So Thursday was a day of trying to finish off some of the work projects that we started at the beginning of the week. One of the groups went back to shoveling in order to finish taking the top layer of sand type dirt off of the Wheeler's back yard so that they could start gardening and putting fresh plants back there. We started by taking about a 5-6 inch layer out and then filling it back in with about 3-4 inches of good dirt and topped with a couple of inches of top soil. It took a lot of sweat and grunt to get it done, but by the end of the work time Thursday, it was finished. Another part of the group was in the gym to finish up painting white on the walls...we'll post pictures of the finished project, but you can take my word for it that it is muy bonito. We also finished spreading the dirt into the holes on the yard by the kids' houses...there are still more holes, but we ran out of top soil so we can call that project completed for lack of more soil. A couple of our girls cleaned out a shed that housed canned food, rice, toiletry items, and other things that needed to be cleared out based on expiration dates. Needless to say, yesterday was a day of finishing up so that today we could spend the day playing with the kids since they are out of school for a holiday. Will post more about that later...since we're only eating breakfast at the moment.
After we finished the work yesterday, we got to have dinner all together in the Comedor (the cafeteria) and they ordered Dominos Pizza for us and all of the kids at the home. It was a great time of hanging out with the kids and just enjoying the sonrias (smiles) around all of the tables. When dinner was over, the team got to spend some more time with the kids before they had to go over to the other side of the Home to get ready for bed. The older girls got to stay on this side to play Bunko until it was time for them to go back over to their housing. The Comedor was alive with Spanglish counting and yells of Bunko...it was a very entertaining evening and all the kids (orphans and team) had so much fun!
We ended our time with our team meeting where many of our students got to share about the things that God has been showing them this week. I wanted to share one story in particular where one of our team, Drew, was talking with one of the older girls about Jesus and what He means to him. The girl said that she was a believer and shared some of her story which she doesn't usually tell many people. In the midst of the conversation, she said to him that the Lord told her to say that he was called to minister to orphans and the oppressed in poor communities...the incredible thing about that is Drew had shared earlier in the week that he was praying for God to give him direction as to what path in ministry that he was supposed to follow. For Drew, this was a moment of clarity in his seeking God's will.
Looking back on yesterday and the whole week, I'd have to say that I'm extremely proud of our team for the work they have been able to get done. More than that, I have really been impressed by our kids jumping in and trying to communicate with these children in spite of the language barrier...I truly believe that our team will be changed for the better by this experience and I can't wait until they get home to tell you their stories.
