Machette's and Pick Axe's and Tarantulas.. OH MY!

An amazing day.. i was worried that we would see little fruit of our labor after touring the field yesterday, but He proved faithful and kept the team strong.

Here is a picture of where we started:(you can almost make our Roy in the brush)

and this is where we finish day one:

Machettes were flying, and hands grabbing the chopped grass over the very rough ground (oh what we would give for a disc or plow - lol)... we are amazed at the amount of manual labor went into the project today. We can all see where the field will be, in fact, we had "swathed" home-first-second-third-and back home by 11am. It really motivated the team to know that by Saturday-we will play ball with the children. So many of which came out to watch, play catch with mangos, and help us with the machette work.

The team is tired, but excited for a new day... we did have a number of run ins with foot long Milipedes, a couple rats, and ALOT of Tarantulas:

I am now more than ever-excited for these children to have a safe place to play. Many of the children were running barefoot across the field, laying down in the thick tall grass-right where our multi-legged friends were. The neighborhood starting showing up to watch and pitch in by this afternoon. It is incredible to see so many united for the same purpose...that purpose is to show love and compassion to the children, and in doing so-helping the entire family and community. They are very poor in this part of Santiago-and the Mission of Mercy project is making a huge difference. The people are very kind, and quick to thank us for working for their children.

Sunday Worship and touring

An incredible morning of worship with the CMA church near the new project this morning. We started shortly after 9am, and people continued to come from the neighborhood until nearly 10:30. Service ended around 11:00, and the children(pictured here)

Were wanting their pictures taken-and to see them(they figured out the “digital” cameras ;-) )
We ate lunch and went down to the worksite(field). It does not look like it, but there is A LOT of work to be done. We will all be given machetes tomorrow to start clearing the brush. There are no even surfaces(mounds of dirt, debris, undergrowth) on any portion of the field(pictured here-with a visitor)

We are hopeful to be able to see the fruits of our labor, but at the end of the day-the Lord knows why we are here. It really isn’t about how much we get done for them, it is about Him working in their lives, and changing our hearts.

We then toured the dump in Cien Fuegos(this is near the project we worked on last year) The building is incredible-and the need is so great. Within a mile of that project is this…

This is the city dump. Many of the local children help their parents in rummaging for food and materials to sell for a living. You can see a shack and a few people by it. This is normal every day life for them. Does sponsorship make a difference? You bet it does. It ensures that the children in this neighborhood receive food, clothing, education and medical assistance-most importantly, they are given hope for a future in Jesus Christ. These children have a safe place to come each day and learn. Education is critical for them to break the cycle of poverty their families have been in for generations. They are tomorrows leaders, business owners, and good mommies and daddies.

Tomorrow, we start clearing the field-we are excited to see Him move in and around us!