After all our talk about Mrs. Ravel it was time for us to meet and plan our time together. Mrs. Francis dropped me off in the community in the morning. It was quite a shock when I first entered into the community. She was giving me a tour showing the community center, the churches, and the convenient stores. We were driving along the rocks in her Toyota SUV and local residents were walking on the side of the street. It was actually quite depressing and I just felt this overwhelming sense of responsibility and commitment. No one has the ability to change a whole community in 2 weeks, but they do have the ability to plant the seeds to help it grow. PRIS
Mrs. Francis was sometimes a bit flighty in a very endearing way. We are waiting for the bus in the wrong area and we just caught the bus on the way out. Off the bus comes Mrs. Ravel, a heavier and strong African woman with long dreadlocks.
We both are happy to meet one another patting each other on the back. She has a look of relief in her eyes and I have a look of curiosity and wonder. The bus is full with about 60 kids and we are heading off to the Jesus Christ summer camp.
Mrs. Ravel introduces me to her three kids who are a bit shy and nerdy. They are laughing at me and smiling, which is common for kids when I don't even say anything. We get to talking and I acknowledge and praise all her hard work and she does the same for me. She says then when she saw my resume she was thinking to God, "Can she just stay here the whole summer?." Boy would the have been beneficial for this specific project and community, but I had other missions to complete.
Immediately, she was sharing all the problems with community, her difficulties, and things they needed. She informed me of her need for a computer. If she wants to type and print a letter, she has to go half an hour by bus and a taxi to get to a cyber cafe. The MH community area is in the remote area I mentioned with the only grocery store in Belize City. To access Belize City, you have to take a bus or taxi. Most of the kids in the MH community don't get proper nutrition, they don't get fed breakfast, and it's hard to feed her own family. She shared her personal difficulties with having three kids and a husband who just started working.
While I acknowledge and have mindful empathy towards everything she is saying, none of it is surprising or unheard of with my experience. This is common for this population to identify with all their problems and hardships rather than focusing on community support and positive aspects.
Clients commonly just need to be redirected to the strengths and potential of the community. We listed out the community strengths and identified positive community members, and the role of the church. It was a community with five churches and a lot of faith. It was important to point out over and over, day by day, step by step-to show that there is good within the community and God's love is present.
Just like my interaction with Mrs. Francis, our conversations were just bursting out of the seems with ideas, goals, beliefs, and plans. We were a power couple that was ready to utilize my time effectively. I made sure she knew that I was giving 120 percent effort for my time. If we had to work all day and into the night, I was there for her and to assist her in anything she needs. She said I was her angel and I said she was an angel to her community.
Sometimes God has to let Angels know that their not alone....PRIS
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