I Left My Heart in San Francisco

The Flight

I am one of those people who actually enjoys flying. I admit I would prefer more room, but I have no fear of flying. Our flight from Fort Myers to Charlotte was uneventful.  Our group of 8 was scattered about the plane.  This was Camden's first flight, and he was sandwich between the other 2 boys going on the trip.  I was in the same row but on the other side of the isle.  The flight was smooth and eventful.  

When we landed in Charlotte we had to rush a bit to get food and get to our gate, but we all managed to make it to the gate in time to eat and board the plane.  Again our group was fairly scattered about the plane.  I was seated in the very last row.  The flight was not full, in fact of the 6 seats making up the  back row only 4 were occupied.  The two window seats were filled with friends from Yemen (I couldn't help but think of the Friends episode where Chandler goes to Yemen).  An young asian man and myself took up the 2 aisle seats.

I planned on reading during the flights to pass the time, I bought "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell.  I managed to get a good start on my reading between Fort Myers and Charlotte, however God had different plans for me on our bumpy 5+ hour flight to San Francisco.  

Since 9/11 anytime their are people of middle eastern decent on a plane people tend to be a little nervous.  I admit as the two friends spoke across the aisle in their native tongue I felt a bit uneasy, but that quickly subsided as we talked about Yemen and our families.  He told me he was on his way to San Fran to visit some friends and this was his first time in the states.  He spoke about how much he liked his brief time here.  When he asked why I was going to San Fran I told him I was part of a mission trip with our church.  At that point the conversation slowed.  His english was pretty good but with his thick accent it was not easy to carry on a conversation.  I went back to reading my book, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity I had.  So i asked him about his religion.

He told me about Islam, some of the basics, unfortunately it was not easy to understand him, between the noise of the plane and his accent.  Then I paused, took a deep breath and asked him about his view of Americans, Christians and extremists.  In a nut shell he is sad that people view Islam as if they are all terrorists and he has no bad feelings about this country or Christianity.  After our conversation he asked if he could take my picture, I have no clue why, but in some small way, in spite of the language barrier, we made a connection.

My new friend put on his sleep mask and took a nap, so I returned to my book.  After reading a few pages the guy in the aisle seat next to me asked if I like the book.  The door had been opened to a whole new conversation.

This time it was with a graduate of NC State.  I would guess him to be about 10 years younger than me.  We talked about the church and why people of his generation are less likely to attend church.  While we didn't solve the problems of the church he did have some good insight.  Basically he felt that his generation wants to be active and get things done, and the church is not involved enough in "getting things done".  Case in point, he and his wife started a "business" where they will be going overseas to do community planning.  They will head to India next month and start this new venture.  Basically they will go to under developed communities and help them establish themselves.  Obviously there is much more to it than that and his story was fascinating.

When we got off the plane in San Francisco it was about 10:45 local time.  Just a few hours into our trip and I was already excited by the conversations I had.  God's presence was felt even at 33,000 feet.

The Chill

We were greeted Sunday morning with a chill in the air our Florida blood isn't accustomed to.  After a quick breakfast at the hotel we set our sights on Pier 39.  Sunday was our day to be tourists in the city. So we took in the sights and sounds around Pier 39.  We rode the cable cars and walked through China Town and through the fog we saw Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.  

After a bucket of fresh mini donuts (yes I shared them with the group) it was time to head to our Youthworks site.

Sunday night was a time to get to know the staff, the other adult leaders and youth.  The Youthworks staff was comprised of 4 college aged kids.  Two other churches shared our space with us, All Saints Lutheran Church from Aurora Colorado and a non-denominational church from Sacramento CA.  

The kids were divided into work groups for the week.  Cheryl's team "future" consisted of Camden, Teaker, Andrew, and Sierra.  Unfortunately they were not mixed in with anyone from the other churches.  However it did allow the four of them to become closer over the course of the week.  My team, "Free", consisted of Abigale, Kathryn and a group of kids from Aurora plus their adult leader. 

The youth were slow to stray from the comforts of their own group but as the evening went on the barriers began to disappear.

Overview of the week

Each team had a certain task around the church each day.  Breakfast prep, breakfast cleanup, church clean up, dinner prep and dinner cleanup were rotated among the teams. Essentially the kids ran the show under the guidance of the folks from Youthworks.

Each morning after breakfast and morning chores we had devotional time (referred to as devo time), followed by our Youthworks huddle to make sure we were ready and pumped for the day.  After the huddle we were given our instructions for the day.

When we returned from our service work for the day we traveled to our site seeing location and returned to the church for dinner, worship and group time.  The group time was a chance for the church groups to meet together and reflect on the day.

Oatmeal, oatmeal and MORE OATMEAL

NO that was not the breakfast menu, that was team Free's task for the day.  We spent the day at the San Francisco Food Bank bagging oatmeal.  We were part of a group of volunteers that day that bagged nearly 6,000 pounds of oatmeal.  Needless to say none of us are eager to see oatmeal anytime soon.  As tedious as the task was it was a reminder that even menial tasks have a place in the service of God's Kingdom.  They estimate that a one pound bag of oatmeal will feed 8-10 people.  So our team took part in helping to feed 48,000 people.  Not too shabby for a days work.

The other part of our CVLC group spent the day delivering meals and filling soap and shampoo bottles to make hygiene kits.

At the end of our first day of work the city of San Fran should be full of Oatmeal and smell a little better.  

Our evening activity Monday night was a trip to the Golden Gate Bridge.  While the pictures are beautiful they simply don't do justice to the beauty. 

The Tenderloin

If you're like me when you hear the word tenderloin you think of steak.  For most of the country that is probably the case but not in San Francisco.  The tenderloin district is a section of the city synonymous with crime, drugs, prostitution and homelessness.  While this may not sound like the best place to send a youth group, I will say that never once did I feel unsafe.

Day 2 for team Free was spent at Mercy Housing in the tenderloin district.  The signs of poverty as you enter the tenderloin are evident everywhere you look.  We saw numerous drug deals in the middle of the sidewalks with no attempt to hide what they were doing.  While walking a half block from our van to Mercy Housing the smells of urine and marijuana were obvious.  

The Mercy Housing facility where we were stationed for the day was a 9 story apartment building.  The building was very multicultural and multigenerational and offers rental assistance for tenants that need it.  

On Tuesdays Mercy Housing receives a shipment from the food bank.  This weeks shipment DID NOT CONTAIN OATMEAL!!!  The tenants who which to get groceries from the food bank are asked to provide a grocery bag to be filled.  Our job was to fill the bags with the items from the food bank.  This week the tenants received fresh produce (apples, carrots, oranges), rice, beans and a few other items. Once the bags were filled the residents either came to pick up their bags or they were delivered to their door.  

Tuesday's trip into the tenderloin, the first for team "Free", was an eye opener for the kids.  For team "future" it was their second day in the tenderloin district.  You don't see poverty and drug abuse that evident in Naples.  

Tuesday night was our trip to Mount Davidson, a huge cross that overlooks the city.

It seemed appropriate after a day spent in the tenderloin our evening was spent at a cross overlooking the city, a not so subtle reminder that the risen Christ died on the cross for the forgiveness of sin.

Quiet Coyote

On Wednesday we were introduced to the quiet coyote at the Tenderloin Boys and Girls Club of America.  The quiet coyote is a hand gesture the staff uses get the children to be quiet.

On any given day the Tenderloin Boys and Girls Club hosts 80-100 kids in a space not much larger than many of our living rooms.  The club is highly structured and the kids were extremely well behaved.  Our task was to play, read and hangout with the kids.  

A group of 3 ambassadors (3rd graders) gave us a tour of the facility, including the cafeteria and the teen center (in a different building).  The Boys and Girls Club share space with Mercy Housing so the circumstances dictate that sharing must occur.  In fact they only have one pool cue to play pool to force the kids to share.

The highlight of my day was reading with a 3rd grader named Estephanie.  When she finished her book she began to draw a picture of her favorite part of the book.  When I returned to see what she had drawn I was amazed.  The drawing was amazing!!!  When I asked if she had drawn that picture, she looked at me through her glasses and flashed a little smile, showing her braces, "Yes."  

Future team also spent the day working with kids. They stayed at the church and worked the Kids Club camp.  

Being from Florida we are no strangers to the beach, but this was our trip to the Pacific Ocean.  The wind off the Pacific Ocean was brutal and pelted us with sand, but the view from the Lands End Trail is beautiful.

Running on Empty

By Thursday we were all exhausted.  The time change, lack of sleep, and busy days were catching up to us, but we had one service day remaining.  Both groups were back working with the kids.  

I was so proud of the youth for putting their fatigue aside and working with the kids.  Some of the youth were hesitant about working with the kids but by the end of the week they were amazed how much fun they had.

Thursday night was a community cook out, where I found myself manning the grill.  It was a nice opportunity for everyone to bond one last time before departing in the morning.

Before the night was over we had a foot washing ceremony where the adult leaders washed the feet of the youth and prayed over them.  It's safe to say their was a major need for tissues among our group.  

In n Out 

Friday morning was a time to pack and say our goodbyes before heading home.  Although everyone was tired the group was energized by a great week serving in San Francisco. 

Our last stop before hitting the airport was at In N Out Burger, a California institution that was a must.

Over the course of the week our youth worshiped together, prayed together, and played together.  The spirit of Christ was moving through each and every one of us, whether it was a spontaneous human chain during evening worship, the filling of bags of oatmeal or shampoo bottles, or a tearful embrace bringing everyone closer together. 

We were in n out of San Francisco in 6 days, but the experience will stick with us all.

Football Stewardship

This is my sermon for the 2nd week of our 4 week stewardship campaign.  Our focus for this week was "Giving God our Worship." 

 

 

This Sunday is the day that sets the stage for one of the most religious days of the year.

In two weeks people will get dressed in their Sunday best. 

They will prepare the meal…they will begin their annual pilgrimage.

Some will pray…some will sing…some might even cry.

They will gather in community and laugh and cheer and celebrate.

In 2 weeks people will put on their favorite football jersey…

They will prepare their favorite dips or appetizers…

They will drive to the local bar or maybe a friend’s house…

They will pray for one more touchdown or perhaps a last second field goal…

They will sing “We are the Champions…”

Some might shed tears of joy or sadness depending on the outcome.

They will gather with family, friends and maybe even strangers…they will cheer…they will give high fives…AND they will celebrate.

If you haven’t figured it out by now I’m not talking about church.  I’m talking about the religion of football.  In 2 weeks the religion of football will celebrate their Christmas or Easter.  They will celebrate the birth of a new champion or mourn the loss of their team.  The Super Bowl is just 2 weeks away.

What if we were to worship God like we watch football?  In some ways church has less obstacles.

God doesn’t care what you wear to church.  You can wear a suit…pants…shorts…clean or dirty…it doesn’t matter.  Try wearing a Bears Jersey to a Packers game or worse a Cowboys jersey to an Eagles game.

You don’t even need to prepare any food…we have cookies, coffee and the best meal of all…the Lord’s Supper.

When you get here…we have plenty of good seats.

We will gather together in community, pray together, sing together, and we might even cry together.

We have the better party in all areas but one…the Super Bowl party has more celebration/excitement.

I want you all to close your eyes for a minute and imagine this:

Imagine the call to worship as a coach giving a pregame speech…and the players responding.  Imagine the passion and energy…

Imagine singing our opening hymn and feeling all the excitement you feel during the singing of the national anthem. 

Imagine closing prayers with Amen and readings with Thanks be to God as if your team just scored a touchdown.

Imagine passing the peace as though your team just returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown…you’re high-fiving people you’ve never met.

Imagine taking communion and feeling full.  Not full because you ate too many hot wings or cocktail wienies…full because nothing is more fulfilling than Christ.

Imagine singing the closing hymn with the passion you sing “We are the Champions” as you celebrate a Super Bowl victory.   

Imagine how different worship would be.  Imagine how exciting…how energizing worship would be. 

Showing up on Sunday should not be like crossing a chore off the to-do list.  Sunday worship is not a task to be completed.

Last week we talked about ways to improve our own personal relationship with God.  Today we need to look at ways to improve our relationship with God in the form of worship. 

So because last week went so well…let’s again share with someone sitting near you…What is essential to worship in your eyes and why? Maybe it’s singing, prayers, communion, the sermon or maybe the fellowship?  There is no right or wrong answer.  The second question…During what part of worship do you feel closest to God?

Regardless of your answers I pray that each of you consider how to improve your personal relationship with God through worship. 

Super Bowl Sunday only happens once a year…but we have the opportunity to celebrate God every Sunday in this space…in this community.

AMEN

Give and Take

Sunday was our "Hanging of the Greens" service, which is a very joyous service celebrating the season.  The service is a very long service so I was told early in the week to prepare a brief sermon.  As is my norm, I typically don't write/finish my sermon until Friday or Saturday.  We all know the events that took place on Friday morning.  Because of the nature of that horrific day I didn't know how to NOT address the issue in some way from the pulpit.  So here is my sermon from this past Sunday, or at least the general wording.

 

 

If I’m being honest I didn’t feel like writing a sermon this week.

If I’m being honest I don’t feel like preaching today.

But as a person of faith we gather together, to sing and pray and proclaim God’s presence in the world even in the midst of tragedy. 

Friday I turned on the TV only to hear about the events that took place in CT.  As a parent and as a Christian the news was difficult to watch. 

As I watched I was flooded with emotions…sorrow, confusion, anger, hurt, and disgust.

How could anyone do such a thing?

How can there be so much evil in the world?

Where was God?  How could God let something like this happen?

Social media was littered with posts and tweets about gun control, mental health reform and others proclaiming there can be no God because God would not let this happen.

It is in times of tragedy our faith is often shaken. 

The events of Friday beg the age old question…why do bad things happen to good people? 

There is no answer to this question.

I STRUGGLE to think that God was NOT present in the midst of the chaos.  In times of tragedy God IS present, and God weeps for those who are lost.

Last Sunday I said the church should not be in the business of morals.  I stand by that statement even today.

Nobody would ever say what happened Friday were moral.  The church does not need to tell that to anyone.  I’ve heard Christians say that God is not allowed in schools and that is the problem with society today.  I respectfully disagree. 

The problem is not that God is not in schools…the problem is we don’t take God outside of our churches.  We keep God bottled up inside these walls.  Jesus’ was not meant to be held inside.

Our reading today concludes with John the Baptist proclaiming the Good News to the people.

Who were those people you ask?

They were morally corrupt people, people who took advantage of those vulnerable in society.  

This crowd of people to whom John spoke were not Christians, rather people needing to hear of the coming of Christ.

On this day…there are many who need to hear that good news.

If advent is REALY about preparing for the coming of Christ why aren’t we telling people what that means?  Why aren’t we answering our call to be the light of Christ in the midst of darkness every day? 

When are we as a church going to start giving the Good News of Christ rather than taking the bad news of a trouble society?

What an incredible couple of days.  The birth of my daughter and all the joy that goes with it.  And writing a sermon.  A sermon written with her fast asleep on my chest. 

For those who know me, you know that I don't stick exactly to my manuscript, but it's close.  I also don't typically post sermons since for me preaching is as much an oral art form as it is literary, but I was asked/told I needed to...so here's my sermon for the Second sunday of advent.  The text was Luke 3:1-6.

 

 

Advent – coming, arrival…a time to prepare.

Those words have taken on a whole new meaning this week.  Our family has been waiting for the arrival of our baby.  Christina diligently read all the literature she could find over the last 12 months to prepare for our child.

We took CPR classes, we took birthing classes, and she even took a class called, “Happiest Baby.” 

We prepared the nursery, installed car seats, put together swings and bassinets. 

We frequently discussed what we would do when she went into labor.

We guessed dates, and gender and we were prepared!!!

Then it happened…at 1:00 in the morning…Christina’s water broke.  I should point out that in one of our classes the lady said, “When your water breaks, it’s not like it is in the movies.  She went on to say that 85% of the time your water breaks at the hospital.”  I should have known my wife would be the exception.

I was sure that I was prepared.  We would time contractions, and as we timed them we would gather together the last few items we needed to take with us, and at the appropriate time we would head to the hospital.

It never occurred to me to prepare for Christina’s water breaking at home.

Sure it all worked out in the end, we made it to the hospital in time, and all is well, but to be as unprepared as we were in spite of our belief otherwise is somewhat concerning.

In our reading today we hear of John the Baptist preparing the way for the Lord.  In the church we often talk about being prepared for the 2^nd coming of Christ.

So this week I asked myself…Am I prepared.  I’m gonna be honest…after the events of this week probably not. 

We had 9 months to prepare for a baby…and they gave us a due date.  We don’t have a due date for the coming of Christ.  We know he’s coming but we don’t know when. 

So how do we prepare for something when we have no idea when it’s going to happen? 

After this week I’m not sure I’m fully capable of answering this question for you. 

John went out proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin.

That sounds like a pretty good place to start…be washed clean in the waters of baptism and repent for your sins.

The waters of baptism are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we are washed clean.  But in our humanity we can always find a way to dirty ourselves.  So John tells us more.  Repentance…

We are called to repentance.  Most of us when we think of repentance we think of remorse or contrition.  But I like this definition better because it takes it a step further…To make a change for the better as a result of remorse or contrition for one's sins.

By repenting you are saying, I can’t do this on my own.  I can’t…becomes God can.

If you’re familiar with any of the 12 step programs such as AA the first step is saying…I can’t do this on my own…the second step is a power greater than myself can help me…God can help me.

I think we as a church get caught up in the morals of the world and telling everybody what they should and shouldn’t be doing.  We want to either ignore our sins or we want forgiveness of ours…yet we want to judge others.  We like to rely on our baptism and gloss over repentance.

The church needs to be in the business of forgiveness…not morals.  If we are doing the judging then the church becomes us good guys and gals AGAINST the bad guys & gals out there.  Repentance and forgiveness are much more productive the judgment and condemnation. 

If we are preparing for the coming of Christ this seems like a good place to start.

Our gospel reading concludes…with a leveling of the playing field.  Mountain and valleys will be made level…all flesh will see the salvation of God.  A leveling where all flesh will see the kingdom of God.

For those of you who struggle with scripture stating the first shall be last and the last shall be first…this paints a different picture.  It’s not a reversal it’s a leveling.

Rich and poor, slave and free, men and women, young and old, straight & gay…all flesh will see the kingdom of God.  It is a coming together…a meeting in the middle.

We do not live in a perfect world.  We have wars, disease, racism and poverty. 

Far too often we look to the world for salvation.  We put our faith in our stuff, our worldly possessions.  We need to stop looking to the world for God’s salvation and look to Jesus.

We can look to Jesus in scripture

We can look to jesus on the cross

We can look to  jesus in the waters of baptism

We can look to jesus in bread & wine

We can look to jesus in our gathering together

We can look to jesus lying in the manger

 

When you look around the world what do you see?

Do you see our differences?  Do you see our similarities?  Or do you see Jesus?

Imagine how different the world would be if we saw Jesus in everyone we met.

I don’t know if that prepares us for Christ’s coming.  I may not be the one to talk about being prepared.

We had 9 months to prepare for a baby who came on the due date, and we were still caught off guard.  I’m sure there will be some surprises when Jesus comes. 

We have no due date…but we can all prepare.  We can repent, we can work to eliminate division and level the playing field, and we can see Christ in everyone we meet.

And by doing so we can prepare for the coming of Christ.

Day 7: Final day before departure

Today is our final day in Ensenada, and tomorrow promises to be a VERY long one.  We will leave here around 10:00 AM and work our way toward the border.  I would estimate it took us maybe 15-20 minutes to cross into Mexico.  Coming back into the States takes a minimum of an hour.  Our flight doesn't leave San Diego until almost 11:00 PM Pacific, and we are due into our final destination (BWI) around 9:30 Eastern with a stop in Atlanta.  Add in a drive to Towson then finally Gettysburg AND you get the point. 

I'm having very mixed emotions tonight.  On the one hand I miss my family terribly and cannot wait to see them, but on the other hand this has been a tremendous experience and there is still SOOO much work to be done here.  Much of our day today involved wrapping up projects for the guys and a girlie day for the girls.  Jimmy finished off is computer desk with a couple of coats of paint and I finished wiring the lights in what will be the new all purpose room.  The girls helped make jewelery, which will be sold to raise money for Lantern Hill, then taught Marta how to make peanut butter cookies.  Marta has prepared our meals this week (did I mention how awesome they were? and I ate veggies too!!!).  She mentioned on Wednesday that she really didn't know how to bake, most homes in this community don't have working ovens.  This place does so they thought it would be a nice way to end the week.  Giving back to someone who gives so much.  Not to mention Javier loves peanut butter. 

Then we had a scheduled trip to a vineyard, I don't remember the name.  We eventually wound our way along a dirt road until we came upon a beautiful stone structure.  Mind you it was dark, but with the benefit of headlights it looked awesome.  Yes it was pitch dark...they were closed.  Since there is no telephone number or posted hours, and it was a Monday evening they decided to be closed.  Apparently the owner is in his 80's so he's earned the right to work his own hours.  So we returned home and had dinner and good conversation.

We talked a lot about the mission of Lantern Hill and the current finances or lack there of.  Bottom line, it's a non-profit organization that relies on donations and people coming on mission trips for its funding.  More funds = more programs, that's not rocket science.  I would say the core of their mission is feeding and education.  Let's face it, nutrition is critical to children.  Without food education is difficult.  With food and education children can flourish.  By the way the kids didn't have school today.  Not because of MLK, or snow...because of rain.  That's right they had a rain day!!! and it didn't rain that much.  Basically if the teacher doesn't show up, that grade is cancelled.  And can you believe they don't get a text message, or email notification, and it's not even on TV or the radio.  The kids find out when they get to school and the sign reads blank grade is closed. 

Most of the kids go to school with a dollar to buy lunch, but the schools don't have cafeterias.  The kids are only in school for 4 hours, so either before their school day starts, or after it's over the kids by there lunch many times from vendors.  The problem is the vendors on the street corners aren't selling lunches, or anything nutritious.  They are selling what every kids wants...candy, chips and soda.  Essentially the school lunch program consists of vendors with carts, often wheel-barrows with wooden trays on them.  When the funds are available Lantern Hill provides a nutritious lunch for that same dollar.  Sadly right now funds don't exist.  I know the US economy sucks, and I just spent all this money at Christmas, blah, blah, blah.  I'm in the same boat, but damn lunch for a dollar doesn't seem that bad.  $100 will feed a child for 3 months.  Obviously the numbers are estimates because of other variables.  Having spent time with the kids in this community, and spent the night in homes of some it is hard to not think about those kids and that dollar amount.  Especially when I think about the food and money we waste. 

I'm sure I will make this trip again, although not nearly soon enough, and next time with my family.  I really should have posted a link to the website earlier this week but here it is now www.lanternonthehill.org.  I'm guessing you'll get one more blog from me on the plane ride home, what else am I going to do? 

In the morning I will say "adios" to Lantern Hill, but the light from the lantern will continue to burn.

Day 6: Tourist day

This morning after we got back from our home stay we had a miny worship/Bible reflection on our nights and our trip thus far.  I won't go into that now, I'll include that in my final wrap up blog post.   We drove through some of the farming country to see the conditions the labor are living in.  Let's just say they call it the concrete jungle, because it's essentially noting but cinderblocks.  Needless to say the conditions are atrocoius. 

Then we played tourist for the day.  We went to La Bufadora, which litterally means, blow hole. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Bufadora  It's pretty interesting so I attached a link so you can check it out.  You have to walk about a mile to get to the site, but the road there is lined with venders selling food and crafts and clothing and stuff.  I guess it would be similar to the boardwalk but on both sides of the street.  We ate at a restaurant called Havana Cobanna.  Yes in no Havana is in Cuba and I'm in Mexico, but I didn't name the restaurant, I just ate there.  I had an enchillada, which was ok, and a Pina Colada (minus the umbrella).  Along the street they were selling Churros, which were delicious, however they are not a native Mexican dish.  Either way they were good. 

It was a relatively slow day. 

Mi Casa Es Su Casa

My how is your house is something we in the states say, but don't really mean.  Sure it sounds cool, but would you give up a bed for a stranger to sleep in?  Would you give them coffee and snacks before bed?  Would you feed them breakfast in the morning?  Mind you we had never met these people before.  The house already has plenty of people.  The wages they earn are far less than in a week than we make in a day, well technically I'm not making anything being in seminary and all, but you get my point. 

That was my experience last night.  A family welcomed two strangers into their home and fed them and gave them a place to sleep.  Holding true to my experience here the kids were amazing.  Jimmy and I played some game where you're jumping through the rope, around the rope.  That's right no PS 3.  Game time involved a rope. 

We had coffee last night and again at breakfast.  I do not drink coffee, but how do you say no to such gracious hospitality.  Breakfast this morning was scrambled eggs, hot dogs and tortillas.  I'm not sure if hot dogs are a norm for breakfast or if that was because Americanos were in the house.

The house had concrete floors, which is rare in this community.  Two of the windows weren't windows with glass.  One was covered with some tin and the other had a door propped to block the wind.  It got chilly at night but they have the warmest blankets, that if you stick your head under your breath and body heat keep you warm. 

Once again it was an amazing experience!!!