We walked the paths of Bastimentos today. We climbed the hill to the top and spoke with a 76 year old woman who walks it everyday. I had a hard time jut getting up there. I am impressed with her stamina to say the least. We played basketball with the teenagers at the end of the path, on a real basketball court next to the beach. We laughed at the kids showing off their diving skills at the end of the dock. We had lunch in a tiny restaurant out on a dock. I had creole chicken and lentils and rice. It was 5 bucks.
But the most important thing we did all day was talk.
It is impossible to connect with people if you don't talk.
Working with the poor is not just about putting roofs on people's houses
Its not just about feeding people or buying school clothes.
(although those things do come into play)
How can we affect people's lives if we don't get to know them?
How can they share their troubles with us if we don't talk to them?
So why are we so afraid?
Why are we afraid to walk down the poor paths where the people look different than we do?
Why are we afraid of climbing hills into the back parts of neighborhoods where Grandma's have lived most of their long, full lives?
Why are we afraid of eating at off the grid restaurants with the locals?
Why are we afraid of playing pickup games of basketball with teenagers by the beach?
.....yes, the drug dealers were sitting nearby.
Yes, we talked to them too.
In fact, everyone we talked to was happy, kind, considerate, and friendly.
The next time we walk the paths (there are no streets) of Bastimentos, we will have friends that will remember us and say hi. And maybe we will sit down and talk longer.
That is how friendships get started.
That is how lives get changed.
Building Bridges,
Laura
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