Shopping in Santa Barbara

Me shopping in Santa Barbara. It was actually very cold that day. A cold front came in and I think we had some sort of a hurricane. These pictures just give you a glimpse of the town. The stores are really tiny here. It's almost dangerous trying to get around because the streets are so narrow, the cars go fast, and there are hardly any sidewalks.

People fix food right on the sidewalk and sell it. After I took a picture of this lady, she fixed me some green mangos, rubbed it down with salt, and offered it to me. I was told not to eat anything off the street, but I was kind of stuck after taking her picture, so I was forced to eat it and it didn't taste good at all! And she made me eat some more! So I said, "Bien, bien." So I lied, but I had to show my gratitude.

Days at the Restaurant

Well, my days in the beautiful mountains are over except on weekends. I’ll be staying in the city above the restaurant to start working at the hospital. I’ll also be helping at the restaurant. There’s a bed in the back that I sleep on. And because I work at the hospital from 3 pm to 11 pm, I have to stay in town. I needed a few weeks to learn my way around and learn some Spanish...that venture is going slower than I would like...Elsa says I need to listen harder and speak it more no matter how I sound....and not get so frustrated. So this month I’m really going to try to speak it more...I made flashcards...my vocabulary is increasing but my sentence structure is not there yet....verbs, so many verbs!!!!

Yes, it’s true, a vegan restaurant in this poor little city...it’s amazing that as much fruit and vegetables you see on the streets people really don’t incorporate them in their meals. Fruit is more for snacks and vegetables are mostly carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, and lots and lots of potatoes. The restaurant and bakery have actually introduced whole grains, fruit, salads, and more green leafies to the people.

These girls are amazing the way they run that restaurant with almost nothing.

Jessica is happy and grateful with the one sink in the whole restaurant and bakery, but thanks Dean for your special donation for another sink. I’ll send you a picture soon.

Making fruit empañadas

Making savory empañadas. 

Half of the kitchen is a screened in porch... 

Strange for a person used to strict codes, but it's kind of nice too.

Now this I know... people here aren’t really familiar with eating pizza, especially with a whole grain crusts, but they’ve been coming in for it.  It’s one of my jobs to make it every Friday.

Church Ministry

This is how we travel to work, to church. If you saw the  roads you would understand why I’m showing you this. My first ride I did not understand the art of it.  Never sit on the bed of the truck....never! I was bouncing around...sprawled and rolled. The little kids had a good laugh. These people sit on the side, stand and barely hold on...its amazing

This is the little church in the mountains. They do a lot of memory work at this church.  I was put to shame by the fact that they learn a chapter a week!!  One 9 year old quoted  Revelation 14 last week.

This little 4-or-5-year-old guy quoted the first 8 verses of Ps. 91 this Sabbath and he can’t even read yet—his mother helps him.

This 15 year old memorizes 4 chapters a week...I think he’s one of those hidden prodigies or something....you ask him where almost anything is found in the bible and he knows.  In fact most people in this little church do.

I’ve heard some of the best sermons that I have ever heard from a 19 year old kid here.  Simple, unaffected and deep.

The Village

This is one of the mothers I was privileged to help in the village.
Even though the mountains are beautiful, there is great poverty here and life is hard.

We went up to the mountains with Elsa to minister to the children telling Bible stories.

This is the man with the beautiful face and kind eyes.
He works very hard up in the mountains with other men growing coffee.

These are the men coming home with their coffee after a long day's work up in the mountains.

Settling In…

This is Maranatha Medical Ministry where I am staying and helping out for my room and board.

This is the house I'm sharing with two ladies and spiders, scorpions and bugs galore!

This is the view from my room, and that's a lemon tree right outside my door.

This guy was in my hall...adios amigo..mashed to smithereens.  No, that doesn’t bother me...the sweltering heat doesn’t bother me. Neither the lack of electricity, washing clothes by hand ...I actually love that....but....I am still struggling with the ice cold water for showers....yikes.  yes it’s true I’m still sponge bathing. Tomorrow may be the day I get under. I know...what a wimp.

These are some of the sweet workers at the ministry who fixed one of my first meals in the mountains.

Yucca, a salad with their beautiful, organic lettuce, rice, and
another one of my favorite foods that is plentiful around here—avocado.

The above videos are Rosie showing me how to wash clothes in the pila.
This is me washing clothes. It's actually quite relaxing and very therapeutic. 

This is me on my morning walk up the mountain. The views are breathtaking.

This  little 4 ft 11 in lady with her blue truck  almost singlehandedly runs the ministry here. She has worked with the poor people on this mountain for 13 years.  The ministry has a little clinic, church, and of all things in poor Santa  Barbara, a vegetarian restaurant and bakery. They said it couldn’t be done but when God tells you to do something  it will succeed.

Their beautiful organic garden

People don't eat lettuce here, so we're teaching them to eat green leaf vegetables.