Markham Family Missions: Yo soy una bolsa de tierra (I know, there is no Spanish equivalent)

Since I did not commit any serious crimes during my time in the U.S. Navy, I never was sent to chip rocks and shovel dirt for the rest of my waking hours. So today, I got a bit of a feeling what that must be like. The difference... I took breaks when I wanted and quit around four p.m.

Stan, one of the Colorado team members at La Palabra de Vida this week, has been a pleasure to get to know. He's a Navy Nuke from the 1970's, and was a Shift Supervisor at the Ft. St. Vrain Nuclear Plant, which was prematurely shut down in the late 1980's. Stan's no spring chicken, but he still has two speeds, overdrive and off. Just like me. He's also got the sarcastic wit common to most nukes and nuke plant operators. And setting an example for all of us, Stan works harder than Callista Gingrich's hairdresser.

So when I was shoveling dirt and rocks, Stan immediately dubbed me, "the dirtbag from Illinois." Not knowing the Spanish equivalent, I consulted the local experts, but the best we could come up with was "bolsa de tierra." It works for me. In fact, some would say it is a promotion.

The pictures you see here are a project that may not meet all OSHA standards, but will provide a much needed bolstering of one of the main classroom buildings. Like the United States Treasury, its foundation had eroded a little over the years, but this new wall and the fill will prevent any future problems. Men and women alike chipped rocks, broke up dirt, and shoveled large and small loads into a wheelbarrow procession that was as predictable as a Mitt Romney sound bite. That's how things get done here, poco a poco, little by little.

You'll also see some snapshots of my son, Bradley, and his good friend, Roberto, who lives just down the street, and will be a ninth grader at LPDV this spring. When given the choice between library duty and this job, they chose the wheelbarrows. Roberto is helping us with our classes for the next three weeks as he is an excellent English speaker already.

Vickie and I also are preparing to teach about fifteen children an ESL course. After a mild panic last night over not preparing yet, I dug into the material today, and I'll believe I'll be ready to overwhelm these youngsters with my Okie English. Everything will be fine until someone asks one of these kids how they are, and they reply "Fair to Midland." Then the parents are gonna come knocking.

We're having a great time, I hope you are too. Blessings, Bill