Loving Winchester

Today was another jam-packed day con Pastora Martha. (I'm definitely coming to the realization that every day with Sra. de la Rosa will be filled to the brim, which I have to say is exciting and beautiful because this woman truly gives every day to God, and the church, and the community around her).

So today, as I'm learning is the norm, we did many things. First, we took one of the girls from the church's after school program to the doctor's office. Elena (or so we'll call her) has had trouble seeing and hearing for many years now. Unfortunately, doctors have refused to see her up until today because she has no social security number, and they fear getting involved in the whole immigrant situation. Sra. de la Rosa has been working with the family for quite some time now, trying to get all this resolved and get Elena the medical attention she needs, but it wasn't until the school called (trying to involve social services and claim that it's Elena's parent's fault that she has not had proper medical attention) that Sra. de la Rosa was able to get all the necessary paperwork for a doctor to be willing to see and to treat Elena. Needless to say, it was an exciting day-- watching the doctor's office accept Elena, seeing her mother's relief when they did not object to treating her daughter, taking them to pick out Elena's first pair of glasses. The whole experience really opened my eyes to all the things I take for granted, and to the ways I am still naive to the experiences and challenges of the families I am now living in community with.

After dropping Elena and her mother off, Pasora Martha y yo went to the church to meet the ESL class that meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I had the chance to meet more women in the community, and once again they were very kind and welcoming, though the language barrier definitely still exists. I racked my brain trying to think up conversation starters, and we did make some small talk, but I'm definitely hoping to develop my social skills as time goes on.

After preparing snacks for the ESL class, Pastora Martha and I took two of the mothers to the social services department to ask about the Medicaid forms they were waiting on. Again, the whole experience opened my eyes to the things I've never had to think or worry about-- it's one thing to think about Medicaid on a level removed from the people it affects, but to see the little boy who can't get in to see a doctor because someone has yet to send the promised documents to his parents is a whole other ball game.

Pastora Martha got things figured out for the families rather quickly (they should be receiving their documents in the next week or so) and we were on our way to a 4th grade graduation ceremony to support some of the children in the community. (I forgot to mention that all this time Sra. de la Rosa has had me driving the church's 15-passenger van. I told her I'd need to practice before I cart the kids around this summer, so she pulled off to the side of the road, hopped out, and had me "practice" the rest of the day. Though I can't say my idea of "practicing" was carting around mothers and their babies, still completely insecure about driving such a large vehicle). Pero, we made it safe and sound, and I even parallel parked the thing a few times. :)

After the graduation ceremony, Pastora Martha, Jaqueline (a beautiful 5-year-old nina who I became acquainted with throughout the day), and I grabbed a quick bite to eat, picked up Sra. de la Rosa's car from the shop, and headed to the church for the after school program. The children came shortly after we arrived-- they are smart, energetic, and so much fun to be around. We played games, ate dinner, got to know one another. I also had the chance to meet a number of volunteers who work with the children-- everyone is so kind, so giving, so in love with the work they do.

After the children went home for the day, I played with Jaqueline and her brother, Carlos, while Sra. de la Rosa met with some families from the church. Once everyone had filtered out, we dropped the kids by their house and headed home where we made some coffee, looked at pictures together, and talked about all the people I had met throughout the day.

I am falling in love with the people here, the church, the community-- everything. I love that I've begun to use Spanich articles when I'm speaking in English; I love that I pulled up to Sra. de la Rosa's house today and thought how good it was to be home; I love that I get to say to the children, "Hasta pronto," and really know that I'll see them shortly; I love that they call me Miss Nicole, love hearing the stories that surround them, love waking up and wondering what Pastora Martha will have in store for us, who we'll get to talk with, drive around, give food, or time, or listening ears to. I love the ministry of presence Sra. de la Rosa has created here in Winchester. I am learning so much from the people, the encounters, the stories-- I can't wait to share more as the summer continues. I hope all is well at home.

Paz y Amor Mis Amigos y Mi Familia,

Nicole