On either side of the patio of the school, there sat a line of children. All were clad in identical blue and white checkered collared shirts. The girls wore navy blue pleated skirts while the boys wore navy blue slacks. Each child wore black shoes. Some children had shiny well fit shoes while other children had very questionable shoes. The boys and girls range from the young age of three to the age of possibly seven years of age. Not only did each child dress similarly, but they were each owners of bright eyes and brilliant smiles. To stop the stream of questions and comments that come from their mouths is always impossible. As soon as they have quieted for a moment, a question bubbles out of one the child’s mouths starting whole new torrent of childish voices. The children are beautiful.
These children attend a two room school house. On both the inside and the outside of the school, the walls are painted a dark ocean blue. It is a schoolhouse that seems to have just exploded from a child’s coloring book. Not only do the dark blue walls set it apart from the community, but so do the life-sized drawings of Noah’s ark. On another side of the school, there is a drawing of Jesus with children. This is the way that a school should be with Jesus at the center. The school is in the midst of a community of houses that look no better than shacks. It seems as though young children had grabbed twigs of wood and created dwellings in which to live. The sad thing is that these shack houses are life-sized and people do live within them. On the bright side, this is the perfect climate for a person to live in a shack. To say the least, the school stands out within this community.
Along the dirt road in front of the coloring book school, there is a wall that runs parallel with the road the entire length of this town of shacks. On the other side of the wall, rich man’s paradise exists. The wall was erected so that the rich man would not have to deal with the poor man daily. This wall is a tangible reminder of the difference between the rich and poor. Yet, this same wall was the chosen canvas for an art site. Slowly, it has become a symbol of the hope that one can have in Jesus Christ. The entire length of the wall presents truth that is found in the Bible. This is my community of El Callejon. Even though it is considered to be the end of the road by all those who have any material wealth, it is often at the end of the road where one finds true hope in Jesus Christ.
