Day 2 | Jacobi Cottrill

Today was certainly an adventure. I worked at the church, which is about an hour and 45 minutes away from where we are staying, so we crammed into the back of a dump truck to start our journey. It was a pretty bumpy ride up and down the mountain side. We arrived at the church and the little kids ran up to us with big smiles. We started right away doing demolition and sifting sand. The day was long and hard, but the smiles on the little ones made it so worth it. The boys running around the church insisted on taking our tools and doing the job themselves; some of the probably as young as 5 years old. They didn’t complain and they finished every job they set out on. It was really interesting to watch as that’s not something we are used to in America. A group of us were standing outside just talking, when a group of 5 or 6 boys came up and starting talking to us. I understood that they wanted a ball, but went on speaking. Once we went and got the interpreter, they decided they didn’t want to talk. It was still enjoyable to interact with them, even though we couldn't understand. We even got to witness a thunderstorm while being cloud level. It was super loud, but it was pretty neat. The way back up the mountain was when it became very adventurous. With the rain, the road was very slick and muddy. We didn’t make it very far before we began to spin, so we back up and tried it 2 more times. Needless to say, I was ready to get out after the first time and walk. So we ended up walking after the 3rd try. We walked quite a way before the truck finally made it. We hopped back on only for the same thing to happen not too far along. We started sliding again, and when I looked over the edge of the truck, I saw nothing. That’s when I began to panic; I seriously thought we were going over and that it would be the end. This happened about four or so times, before we were rescued by a side-by-side and then another dump truck. God definitely protected us and we made it back safely, taking 3 and a half hours instead. Needless to say, it was a terrifying adventure, but one that I won’t forget! (After I typed this, I realized it didn’t sound all that bad, but trust me, we were literally living life on the edge!)