An Extraordinary Welcome
Let’s just say, we survived the drive to Chitepey. Our driver was very skilled and the roads were narrow mountain roads that jumped and bumped and turned quickly. In this valley town, our welcome was ext...raordinary…a genuine community event to welcome our team. Everyone gathered around the schoolhouse to meet and greet the visitors. A small group of men played drum and flute, and the notaries of the town spoke very kind and prayerful words about our visit, the importance of this work to the community, the people of Chitepey, and about the fact that while we are different people from different places, “we share the same God and this God blesses us all.” The young girls lined up and sang songs, the men mingled, there were fireworks, and the young boys played soccer. It was heart-felt and heart warming and was an expression of the soul of this community. All this was followed by more soccer and gato-gato-perro (or duck duck goose). A real riot of fun for the kids and lots of laughter from everyone else. Play and laughter are part of the fabric of what it is to be human.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4_BQeq37Qw&feature=plcp