Only 2 days of Ministry, really?

What a wonderfully full day! Today was filled with many great opportunities and blessings.  The morning found us split up again, half to construction and half making home visits. 

Earth Movers at Work.

At the construction site Bob, Lori, Julia, Greg and Heidy got the opportunity to work very hard. Leveling the floor and back-filling the foundation around the building.  The plan had been to build forms for the beams to be poured to support the 2^nd floor, but the wood was not delivered.  We did get the opportunity to share with 2 men from a church in the Seattle area who came through with FH staff on a vision trip as they prepare to begin a C2C relationship with a community not too far away.  It was fun to share with them how far the community has come and how much of a blessing it has been to us and to our church.

Francisca and her 2 month old.

The other group, Dan, Lisa, Holden, Austin and Nathan went out to visit some local houses and pray for and encourage them.  The report that it was a really great opportunity for them to build even more relationships. They met a really wonderful couple Franisca and Francisco, who have 4 kids from ages 12 to 2 months. It was very encouraging to see a solid family unit, loving parents, working father, involved the local church and their community.  Also they visited the home of Jose and Fanny, who had attended the Special Needs Forum.  They had a really special time connecting with that family and sharing some common ground. Both of the young men took the opportunity to interact with members of the community and even stretched their Spanish muscles and spoke some in Spanish.  Home visits this year have been a really blessed time to encourage and connect.

The Health and Wellness Seminar

After lunch we split up again.  Bob and Lori lead a Health and Wellness training. They began with some basic training reiteration lessons that are beginning to take root here, washing hands, using only clean purified water for cooking and drinking, and some basic nutrition.  The meeting became especially impact-full when they opened it up to a question and answer time. Many of the mothers there asked Bob a number of different questions about health conditions, being very happy to have to opportunity to seek the knowledge of a Physician. 

Dan and his seminar attendees.

The rest of the team went to the school.  The children were released early so that the teachers could gather for a brief time of training and encouragement led by Dan. One of the most striking things was the difference from the last time Dan was able to speak to the teachers at the school here.  At that time there were 4 teachers, we had 14 teachers and 3 of them were males. It was so encouraging to see the incredible transformation in the educational system of this community.  He was able to share some great encouragement with them and motivate them to care for their students.  It was also a great time to hear from them and gain insights into how the education system works here.

Fearless VBS Game Leader

VBS appeared again this afternoon.  Lisa once again did a great job teaching the kids about the promise of a coming savior.  Austin led games and our great interpreters helped lead the songs.  It was really fun to see the kids pay such close attention to the lesson. 

After VBS we gathered outside the home we are staying in.  The kids migrated from VBS games down towards our place and were playing in the yard here.  It was a fun time for a number of kids to interact with our team.  Bob and Dan really connected with some of the kids.

We look forward to continuing to build relationships and meet new people.  Thank you again for your prayers and support!

Julia Getting Some Special Hair Treatment