Trini gives the signal and the rush of activity begins.

First the men move forward, carrying large trays of food. Then the kids go with their buckets of napkins and plastic spoons. Last the youth go with the coffee and tortillas. The long line of servers travels from the outdoor kitchen to the sanctuary of the Chivoc church.

I direct them, calling out in order what group to pass next. They push against me as I block the door, forcing them to wait their turn. Everyone is excited to serve.  We have waited and have worked hard for this night for a long time.

When everyone has gone inside, I watch in the doorway for a moment, making sure everyone has what they need to serve the meal. Then I turn back to the women who work on dishing the pinol and chicken into bowls. I jump back and forth, helping with whatever needs to be done, all the while looking. Searching.

Then I find it. The bottle neck.  The slowest part in the chain.

I rush to help Santos put the chicken in bowls and pass them to other women who dish the soup. I throw chicken into bowls with a fury. The four hundred meals must be served as quickly as possible. The line of men, youth and kids return to refill their trays and pitchers then leave to serve again.

After a while, I hear  Delfi and Rebecca give the announcement. “Alright! Everyone has food!”’

Several echo the message. “We’re done passing out food!”

Then comes the order, “Everyone who’s working, grab your bowl and eat!”

Almost everyone repeats the order, but no one moves to get their plate. No one wants to be the first to stop working. But eventually hunger takes over and the kitchen quiets down as the workers sit to eat.

I walk away, not ready to relax just yet. I take a pitcher of coffee and go and offer it throughout the  sanctuary. I greet old friends and welcome newcomers with a smile. Everyone is enjoying their food and cheers when Delfi cuts the cake. The 16th anniversary of the church is a special day.

I finish offering coffee and go back outside to the kitchen. My eyes wander, looking for something to do.

My friend Nancy, grabs my arm. “Have you eaten yet?”

I shake my head. “I will in a little bit. You?”

“I’m going to get my food right now.”

“Good. Eat. I’ll be there in a minute.”

I leave Nancy and start looking for trash bags. There are none. I grab some money and send a one of the youth to run down the street to the store. He comes back. The store is out.

I go looking for Trini and find him directing some workers in the sanctuary.

“Have you eaten?” he asks as I approach.

“No. I’m looking for trash bags. The store doesn’t have any.”

“Okay,” Trini nods. “Get trash so you can sit and enjoy your food when everything’s done.”

Trini shows me some containers I can use to collect trash then moves to continue coordinating  and checking up on others. I walk through the kitchen where Delfi and Rebeca are still serving food to the workers. I know that they haven’t eaten either. We’re very alike in that sense. We won’t relax until the activity is over.

I take the plastic container and move toward the door to start collecting trash. Nancy appears again by my side. “I’ll help you.”

Nancy and I work together, taking cups, bowls, napkins and dumping them in the plastic container. The sanctuary empties little by little. I say goodbye to my friends with waves and hugs. Some I won’t see until I come back from the States in January.

The men and youth start breaking down tables and chairs. Soon there is no trash. Nancy and I look for what things still need to be done, but can’t find anything.

“Go get your food.” Trini finds us in the sanctuary. “We’ll all eat at that last table before they break it down.”

Nancy and I obey and grab our food. She hadn’t eaten either. Rebecca and Delfi still stand over the fire and give me my bowl of pinol. Santos asks what part of the chicken I want. I say a drumstick. She gives me two.

The kitchen is still quiet as Nancy and I walk into the sanctuary. It’s dark now. I hadn’t even noticed the sun set. We sit with Trini and a few others who just now have allowed themselves to relax.

We’ll eat slowly.  Enjoy the food. Enjoy the company. Enjoy the tired feeling of a long day’s work completed.