Feliz Dia de San Patricio! (Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!)

Before I start this blog, I must say to me kin and to me mother and father, Top o’ the Mornin’.  Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to ye.

So far the projects are going well…aside from toilets leaking in the girls’ bathroom, hyper singing on the buses (I secretly kind of like that) and translating left and right (I can never get sincrely tired of that). 

Today I helped some of the Alabama group walk through colonia Solidaridad in Matamoros and meet some folks there.  We met some very friendly and kind-hearted auto shop owners who indulged us in conversation about life, work, and chickens they raise for cock-fighting (that’s popular here).  We also hung out with some energetic kids in the colonia until lunch, and met a grandmother whose daughter is getting baptized Easter Sunday.  After lunch there was a semi-crazy Vacation Bible School session that we invited neighborhood kids too.  We managed to keep them entertained, for the most part.  We’ll see if that continues as successful as it did today when we go back tomorrow.

I wanted to add something on here that I forgot to add a week ago when we were still in our new “digs” in Matamoros.  I guess I’ll call it a song, but I wrote it after reading 1 John 1, which talks about walking in the light and confessing our sins to our loving father who is just and forgives us (specifically verses 6 through 10).  Anyway, I got a little emotional thinking about his grace and how unworthy my unfaithful heart feels about that sometimes.  So here’s the poem/song (forewarning: for some reason I felt limited to three syllables per line).

LOVE DEVINE

Love devine,

I am thine.

But why me?

Cannot see.

Heart so cold,

Mind so bold,

Why waste grace

In this place?

Friendship true

When with you

Show your face —

Need your grace.

Please forgive;

Let me live

In your light,

Not by sight.

Jesus Christ

Paid the price.

Thank you Lord

For your word.

“You are King,”

I shall sing.

I am thine,

Love devine.

That’s all for now…and one wee thing:  “May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, and the rains fall soft upon your fields…and until we meet again, may God hold you in His hand.”

God be with ye, lads and lasses.