2013 Reynosa, Mexico Trip - Thursday PM - Post #7

Well today did not turn out at all like I expected or prayed.  Hoping to spend time talking with the team throughout the day, I quickly realized this morning that we needed some extra attention at our work site.  I am not the most experienced carpenter/builder, but as some of the bigger and more technical jobs were being filled, there were smaller jobs that had yet to be started.  So today I went about framing and installing the door free hand which can be a challenging process.  I did some other odd jobs like helping finish the siding on the home, cutting some excess siding and flooring up in the loft, and touching up some gaps in the trim to give the house a more detailed finish in those areas.  Due to the work, I was not able to play with the boys hanging around the work site: Daniel, Omar, Antonio, and Caesarito (Little Caesar).

(From left) Antonio, Omar, Daniel & Caesarito 

Yesterday I spent the afternoon playing soccer or "futbol" with these boys in an open area near their home.  They speak no English and I only speak fragments of Spanish, but we managed to communicate enough to play some soccer.  They walked into the brush and came back with four big stones that we set up as goals.  Then we played two on two soccer with me paired up with each of the boys.  Needless to say, i wanted every boy to experience the joy of winning so my team won all three games...it's for the kids you know. :-)  

Playing with them reminded me of playing with my own children and I thought how much the Zilkie children would enjoy playing with these boys were they given the chance.  On top of that I held them, picked them up, hugged them, touched their face and head...all things I do with my own children and I was blessed to do so.  It appears they all have good families there in the Colonia, but still they live in "the dump".  We are building a home for Daniel & Caesarito's family and I pray that this home blesses them abundantly.