day of worship and rest

(a precious handicapped girl at church)


we have kept the team on a pretty tight schedule, so today, we started out at 8:30, went to worship with one of the local churches... WOW, its always incredible to worship with another culture, who sings in their language.

They were so filled with love for us, their congregation hugged all of us, prayed over us, and thanked us..Who are we that they should thank us? We owe them the thanks. For being good parents in a society that does not embrace moms and dads loving their children, for being active participants in caring for the children in their neighborhood, and for having an abundance of love to share with others.

After service, we took the team to Valle De Angeles (Valley of the Angels) for souvenier shopping and bartering. from 1 item to bags full of stuff-everyone seemed to really enjoy the needed break. We were blessed that our lunch order was nearly double the amount of food that we needed, so we boxed it up and handed it out to the poor and needy in the neighborhood.

the team was having a blast this evening-they are really bonding, and making life long friendships. We just left a mad game of Catch Phrase, where no one was competitive...YAH Right :-) off to bed now, as tomorrow brings the final home visits, work on fixing up, repairing and painting 4 of the projects, and tomorrow night we will have our final debrief-there have been many tears already as He has revealed Himself in a variety of ways, and tomorrow will be a struggle for many of the team... we pray that they will be ready for the reverse culture shock upon returning to America...when you see this level of poverty impacting millions of people, it is always hard to adjust to the american way of life...

many already plan on returning, many plan on sponsoring more kids, and many are changing their habits at home to align with His plan in meeting needs.

I could not be more proud of a team-they have held it together through some rough and chaotic circumstances-yet they have high spirits, and are anxious to serve another day.