Day 4 in San Pedro

Today was the last day for the team on site. We gathered in the morning for Eucharist at the Church, again impressively celebrated in Spanish by Callie. There was a sense of urgency about our work today as we realized this was the last chance to complete the various painting, construction and maintenance projects around the Buen Pastor complex, and to be able to hopefully see some real progress over the four days we have been here. With almost all illnesses now behind us, a group set to work completing the concrete alongside, and at the back of the church – this together with the large concrete area we laid at the front will stop flooding when it inevitably rains. We also set about painting the doors in the clinic, and the walls of the office building. The construction work at the new school site was now almost complete, and ready for the rebar reinforcement and concrete to be poured. This, however, won’t happen until maybe Monday or Tuesday of next week.
Before we left the site in the afternoon, we gathered with our brother Dominican workers in the lunch area we had used all week, to join together and congratulate ourselves on the incredible amount of work we had achieved, side by side, all week. We had made many friends here – not only amongst the staff of Buen Pastor and the local construction team, but also the friendly and always-smiling local people of the surrounding area. It struck me that despite the incredible poverty and unbelievable living conditions of the people here, they always smile, treat each other ( and visitors) – with respect, and live with hope in their heart. It was truly a privilege to be here and make a small difference to the community and the work of Sister Jean Gabriel and her dedicated team. Until next year…..