Newsletters

Date: June 12th 2010

by Joan Gifford
June 7, 2010

Last Friday we visited the little town of El Tres just north of Apartadó to visit the Presbyterian church there. We were informed by the pastor that at least 60% of the members are desplazados. When we arrived the women of the church were making lemon cookies. Their limón is like our lime, but smaller. About 8 women were out on a covered cement area behind the main church of "Cristo Viene" and we could tell that something big was going to happen! The dough was already made and they had begun rolling it out on a flour-covered wooden table. The rolling pin was a green glass bottle, maneuvered expertly to roll out the dough to the correct thickness. A large plastic cup was used as the cookie cutter and soon there were so many cookies that the women had to bring in a second wooden table, sprinkle it with flour and soon it too was covered with cookies.

Meanwhile, an older woman was using a big old axe to chop wood and using a machete to create smaller pieces for the fire. They blew on some ashes and soon they had a fire, and later two fires. They removed some smaller sticks from the fire and put them on top of a 3-foot square of corrugated metal roofing material. This was the "lid" for the top of a very large, flat bottomed bowl-shaped pan that would become the oven. First they covered the outside of the pan with soap so they could clean it later and it wouldn't become black. They put the pan above the fire, supported on cement blocks, put about 10 cookies in and covered it with the "lid" and made their own huge dutch oven! Every cookie that I saw was perfecta! They tasted great! I asked about the recipe and was told it was flour, sugar, eggs, baking soda, grated lemon rind, anise and cinnamon. The cinnamon was in the form of bark and grated or ground. They didn't seem to use any shortening! What a cookie!

During the baking, while we waited, two children, a boy of 11 and a girl of 10 who were friends, helped me explore the area while David listened to some stories. I was taken to see a rooster and chickens running loose under the banana trees, big and little bananas on trees, the coconuts on the trees and when they get ripe, many frutas, big and small, and I was given 4 ripe star fruit, or carrambolas, that were used for our breakfast drink the next day. Inside the church I was introduced to their guitars, several different drums, cymbals, the guacharaca and a cow bell. They brought me a flower, a yucca and the explanation that it grows under the ground, a green totumo that is used to make maracas, and they pointed out to me a neighbor across the fence who was pounding rice. They put in a Christian music DVD and together we watched a cowboy sitting on a horse singing. I saw the flowers given to a mother for Mother's Day and a girl's new Sunday hat. I almost hated to leave
this place. I bought 8 cookies, knowing that I was helping to support an effort to continue the building at the back of the church that would be used for classes for children sponsored by Compassion International. Most of the people in the Cristo Viene church were displaced people but these women were working to help others. They had the time, energy and resources to help others. They have so little and they give it with a great spirit.


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