Peace Offering

Today (Friday) was my last day, after four days, at the work site. It was bittersweet saying goodbye to all the kids who came and helped throughout the week. Before leaving I was still determined to make friends with the daughters of the house, Santana and Magdali. They are clearly afraid of people, and they hid in their house all day and didn’t say anything to us all week.  So throughout the day, when I was packing or scraping mud, I would stick my head through the door to their current house and make eye contact with them and wait for them to run away, my first ‘peace offering’ of the day. Then, at lunch I brought them some beans and leftover breakfast food, my second ‘peace offering.’

Sarah and one of the relatives of the Honduran who is helping

They then began to play the game back, waiting for me at the door and when I looked at them, they would smile and run away. After Meghan and I were done mudding, I decided to make a little clay doll out of the drying mud (with help from Meghan), and then I sat by the door saying “Hola Magdali, Hola Santana.” They knew I had something in my hand but weren’t sure enough of my presence to come and get it. So I set it down on the floor, and within one step away, the doll had been snatched up and all we heard was laughter, loud laughter, and whispers coming from the girls for a surprisingly long time; my third ‘peace offering.’

The doll

After I finished working, I decided to make a boy doll for them to play with along with the other. Again I left it at the foot and I began to hear the feet pattering before I had fully turned, my fourth ‘peace offering.’ Then I sat down and watched the men put up the chicken wire and heard a knocking coming from the square boards they use as a window. So I again yelled “Hola Magdali, Hola Santana” again I hear them running back to their mom giggling. Of course they continued this until we had to leave, which was their own peace offering back to me.

Then as we left I stuck my head in and said adios to them all and as normal they both hid but as I walked to the far side of the house I heard the knocking again. Bur this time I knocked back saying “Adios” “Adios” and it went back and forth for a while with a few guys joining my knocking, but as we turned to leave I said adios with one more knock and as our side of the window went quiet and turned around to leave we hear a quiet “Adios Gringa” coming from the house. By this time we were at peace, that was the last offering of peace needed. As we left we heard increasing confidence and loudness in the “adios’” coming from the girls in the house.

“His love never fails and never gives up.”

Sarah