1 Turn at a Time

For the past two days I have been working alongside a volunteer group from a church in Oklahoma. It has been fun working alongside them and getting to know them. Their congregation and a few of their group members have had long-standing relationships with Juntos Servimos dating back years. It has been very re-assuring to see people commited to Juntos Servimos, and the relationships they form here.

My highlight of the last two days has been working with Alexis, who is the eleven year old boy with autism. The project of constructing seats and letting him drive the screws has gone better than I could have expected the last two days. On Monday, we introduced him to the screw-driver and helped him turn screws. It was a battle keeping him focused and determined. He would often run off, and we would have to yell out, "Ayudame! (Help me!). He would come back and make a few more turns. This went on until the noise of the saws were too much for him to handle--this was after driving about 40 screws. Today he drove 20 screws with me. Think for a second how many turns of a screw driver it takes to put in a 3 1/2 inch screw. Now multiply that to be applicable for an 11 year old. He turned the screw-driver a whole lot, requiring a lot of muscle use and repetitive motion. I had to apply some pressure and to make sure that the screw driver was lined up with the screw, but I had to do that less and less as we went on. The repetitive motion is thereputic for him. This project also gives him a goal, and a sense of accomplishment once his task is completed. No disease could mask his excitment upon completeing a screw, especially with minimal help from me. This may not seem like much, but getting him to do that is a huge first step (hopefully). Larry and I are even considering building him a small workshop if his interest in construction continues to become aparent. He has a creative mind and he has added onto a handcart already. If he continues responding well to the guided teaching of screws and such, maybe we can give him a creative, constructive outlet. This work has been very rewarding for him, and for me as well. I am very happy about this project and feel that it shows the personal care and creative healing geared toward each individual Juntos Servimos cares for.

Tomorrow I will act as a translator for Dr. Nancy, as we take a group of people to the fishing villages near the coast. We are returning a cancer patient to her home from a treatment, and will dispense some basic supplies. This will certainly prove to be challenging, as I am not exactly qualified to be a translator. Being the only bi-lingual person is a little daunting, but I have been surprised by how much my spanish has improved already, and hopefully this will continue.

I've appreciated the e-mails and facebook posts, so keep them coming!

Paz,

Matt