never a dull moment

posted by Sharla

there's more to post then the 10 minutes that I have right now will allow. It's been a great week and we're keeping very busy. This group is spending most of it's time in a village called Chichigua. They're teaching English classes, working with the kids (particularly with soccer), planting trees, passing out clothes, and building relationships. We look forward to taking the kids to the beach next week. They've never been and they don't own swimsuits, so we collected them in the states to bring down. A huge thanks to those of you who brought them in! I couldn't believe how many new swimsuits we got - these kids have never owned anything new in their lives and I can't wait to see their faces when we bring these to them. It'll also give them something to bathe in. They take bucket baths outside, so they wear clothes to cover up. Now they can use these swimsuits. THANK YOU!

and another big thanks to whomever donated the new Shaq basketball shoes. a little boy named Jeffrito, who has a very rough home life and spends his days begging, now has his first pair of new shoes. he was so excited to receive them, and then in total awe of how the "shaq" lit up when he walked. I wish I could have captured that moment for you. we also gave him some clothes, and some older guys who were hanging around told him he shouldn't put them until he got cleaned up. we were at a lunch stop that doubles as a car wash (where he hangs out begging), so he ran over to the hose, washed himself off, and then put his new clothes on. so precious.

On our first day in Chichigua, a very pregnant lady came in to English class. The next morning, when we had just arrived, she came up with her husband and brand new baby on a motorcycle taxi! She had had the baby at 10pm the night before and she came back, carrying her baby on a motorcycle at 11am the next morning. Can you imagine?

We'd appreciate your prayers for safety and in particular for the worship events on Monday and Tuesday night. For more info, read some of the previous posts.