Machetes, helping hands and jump rope

Prior to lunch, we were told that we should be ready to work after eating and work we did.  One of the residents allowed us to work on his land and we learned that he lived some distance from the village center.  The path was muddy, slippery and mountainous and quite a challenge for us.  On two occasions, I was slipping on the hills and both times one of the men reached out his hand to help.  They did this for most of us along the jouney.  Despite the challenges, it was a beautiful walk.  Some of us saw monkeys and one of the men demonstrated his athletic ability by quickly climbing a tall tree and entertaining us.  Our students spent their time chasing the local children around and having a great time.

Once we arrived at the farm, we were shown how to use a machete to clear weeds and other items from around the coffee branches.  I must say, it was a lot of fun to swing a machete around for awhile.  I think everyone had an opportunity to help and fortunately there were no injuries along the way.  Next, the Agros technician taught us how to fertilize the plants and we took turns at this activity.  It takes 3 years for the coffee plants to produce  coffee so it requires a tremendous amount of care and effort on their part.

For me, the highlight of the entire day happened once we got back to the village.  Several of our students had brought along jump ropes and began to teach the kids how to do it.  Before long, we were all standing around the area watching kids and grownups take turns jumping rope.  For two peoples divided by a language barrier, it was a time of unity and friendship as we laughed and cheered together.  I believe this is a small 'foretaste of heaven' and I feel blessed to have been a part of this moment.