5:30 am — Wake up in my top bunk. I can already hear the monkeys howling outside in the trees.
6 — Everyone eats breakfast at the table after Tony reads a verse to the group. He would typically shut the Bible with a loud thud and a grin, and we would clap and cheer and get in line to get a plate of scrambled eggs, rice and beans, and some type of fruit, usually papaya or mango. Also coffee in a tall percolator.
6:30 — We break out the bibles and read a chapter or so of Luke together.
7 — The boys go off and work on the fence, the rest of us girls get the paint supplies ready. Someone volunteers to be the cook / cleaner of the day to help Rosita in the kitchen.
7:30 to 11 am — As a small group we work our way around the outside of the house, standing on ladders and chairs, painting the walls with hand brushes. Music is playing on a speaker, it rains off and on but there’s an awning to keep us dry.
10:45 — Around this time we start to slow down, some people are still painting and some people are brewing coffee for the upcoming break lol.
11 — A one hour break starts. Boys walk back down the dirt road and meet us in the big eating area, some people take a nap in a hammock and some just sit around drinking coffee, hanging out. Oftentimes there’s fresh fruit that Rosita cut up for us to have with our coffee break.
Noon — Tony reads a verse, we clap and cheer, line up for beans and rice, probably chicken, and salad.
1 to 4 pm — Continue painting / fence building. It’s pretty hot and humid at this point. I look pretty gross.
4 pm — Work for the day is finished so we wash our paint brushes. Rather than heading to the showers, we space out and work out for a good 30 minutes. I would usually go inside the house and work out amid the bunk beds and play a news podcast on my speaker.
4:30 — Run to one of the 4 showers before other people get there. Freezing cold water, but at this point I’m so hot and sweaty and sticky and dirty that the ice water feels good. (Random story: One time I was showering and I notice something move in the corner. I look down and gasp because a MASSIVE toad was pushing itself up from the drain. Naked and afraid, I stared at it as I moved my hand to turn off the water nozzle, unsure if I was really finished rinsing but didn’t care. Continued to stare down the toad to make sure it didn’t attack me as I quickly got dressed and ran out of the stall.)
5 — We all gather for Tony to read another verse. Thud, clap, cheer, line up. This time it might be a type of beef stew, beans, rice, fruit, and ice tea. Everyone who hasn’t showered at this point starts to do so. Someone usually offers to wash the dishes.
7 — We meet inside the house for team time. I go over some basic announcements and then we have feedback time, where we life each other higher by pointing out something cool they did, highlighting their strengths, or even acknowledging an area for growth. After this, a name is randomly picked for that person to share their testimony / life story with the group. We are a new team, so we want to let every teammate have a night to share about their life and how God has changed them. Usually we ask questions at the end, including things like “What is your relationship like with your dad now?” Or “Tell us your ideal day.” We also pray over that person at the end.
8:30 — We wrap up team time and people start getting ready for bed. At this point outside where the tables and bathrooms are, giant flying beetles are zipping through the air and often landing on our faces. Also the toads start to slowly come out to eat the bugs. I brush my teeth and wash my face, etc.
9 — Head to our tiny wooden bedroom with 3 other teammates and we go to sleep. But before we are able to successfully turn out the lights and lay down, we have to chase out a few bugs.
