The fourteen bewildered volunteers , arms and backpacks full of tools and materials , needed to be taken to a childrens cerebral palsy rehabilitation clinic somewhere north of the passenger boat ferry that had brought us there two hours earlier.
the cab we were riding in hit every bump and bend as we headed further and further into no-mans' land.The two other taxi cabs , which lost us , dropped the others at a locked gate guardeing an abandonded building.Standing at locked gate they watched the quiet concrete structure at the end of a narrow , overgrown , eighty yard long driveway.There were no signs of anyone to open the gate or offer assistance.
at about the same time , our party in the taxi , with a little luck and some help from a translation book , managed to convey our wishes.The next stroke of luck was passing the abandoned building and spotting the others(they were easy to spot,..untanned people drinking the last of their water at 10:30 in the morning , sitting on backpacks , materials and tool boxes).
Once we came down from the excitement (hugging and high fiving) of finding each other we approached the building.The grey concrete buildings' only door was locked , but the good news was that it was indeed the cerebral palsy clinic.
Matt Melonio had reached inside his backpack while the rest of us looked for shade.He worked his battery powered drill so quietly and efficiently that that we didn't even realize his intentions until we saw the window screen removed and Matt climbing in the window.Soon the front door was open and several of us were inside.(new excitement--high fives--YEA Matt !--cheers filled the air).
Only moments later , an official looking car pulled up to the chained and locked gate(we had climbed over it)at the street.To our relief , Maru , the clinic director , approached with a warm smile.She beamed with thanks and enthusiasm about our mission , as she greeted us with her own special warm and happy charm.She explained that a bus had been waiting for us at the passenger ferry about four miles to the south.Hey stuff happens !
The next three days working on the clinic were full of special moments , creating a long list of precious memories , too many to tell here.All of there could write books.Through it all , we bonded and performed maintenance and construction tasks that prior to Mexico we'd never attempted , but did quite well , almost professionally.Burned into my brain forever is:clinic waiting , the good friends , laughing at the plumbing jokes , waiting patiently , Maru , painting fun , the pick incident , taxi rides , Carribean moons , Pepe , shopping for materials , talking with Louie , who had cerebral palsy , hanging doors , wiring , more waiting , building windows under a banana tree , and especially the rides back to the island at the end of the day.

knowing that we had given of ourselves and endured the heat and the circumstances , and hung in there to do the work for the children , brought peace and a sense of purpose.Wonderful , wet and windy ferry rides back to our hotels on Isla Mujeres , good evening meals , and beautiful sunsets will stay in our memories forever.

Thank you for all your friendship , your courage , and your devotion to our Mission of Love.