Week One of Our Six Week Saga

Hello all. So much has been packed into this past week, it´s crazy. Kristin and I truly fontiering it, going where no student missionary has gone before! Pretty exciting.
On Monday and Tuesday we came down with watery, mucousy diarrhea. After telling the people we lived with, they promptly responded that it was because we were drinking “agua cruda.” In other words, they don´t drink that water until they´ve boiled it. So, we are now taking Metronidazol TID and chlorinating our water.
The people we live with are really very sweet, and when Mariza (the lady of the house) heard we weren´t feeling well, she whipped out her jungle remedies on us. She practiced some rock therapy, covering our bellies in rancid olive oil and massaging them with rocks for about 30 minutes, and then grabbing our heads with her oil covered hands and praying in a whisper for about 5 minutes. Then we were told to leave the oil on until it dried. She also had me drink some jungle honey for my sore throat and tried to give me some blood from a jungle plant, but that was where I drew the line. We have to have some boundaries!
We have begun our kid´s program and surveys, and today enrolled 11 families in the health program. At one of the homes the lady invited us to have a seat and enjoy some of the “refresca” she and another woman were drinking. The pitcher was sitting on the table and its contents looked like green slime, but we didn´t want to refuse. So, two tall glasses were poured, and I smiled and took a sip. And almost spit it out. I really don´t want to know what was in it, but I can tell you whatever it was had been rotten and fermenting for quite awhile. So, I´ve had my first alcoholic drink as a student missionary! What´s next?! Needless to say, I couldn´t drink anymore.
God is good, and it is exciting to be involved in His work. Please continue to pray for us and the participants in the program, as it starts officially this Monday.