Nearly home

I'm done.

I don't want to be at the Pierre Georgio Hotel, or Peurta Polato Airport, I don't want to be on Thompson flight TX 2439 to Manchester, I don't wasnt to be driving down the M6 or M1, I want to be home, with my wife, my children, my dog(!) my extended family and my friends. Perhaps (and I'll be honest here) the one thing I don't miss is my Church. Not church itself, my faith has only been strengthened, but having spent so much time with quality guys from a quality church, I have to admit that currently church is not 'feeding me' at all. I can say it on this blog because as far as I'm aware, no one from my church is even reading this blog!

Blog, you can be very theraputic!

Church isn't the b-all and end-all. My faith is stronger. I have seen Christ in the eyes of the poor, the hungry, the gays! This is far more fullfilling than any church service. Christians, get off your backsides and get out there. There's a hurting world!

We visited Los Algodones for one last time. We took Natalie, the bar maid who lives with our DJ friend Dave, but Dave had to work. She was blown away. We painted the interior of one of the classrooms, and then showed her round the village. It has rained all day and the paths had turned to a gooey clay type mud. Most of the houses do have corrugated roofs and so have some protection, but I just cannot comprehend living in a shack with leaves as a roof. It would be like having a roof made out of toilet paper! The residents get soaked. And with the wet comes disease, inconvenience, misery. There is still much to do.

Christ talks about the joys of giving: He tells us that it is more blessed to give than receive. This is so true! It does not require great acts of generosity involving thousands of pounds (though this is good too!) but simple expressions of love; I saw a man in flip flops today. The ground can be harsh. So I took off my shoes. I joked with him and told him part of the deal was he had to take my smelly socks! What is twenty pounds to any of us who is reading this! I am leaving with an empty bag: My sunglasses, baseball cap, candy, hair products (OK, I took them with the express intention of giving them, I don't use affro combs!) but I come away feeling more greatly blessed and content than through receiving any gift.

Be honest, what was the last time you received a present that gave you joy that lasted more than a day. Love cannot be bottled into an aftershave, a pair of shoes or candy. Love is a doing word, and it can't be put on the credit card. Each time I come out here I realise this more and more.

My rant is over. I love this country so much.

I will return.