Annual Ayore Conference

This weekend a number of Ayore gathered for the Annual Conference in Poza Verde. The conference is a time for fellowship, teaching, singing and tribal traditions.

We got to the conference early to meet with some of the tribal leaders from various communities about their goals, accomplishments, concerns, etc. It was a helpful meeting and especially nice to meet on the second floor of the Poza Verde House Charles has nearly finished with the help of many.

Another project finished just before the Conference started was the baptismal fount in the church. It is a tradition to baptize the new Christian brothers and sisters on the last day of the Conference so it was nice to have the new baptismal ready. Benial, the pastor in Poza Verde, is the one who baptizes -- and this year it would be quite a cold dip in the water. In addition, a major improvement to this year's Conference was the light in the church; Charles hooked up a small generator and bought a few light bulbs so that the evening gatherings could be conducted with light. What a difference a little light makes!

Rocio and I mostly helped with occupying the children and assisting with the food preparation. The children mix so well and aren't affected by all of the family clan fights as the adults are at times. It was fun to review and teach new lessons to the children -- they are so engaged lately!

We also played an Ayore favorite - volleyball! They love to play! I'm glad I know the rules more or less because I don't always know what they are saying to me in their native language.

The weekend was fun and eye-opening. It's good to step back and see them all together.