With a Broom and a Hose

Each morning, Chileans take their brooms and go outside their gates and sweep up the few leaves or pieces of trash that have blown around overnight. After the sidewalk is cleaned, time is spent spraying water from a hose over the cement to keep the dust down for the day. This is a habit that seems a little foolish to me when I was observing during my trip last month.

What is the big deal about a few leaves? Seems kind of pointless.

But after some thought, I have changed my attitude toward this seemingly pointless activity.

Why you ask?

Well, because it's synonymous with being Chilean. When we move into a community (once we get to Chile) I will be the first one to take a broom in the mornings to sweep away anything on my sidewalks, because it is a way to show that our family desires to be like the community in keeping our space clean, even if it is just a few leaves.

This is a great chance to talk and get to know our neighbours, because they are out there like clockwork.

So the next person who askes me how I will evangelize my Chilean neighbors, I will answer, "With a broom and a Hose."