It is hard to believe I have all ready been gone for a month. I know I haven’t done a very good job of filling you in on our daily ministry here and some of my lasts posts were very wordy…so I’ll try to write less and show more.
Our first week here, we ran a 3 day VBS for the children of the community. We started each afternoon singing songs… my personal favorite was “Jesus’ love is bubbling over”… hand motions included. Then we would act out a short, “kid appropriate” Bible story. We did the parable of the lost sheep, the scene where Saul goes in search of a king and he finds David, and the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. Then we had a craft that went along with the lesson… and it is VBS, so of course there was a snack… usually cookies and coke. We would end the day in the field in front of the church with games… everything from soccer and Frisbee to Red Light, Green Light and Simon Says.
Olivia, Antonella, Me, Odalis, Cinthia
Our "little" spider friend, who lived at the church… don't tell Annee.
Playing a hand slapping game just like "Down by the River of the Hankeepank"
Natalie and I having a running race while the ninos hold on for dear life.
The reenactment of Jesus feeding the five thousand…I think the moustaches give it a special touch.
Making Chocolate Monos (monkeys) – a snack we invented that consists of bananas & plantains soaked in liquidy chocolate infused with cinnamon.
All of our little amigos.
Every Thursday night we taught English in the classroom at the school. We taught basic greetings… hello, how are you, nice to meet you. We had a lesson on the most frequently used verbs… see, think, sing, etc. We had some good ole common everyday phrases… I’m sorry, thank you, you’re welcome. And we even threw in some Christian related words and phrases… miracle, Holy Spirit, God bless you.
Some students were more eager than others.
One of the best parts of my day was hearing “our family” practice their English at night right before bed. In between our bedrooms, there was a 3/4 wall that we often played verbal tennis back and forth over. It went a little something like this… they would shout something out over the wall, like “see you tomorrow” or “good night”, and then we would all shout it back. But not just once… there was a lot of volleying and we ultimately had to be the ones who did not send it back over the wall… otherwise it probably could’ve gone on all night.
Another large part of our time here was spent painting. We started off with something small… touching up the Bible verses on the walls inside the church. Then we moved on to tackle the entire inside of the church, the inside of the school’s classroom, the front of the church, the front of the school, and the newly remodeled kitchen.
Jenna and Rona are painting on a board that is being help up by the church doors.
The inside of the church behind the pulpit
BEFORE AFTER
Painting the front of the church… using the wobbliest ladders I've ever stood on.
Scrubbing down the classroom before we start painting.
The finished classroom… in a piercing sky blue.
The front of the school…painted with blue gasoline.
BEFORE AFTER
Hanging around and painting the kitchen… a lovely shade of pepto-pink.
Getting ready to cook spaghetti in the newly finished kitchen for the church's anniversary.
We also spent many afternoons and evenings going on house visits. Sometimes the house would be just around the corner in walking distance and it would only be the 6 of us… while other times we had to load up in the back of a truck with 25 other people and drive 15 minutes down the road. At the 13 or so houses that we went to, we always felt so welcomed. They were constantly giving up their seats, so that we could sit and be comfortable, as well as offering us snacks… like crackers, mandarins, papaya, candies, or cheese. We would usually sit and talk for a while, maybe sing some songs, share a message or a word from the Bible, and then pray over the person(s).
Three generations of Buste's (Celia, Odalis & Hermencia) came with us to a house visit out in the "country".
Our favorite family to visit – Manuel, Michael, Betsy, Patricia & Kenya
(the newest edition to the family – she is only a few weeks old)
*Not pictured – the dog, Feo (meaning "ugly")*
It has been an amazing month and I couldn’t imagine starting this adventure in any other place. I know we came to serve the people here, but they have been such a blessing to me in the way that they have so selflessly served and loved us. It’s definitely going to be difficult to leave.
