This morning I left campus about 3:50. Shortly after exiting the farm, I began to notice what looked like fire dancing. I was looking at the fire through a patch of trees as well as fog. As I pasted the trees, the fire was more visible but because of the early morning fog, it was not clearly visible. The fire seemed to be dancing. That is, it was moving in the air in random patterns. It was strange to say the least. As I drove through the pasture and became nearer the fire, I gradually began to realize the fire was men waving burning sticks….homemade torches. That is, they were waving the burning sticks in an attempt to get my attention. They had been successful!!!!
With the light fog in the night and the men holding sticks of fire, the scene was reminiscent of by-gone years of cave men movies or at least pre-petroleum days when folks had no oil lanterns and thus used burning sticks as torches. The two men approached my car with big smiles on their fire illuminated faces with good morning greetings. Although it was early for me, they are dairymen and it was the normal time to be up to move the cows into the corral for milking once the sun began to rise.
After the morning greetings, they told me of the purpose of them coming to my car. Their grandfather was 98 years of age and ill. He lived in a village I would be passing through. They asked if I’d give their mother a ride to be with him. As soon as I said “yes”, the younger brother ran to get her. In a few minutes she arrived carrying a few hand bags. She entered the car where we enjoyed more than an hour of conversation on our way to her destination.
It had rained a good bit of the night and so the rivers were high. It was nice having an extra pair of eyes to peer into the dark helping me to evaluate each bridge-less river crossing as we made our way to Zambrano where she exited and I continued on to Siguatepeque.
Those who come to volunteer on campus, enjoy stepping back in time. This was one example….where burning sticks serve as flashlights. Blessings, Glen