Monday, July 18, 2011
Home safe and sound
We are all home now. We had a good day last day at the base and accomplished all kinds of work projects around the base, even without any electricity. We finished the day with a great time of worship and communion with the staff and the team from Manitoba and then an encouragement time with our team.
The trip home was relatively uneventful too. We were worried about a tight connection in Houston but our plane landed a half hour early which gave us just enough time to make the connection comfortably. It certainly would have been challenging without that extra half hour.
The flu that went through the team continued to bounce around the team on Friday and on the trip home but it didn't really lay anyone up again. It just made some people feel rotten for a while.
But we all made it home safe and sound. All would agree that it was a successful trip and everyone was glad that they went.
I will now post another set of pictures that I picked out a few days ago but never got time to post. Perhaps some other team members will post their summary thoughts about the trip so keep your eye on this blog for a while longer.
The trip home was relatively uneventful too. We were worried about a tight connection in Houston but our plane landed a half hour early which gave us just enough time to make the connection comfortably. It certainly would have been challenging without that extra half hour.
The flu that went through the team continued to bounce around the team on Friday and on the trip home but it didn't really lay anyone up again. It just made some people feel rotten for a while.
But we all made it home safe and sound. All would agree that it was a successful trip and everyone was glad that they went.
I will now post another set of pictures that I picked out a few days ago but never got time to post. Perhaps some other team members will post their summary thoughts about the trip so keep your eye on this blog for a while longer.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The recovering wounded
It has been a very busy few days with our activities going right until bedtime so I have not had the chance to post. Sorry about that. Now I need to update you on the past three days once again.
Monday was park day. We rented a private park in Guarari and a bus and met the kids there. This is always a great day. It is a chance for the kids to get out of the nieghborhood and relax and be kids. The weather was great in the morning and the kids had a great time swimming in the pool, playing soccer, and playing on the swingsets.
Unfortunately, shortly after lunch time it began to rain and soon it was pouring. However, Gabe came to the rescue by challenging some of the kids to a race in the rain. Soon most of the kids were running in the rain and sliding down the big hill in the pouring rain and it wasn't long before Tristan and Phil joined them.
We finished the day with singing in the large dining building We sang many of the same songs we have sung with them all week long. When they put on a spanish version of "I can only imagine" by MercyMe it was difficult for many of us to keep it together as we knew our time together was coming to a close, yet were reminded we would be reunited one day in heaven. Despite the rain, there were plenty of tears as we saw them off at the bus. There were some very significant relationships formed and many found it very difficult to say goodbye.
We then returned to the YWAM base, but the emotional day was not over yet. After dinner, there was a team meeting where we debriefed the emotional day and then encouraged the terrific group of teens from Heredia that we had the priviledge of being part of our team. We then had a great prayer time as we prayed for them. Shortly after the meeting, their parents came to take them home with some more emotional goodbyes.
The day took the toll on the team not just emotional but physically as well. Peggi got very sick that night and many others were not feeling well. Tristan slammed his knee into a board and was walking painfully. And several of the team were tricked by the cloudy morning and got bad sunburns - especially Gabe who now resembles a lobster. And all of us were emotional and physically exhausted. We felt like the walking wounded.
The following day we had the priviledge of visiting Paul Jesperson at Roblealto, an orphanage and school where he teaches. He showed us around this incredible place. We met a couple of the home parents and some of kids although many were away with extended family as it is a school break for them now. This is an amazing facility that takes in children in trouble and gives them a great home, a great school, team sports, psychologists, therapists, and more. After touring Roblealto we went to Paul's home and enjoyed the hopitality of his wife Uli and their two sons.
We returned to the YWAM base for lunch and that afternoon we went to town and did some shopping. However, the day still wasn't over. After supper, we were invited to Norma and Fernando's home. As his health has him housebound, he really wanted to see the team. We spent a couple hours talking and praying with them. It was a good time with them and another late night.
Today we had a fun day and drove up the mountain to an area with waterfalls and animals. This area was devastated by an earthquake a few years ago and has been unaccessible until recently. It was a good day to rest and recover our strength.
Tomorrow, we have a work day at the YWAM base working on several projects. It should be interesting as we were just informed that the power company has told us that we will not have power all day. We also need to pack for our return trip on Saturday.
Monday was park day. We rented a private park in Guarari and a bus and met the kids there. This is always a great day. It is a chance for the kids to get out of the nieghborhood and relax and be kids. The weather was great in the morning and the kids had a great time swimming in the pool, playing soccer, and playing on the swingsets.
Unfortunately, shortly after lunch time it began to rain and soon it was pouring. However, Gabe came to the rescue by challenging some of the kids to a race in the rain. Soon most of the kids were running in the rain and sliding down the big hill in the pouring rain and it wasn't long before Tristan and Phil joined them.
We finished the day with singing in the large dining building We sang many of the same songs we have sung with them all week long. When they put on a spanish version of "I can only imagine" by MercyMe it was difficult for many of us to keep it together as we knew our time together was coming to a close, yet were reminded we would be reunited one day in heaven. Despite the rain, there were plenty of tears as we saw them off at the bus. There were some very significant relationships formed and many found it very difficult to say goodbye.
We then returned to the YWAM base, but the emotional day was not over yet. After dinner, there was a team meeting where we debriefed the emotional day and then encouraged the terrific group of teens from Heredia that we had the priviledge of being part of our team. We then had a great prayer time as we prayed for them. Shortly after the meeting, their parents came to take them home with some more emotional goodbyes.
The day took the toll on the team not just emotional but physically as well. Peggi got very sick that night and many others were not feeling well. Tristan slammed his knee into a board and was walking painfully. And several of the team were tricked by the cloudy morning and got bad sunburns - especially Gabe who now resembles a lobster. And all of us were emotional and physically exhausted. We felt like the walking wounded.
The following day we had the priviledge of visiting Paul Jesperson at Roblealto, an orphanage and school where he teaches. He showed us around this incredible place. We met a couple of the home parents and some of kids although many were away with extended family as it is a school break for them now. This is an amazing facility that takes in children in trouble and gives them a great home, a great school, team sports, psychologists, therapists, and more. After touring Roblealto we went to Paul's home and enjoyed the hopitality of his wife Uli and their two sons.
We returned to the YWAM base for lunch and that afternoon we went to town and did some shopping. However, the day still wasn't over. After supper, we were invited to Norma and Fernando's home. As his health has him housebound, he really wanted to see the team. We spent a couple hours talking and praying with them. It was a good time with them and another late night.
Today we had a fun day and drove up the mountain to an area with waterfalls and animals. This area was devastated by an earthquake a few years ago and has been unaccessible until recently. It was a good day to rest and recover our strength.
Tomorrow, we have a work day at the YWAM base working on several projects. It should be interesting as we were just informed that the power company has told us that we will not have power all day. We also need to pack for our return trip on Saturday.
Monday, July 11, 2011
A few days worth of updates
Well, it has been a few days since an update. So I will need to tell you about Saturday, Sunday, and today.
Saturday was another day in Guarari. We spent the morning on our work projects as well as playing with the neighborhood kids as usual. However, in the afternoon we were not doing the VBS program. This time we participated in the regular program that Melanie, Norma, and Fernando do each Saturday at the community center. It was similar to the VBS programs we run and it was good to see how they run things.
Sunday we went to the Heredia church and were tremendously blessed with an incredibly warm welcome. The worship was great and we were able to share with them in both testimony and drama. It was also terrific to be able to meet the families of the Heredia teens on our team and let their parents know how much we appreciate them. We were also surprised when Eduardo, the contractor we have been working with, showed up at church with his son, who has been attending VBS. The men have really connected with him and Gord had invited him to church.
After church we did some touring around town, hanging out in a local park watching the skateboarders and touring a small coffee plantation. Then returning to the base to relax for the evening.
Today was our final day in Guarari doing VBS. We were nearly able to complete the work projects. The septic trench was completed and the wall only had a few hours of work left which the contractor will finish tomorrow.
We may have finished the wall today, but Eduardo asked the men to go with him to get some tools. This turned out to just be a trick to get them to come to his house where his wife served them tea and he proudly showed them around his house and gave them a craft his wife made for them. This was truly an honor for those that went there and all considered this to be well worth the delay of work.
We finished the day in Guarari with a prayer time with the team, Norma, and the women there. With Terry interpreting the prayers, it was a moving dedication of the building and the work that will be done in it.
There were some tears shed as we said goodbye to some of the women and kids that won't be coming to the park day tomorrow. It was particularly hard for the men to say goodbye to Eduardo.
Tonight we had a sharing time with the team at the base. There were many touching stories shared that brought many to tears. We also prayed for Liseth, one of our Heredia teens, that will be missing park day tomorrow to get some medical tests to investigate bad headaches. Tomorrow will be a tough day for us as we say goodbye to the Guarari kids. It will be just as hard to say goodbye to the Heredia teens who we have come to love and will also go home after supper tomorrow.
The rest of the team is already in bed so I need to get going.
Saturday was another day in Guarari. We spent the morning on our work projects as well as playing with the neighborhood kids as usual. However, in the afternoon we were not doing the VBS program. This time we participated in the regular program that Melanie, Norma, and Fernando do each Saturday at the community center. It was similar to the VBS programs we run and it was good to see how they run things.
Sunday we went to the Heredia church and were tremendously blessed with an incredibly warm welcome. The worship was great and we were able to share with them in both testimony and drama. It was also terrific to be able to meet the families of the Heredia teens on our team and let their parents know how much we appreciate them. We were also surprised when Eduardo, the contractor we have been working with, showed up at church with his son, who has been attending VBS. The men have really connected with him and Gord had invited him to church.
After church we did some touring around town, hanging out in a local park watching the skateboarders and touring a small coffee plantation. Then returning to the base to relax for the evening.
Today was our final day in Guarari doing VBS. We were nearly able to complete the work projects. The septic trench was completed and the wall only had a few hours of work left which the contractor will finish tomorrow.
We may have finished the wall today, but Eduardo asked the men to go with him to get some tools. This turned out to just be a trick to get them to come to his house where his wife served them tea and he proudly showed them around his house and gave them a craft his wife made for them. This was truly an honor for those that went there and all considered this to be well worth the delay of work.
We finished the day in Guarari with a prayer time with the team, Norma, and the women there. With Terry interpreting the prayers, it was a moving dedication of the building and the work that will be done in it.
There were some tears shed as we said goodbye to some of the women and kids that won't be coming to the park day tomorrow. It was particularly hard for the men to say goodbye to Eduardo.
Tonight we had a sharing time with the team at the base. There were many touching stories shared that brought many to tears. We also prayed for Liseth, one of our Heredia teens, that will be missing park day tomorrow to get some medical tests to investigate bad headaches. Tomorrow will be a tough day for us as we say goodbye to the Guarari kids. It will be just as hard to say goodbye to the Heredia teens who we have come to love and will also go home after supper tomorrow.
The rest of the team is already in bed so I need to get going.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Carolyn's Chronicles
So...apparently being one of the leaders does not exempt one from being the brunt of many a joke. I won't go into how many times it's happened so far. Suffice it to say both young and old have laughed at my expense (and yes, Kirsten, the falling out of bed incident STILL comes up). Thank goodness I'm on the bottom bunk this year.
This team of 16 has been so much fun, working together on the construction of the building, playing with the children, helping make empanadas, remembering at the last minute the supplies we need to divide up for VBS, moving table and chairs, then moving them again; loading supplies then unloading them, only to load them up to come back to base to unload again in the YWAM building.
Some memories? Playing "slaps" with one of the teens - Carlos laughed so hard when he faked me out EVERY TIME!! Seeing how much "our" babies grew since last year. One is now walking, blows kisses and bats her eyes at us. She loves to dance and giggled at the sock puppets. Our other baby is a "mama's girl". She still gets handed to us, though - and she wanted to stay with me rather than get passed off to someone else....yeah me! Having one of Shaneen's special girls from year's past remember her when I showed a picture on my camera then want to show all her friends. She attached herself to me after that. The ladies asking who my "esposo" (spouse) is, then when bringing Ralph over they say something to each other and start laughing uncontrollably. We still don't know what they said (maybe that Ralph is too skinny and I don't feed him enough?) :)
Coming back for a third year gives a totally new perspective as you see how much the children grow physically and love to see you again, how much the women want to bless us sacrifically (it still doesn't "feel" right), and how much our team members connect with the kids just wanting to demonstrate their value in our eyes and in God's.
Today Melanny had the children learn the verse Romans 12:5...a good reminder to us as a team and to SGAC that "we are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other".
Apparently I'm typing too much...Mike is asking me when I'm going to be done. He's really bossy! Good night!!
This team of 16 has been so much fun, working together on the construction of the building, playing with the children, helping make empanadas, remembering at the last minute the supplies we need to divide up for VBS, moving table and chairs, then moving them again; loading supplies then unloading them, only to load them up to come back to base to unload again in the YWAM building.
Some memories? Playing "slaps" with one of the teens - Carlos laughed so hard when he faked me out EVERY TIME!! Seeing how much "our" babies grew since last year. One is now walking, blows kisses and bats her eyes at us. She loves to dance and giggled at the sock puppets. Our other baby is a "mama's girl". She still gets handed to us, though - and she wanted to stay with me rather than get passed off to someone else....yeah me! Having one of Shaneen's special girls from year's past remember her when I showed a picture on my camera then want to show all her friends. She attached herself to me after that. The ladies asking who my "esposo" (spouse) is, then when bringing Ralph over they say something to each other and start laughing uncontrollably. We still don't know what they said (maybe that Ralph is too skinny and I don't feed him enough?) :)
Coming back for a third year gives a totally new perspective as you see how much the children grow physically and love to see you again, how much the women want to bless us sacrifically (it still doesn't "feel" right), and how much our team members connect with the kids just wanting to demonstrate their value in our eyes and in God's.
Today Melanny had the children learn the verse Romans 12:5...a good reminder to us as a team and to SGAC that "we are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other".
Apparently I'm typing too much...Mike is asking me when I'm going to be done. He's really bossy! Good night!!
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