To Lay Our Bodies Down

My morning, three pancakes and a bus. Aaron went with us and it was almost noon before we made it to the city. We met Migue and Jose at the church and helped clean up after the VBS. The time had finally come, fuimos a la caseta.

The caseta is the place in Oaxaca where the magic happens; I have seen the most wonderous thing in past visits, but mostly one can taste the magic. We walked the few blocks down and there saw Claudia who last year had a baby. He is now doing very well and is 10 months old; last year Kimberly crocheted a cap for him. I had been savoring the words almost as much as the taste when at long last I was able to utter, "Te pido una torta de chorriqueso por favor Claudia?" It was not 5 minutes and there neatly wrapped in napkin was the object of my culinary dreams. It had been too long, so I ordered another along with chocolate milk and a mirinda (orange soda pop (lethal combination you're thinking (lethal combination I'm telling you))).

With the time quickly approaching two o'clock we departed my second sandwich in hand to purchase some soft drinks and popcorn for the movie. We arrived refreshments in hand and began to set up our cinema in a classroom at the church. We set up seats, projector, speakers, a tarp to cover the window everything was set. We had a short discussion with the youth group about family and then pushed play on Sueno Imposible or The Blind Side. Some in the group had already seen it, but all enjoyed and we closed with a shorter discussion of our previous question as it was played out in the film. Clean up.

It's been raining for two hours now and we decide it is time for coffee. So the five (Em, Kimb, Jose, Migue, Zach) take a jaunt through the rain to the coffee haunt from last night. While the rest take there chemicals in liquid, I go across the street for some airfare and rain. Jose later joins me. We continue a conversation that is espoused mostly from ignorance and frustration being in environments were people do not seem to be hungry or searching in any active way. We find no answers but step back across the street with a couple of better questions and an unspoken commitment to not give up on them yet.

They say tacos, I say pizza; I win. I wanted to take Kimberly there last year but we didn't make time, so today was a day of vindication and excellent pizza at a little place on the second floor of a building en el centro overlooking the lazy streets of a sweet post rain scene, vendors out and peoples strolling the street lamps all aglow. We enjoy one another's company and share our warmth in the chill evening air. I have yet to taste a more artistic and satisfying slice of pizza anywhere in the world. We talked of Israel, Jesus and breath mint proverbs. Most satisfying conversation.

We ambled our way home, laughing like friends, sharing like family down the glistening cobblestone streets, the shadows stretched long but glowed inside. We dropped Em off with promises of a tomorrow we hope will come, met with the family and sped home to Tule to lay our bodies down.