make the lives of a family better by providing them with the opportunity to invest in their own future. But to ask ourselves the hard questions, to become ever impassioned about the cause of social justice, to renew and reinvigorate our commitment to serve others – these are the things that will have a lasting and wide spread impact, whether here in Paraguay, back home in Colorado, or where ever else our pursuits may take us.
This is the intersection between the gift we give and the gift we receive.
Leanna Harris
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