TREINTA Y TRES: The main purpose of traveling through Uruguay was to visit the Goodmans. A family that I met via email through mutual friends. They lived in Treinta y Tres, the capital city of the province of the same name. This is where I had just arrived, and I had no idea what to expect.
Meeting The Scotts
On arriving in Treinta y Tres, I am met by Tim, a tall lanky lad with a strong reddish beard. At 21 he appears older than he is, and speaks in a Scottish accent. With his pushbike at his side, we both walk the twenty seven or so blocks back to his place.
The house is on the outskirts of town, and in their yard is actually two houses. The other is the new house that Tim is in the process of building. When I enter into the door of the smaller, thatched roof house, I am greeted by great plumes of smoke. Amidst all of this I see two figures who I assume correctly to be Chris and Grace Goodman, Tim’s parents.
Grace is at the gas stove, cooking up some lovely rabbit meat which refuses to stop smoking, while Chris stands at the kitchen bench, preparing other items for dinner. Grace quickly explains to me in her thick Scottish accent that this much smoke is not usual, something I found to be true throughout my stay here.
Two people who describe themselves as plodders, Chris and Grace heard God clearly tell them to move to Uruguay in South America many years ago. After a few probing visits, they then moved here from Scotland eight years ago with their son Tim, and started setting up a new home.
Steep Learning Curves
Never having lived a subsistence lifestyle before, there has been a steep learning curve in virtually every area. How to grow vegetables and trees successfully, how to milk and care for cows, and even how to kill and butcher rabbits. The yard that contains their two house extends for a long way down to the creek, making their land large enough to be called a small farm. Essentially that is what it is.
Wanting to honour God and the rulers of the land, the Goodmans have set about doing everything by the laws of Uruguay. This is something that even the people enforcing these laws have advised against, such is the strength of corruption in the country. Many of these laws do not seem to make sense, and everything takes time to complete. A lot of time.
Never having encountered such long-winded and lengthy delays as every process in Uruguay invokes, the Goodman’s expectations of completing things quickly, such as they could have done in Scotland, were quickly dashed. They came to realise that moving through official channels takes much longer than is reasonable.
These days, as most people who live in South America long enough begin to realise, a much more realistic approach is to select one item to complete each day. If this item is completed then you can begin another. Normally though the delays and circular processes take more than a day to navigate. Sometimes it extends into months or years.
As a result, something as simple as going to the bank or visiting the post-office can be a full day event. Getting approval for house changes takes much much longer, with many hours of time spent standing in line waiting to be told that the person you need to talk to is the one you have just seen.
The New House
Before, during and throughout their time in Uruguay, God has given the Goodmans guidance and direction. Although from a church perspective there has not been great gains or changes during their time here, the Goodmans have been continuing to build contacts and influence many people throughout the town.
There is a sense that their presence here will be the start of something much bigger soon. It is to this end that they continue to work in all areas, including on their house. This house, with a large open area on the upper floor, will become a valuable meeting place when it is finished. Meeting places of this size are not very common in Treinta y Tres.
The new house was a partly started project included with the property the Goodmans bought. After much time in seeking official approval to continue building, they now have the main structure completed. Tim, who has been training in carpentry skills, is in the process of creating the windows, doors and frames for the entire house. The finished products are each looking very good.
While staying here I lived upstairs in the main bedroom, reaching the upper floor by a ladder. About to help Tim with his work, this was my motivation to choose to help out with the interior staircase. Together with Chris we worked on paper and then wood to create the stairs. Time ran out for me before it was finished, but with a little more cutting, we were very close to assembling everything by then.
Sticky Weather
The weather here was reasonably good to us most of the time, although there were a couple of very large and heavy rainstorms that came through the area. One was so loud that it woke me in the early morning, a feat that even my mother finds hard to do.
Never warm, the temperature ranged from cool to very cold. Every day the air was thick with humidity and even dry clothes started to feel sticky. Fortunately, Chris had installed an instant shower from Britain, and I was able to wash the stickiness away. The shower was actually too powerful for the electricity supply and had to be tuned down. Even so, it still provided a lovely warm shower. The best part was that there were not any power cables lying next to the running water.
Getting Around
Transport for the Goodmans is bicycles. They have enough for each of them and one more. Town is not too far away and the ride over mostly flat terrain is easy enough to do. When they first told me they only had bikes, I was expecting motorbikes. Instead, I was able to gain a little fitness as I journeyed in and back from town each day. Chris even has a trailer to draw behind him when he needs to carry larger items.
My Experience
Spending time with the Goodmans, whom I affectionately nicknamed the Scotts, was very refreshing. After traveling for two weeks around Uruguay without speaking English it was also nice to be speaking it again. We shared our experiences of hearing God call us to South America, and told of our visions of what we wanted to see happen here. We chatted and laughed, and talked about much. When I left, I left refreshed.
Having gone to encourage them, I ended up being encouraged myself. They are a great family who are willing to obey God no matter what. The thing I remember most about them is their determination. I now have some new friends, the Scotts.
