Mission Trip – Day 5

I am sorry that I am a day late on posting, but yesterday was a full day. We started yesterday morning off with some hard labor!

We were split up into three groups:

1. Group one was working on finishing the bleachers by the basketball/soccer court. This means they have been moving dirt to make uneven ground flat, cutting and tying rebar, sifting gravel to make cement, and carrying hundred pound bags of cement one-hundred feet across the campus.

2. Group two was at the top of a small, but extremely steep, hill building an arts and crafts building for the school. We teach the guys how to do woodwork and the like, so we are trying to build them a place where they can work indoors, no matter the weather.

3. Group three was building a wall, but it’s not an ordinary wall! This wall is being pieced together. Last year, the team busted up a concrete road that was old, and every piece that came out of the ground was carried up the mountain in a metal wheelbarrow – which is a character building job, to say the least. So this year, we are taking that same rubble and carrying it down the mountain in order to build a wall. Some of you are thinking, “I really wish I could be doing that!” I am thinking, “I would gladly let you! It would actually be a pleasure to let you wheelbarrow the rubble, sift gravel, and mix concrete!”

Anyway, we worked all morning and got a lot done! Around noon, we had lunch and some time to rest, and after that we went to an all-girls public school.

A mistake we, as humans, often make is that we think that if we are not accomplishing something tangible, then what we are doing is not worth the effort. But yesterday when we were at the public school, the kingdom of God was advanced! We weren’t building anything where we could see immediate results – well, we did make bracelets with the kids –  but there wasn’t a wall to be built or tore down; there wasn’t a class room needing to be repainted, but there were little girls that needed to be loved on.

They were about 300 third through sixth grade girls there yesterday, and the sad truth is that a lot of them have never heard their dad say, “I love you.” Many of them probably can’t grasp the idea of affection. Amongst them there are the girls that have been or will be raped, the girls that think they are ugly and worthless, and the girls whose fathers don’t make it home many nights because they are passed out drunk on some street corner.

McGregor and the little girl

My heart broke as I watched a little girl cling to McGregor Townsend as we were leaving, and all because he took the time to sit awkwardly next to her. Because he stepped out of his comfort zone and asked her to throw a frisbee with her.

There was more done for God’s kingdom in two hours with some girls than there is in building a wall for six hours. We will be known as followers of Christ by our love toward one another, and the cool thing about love is that it does not require words; therefore, it completely breaks down language and cultural barriers.

Later, we all washed up and sat down to read our encouragement cards. We cried, we laughed, and we worshiped our God. That continued through the night as we fellowshipped in song and food with the Inn Staff. Ingrid Bol shared part of her testimony with us, and maybe I’ll write a separate blog post just about her. There is just so much to write about!

Thank you guys for sharing these posts and for taking the time to read them. I only hope that you can feel a little of what God is doing! Again thank you for all your support!

Mission Trip – Day 3

The Skit

Another day in paradise! Today we were blessed with cool 80 degree weather and sunshine. It is rainy season so the fact that we haven’t felt a drop of rain today has been impressive.

We have been going non-stop all day. Breakfast was relaxing, but then we had about 50 kids from the area come to the Inn. In the Latin culture, people are always 30 minutes late to everything, so we spent the first little bit playing with the early kids while waiting on the stragglers to come in. Then Mrs. Flo, Kristian, Gracie, and Brooke did a skit for the kids. It was a simple and funny depiction of how our lives can be emotionally crazy, but there is alway the “director of our lives” just like there was a director in the skit. The kids laughed and had a grand time. Then Brooke got up and shared with them how God’s Word has helped her through life, and she did a fantastic job!

Pato. Pato. Ganso. = Duck. Duck. Goose.

After the skit, we played a few games of soccer, threw a frisbee, and colored with the kids. It was a really a great time with the children from our neighborhood.

For lunch we had Caldo. It is a soup they make here for special occasions, and it consists of a red broth, rice, tamales, and some chicken . . . it really is quite amazing!

Our hike!

After lunch we had an amazing idea – we walked up a mountain. This wouldn’t have been that bad of an idea, only we had just got done running around for 2 hours with a bunch of kids, ate lunch, and we were planning on playing games with the staff this afternoon. Needless to say, as I write this I am falling asleep of pure exhaustion and it is barely 5:30. But, the view from the top of the mountain was pretty nice!

We are now preparing to eat dinner and hopefully read encouragement cards. Encouragement cards are usually the highlight of the week. Throughout the week, we take time to write little notes to each other that say how they saw Christ in them. It begins as a short, “Your laughter is contagious. Thank you for sharing it with the team.” As the week progresses, it becomes more in depth and more personal; anything from watching someone struggle and push through to a Christ-like spirit that someone notices. These notes start off simply an evolve into sincere perceptions of our characters and attitudes and actions. They build us all up in so many ways.

Everyone on the team is still healthy. Mrs. Flo had a bad headache, and there were a few minor bruises, sunburns, tummy aches, and sunburns. But all in all, we are being blessed by God that no one is dangerously sick. Thank you for your prayers, and I look forward to keeping everyone up to date on our daily lives here at the Inn!