When Helen and I were in
Solidaridad last APRIL'S, the big excitement was
that electricity was coming. The concrete poles
were up and the word was that they would have
electricity by Christmas.
Like in Florida with our
hurricane repairs, it takes longer than you think to
get work done. Perhaps they meant Christmas 2005.
The people were still waiting when we returned in
January. However, the wires were strung and it
looked good for an "anytime now" kind of job.
A highlight of our trip
in April was to see that the lights were finally
on. The picture that is with this email shows one
of the first evening services at the mission
church. I know the picture is a little dark, but it
gives you the idea. You see Enrique preaching with
a light bulb hanging just to his left (it is behind
the post).
To connect the light to
the electric pole, Enrique strings a cord out a
crack in the wall and connects the 2 strands of wire
to the posts in the electric box on a pole out by
the street. He then pulls the lever and we have
light! This wouldn't pass code here, but it does in
Solidaridad and it allows services to be held at
night. You can see that the church was almost
full. There were actually some people standing.
Parents who work during the day (everyday) are able
to come to a church service now with their
children. The evening services are Sunday and
Tuesday and both of the ones we attended were full.
Frank Miller
