most of last week

Hey everybody. I'll try to make this short. I'm trying to make up for last week, and it's late at night, but i'm taking advantage of the good internet connection at home, so I'm blogging now, but if it doens't make sense, use your imagination.
All of the pictures are basically from three different things : Jonesboro group, Chicago group, and teachers' riot. Let's see, let's just go in that order. The Jonesboro group was here a week and did a lot of building and medical clinics, which i got to translate for (excuse the inproper grammar). I had a lot of fun, although there were a few patients i tried to translate for from afar because they had open wounds and i have a weak stomach. They are pictured in front of the village school where they set up the first medical clinic to ever come to their village, and we were only about 5 minutes out of town up in the mountains! There were a lot of adorable kids to play with while their parents, familiares, etc. waited for the doctor. Another picture is of our two wonderful houseguests, Josh and Alyssa, with "Amber's boys" at the airport, saying goodbye when the group left for the States. I miss you guys!
Chicago group: I only worked with them one day and we went to Jovenes, made one strip of cement, and spent most the time bagging food to take up in the mountains. 7 "chosen ones" from Jovenes got to go with us as we slowly handed out food to as many households as we could: 100 bags, each containing lard (a staple), beans, rice, chicken bouillane (sp?), coffee, sugar, spaghetti noodles and sauce, and some toys for children. We drove up past about 65 houses or so, then handed the bags out on the way down the mountain. i had never done that before or been in this area and it is beautiful, the people even more so than the scenery, but it comes a close second!
Finally, the teachers' strike has been going on for 10 days now. When we left the airport part of the road was blocked, and when we tried going the other way, that was blocked too. You can see us waiting in traffic, with the boys in the back of the truck. Later on TV we saw why we were stopped: rioters fighting with police, shooting gas grenades (too many beans?) and sending the police running and protecting their lives and thier coworkers. rioters were throwing rocks. We drove through the area afterwards and saw rocks and debri all over the highway but didn't realize what had just happened until we got home and watched it on TV.
the teachers, come to find out, have already been paid their yearly salary for this year, but it's their raise that they were promised but havn't seen yet that they are striking for. I've heard there won't be classes for the rest of the school year, which runs from Feb-Nov.
Lots of corruption. If you're interested, do a keyword search and learn more. Pretty interesting.
finally to end on a happy note, one picture you see a group of people standing in front of the church. On the left you can see the two of our boys who were baptized last month, Ariel and Arnold. Praise God!