The Frontier Boys is the story of four high school boys whose undefeated basketball season and their friendship is threatened after a drive-by shooting leaves one of them in a coma and one of them with a secret.

Come out and support faith-based films as we watch this Dove Family Recommended movie at Trinity Lutheran Church on Sunday, May 22 @ 6PM. Tickets are $5 at the door. A nursery will be available for use and concessions (popcorn and candy) can be purchased.

Posts About Events:

• The Frontier Boys Movie Night
• A little about our Movie Night Feature

More…

The Frontier Boys is the story of four high school boys whose undefeated basketball season and their friendship is threatened after a drive-by shooting leaves one of them in a coma and one of them with a secret.

Come fellowship with our youth & families as we watch this Dove Family Recommended movie at Trinity Lutheran Church on Sunday, May 22 @ 6PM. Tickets are $5 at the door.

Posts About Events:

• The Frontier Boys Movie Night
• A little about our Movie Night Feature

More…

The purpose of this blog is to bring a little bit of closure to our adventure, although there never is closure to such an eye-opening, life-changing experience. And time is needed to digest it all. So much of what we saw seemed so contrasting and conflicting. As to the area itself, within blocks there may be tin shanties, dirt floors, places with no electricity or clean water, a Best Buy or McDonald’s or Pizza Hut, or the largest city dump you can imagine, all surrounded by the most beautiful mountains and volcanoes, trees and flowers; no wonder we were so confused.

And the same could be said of the people. So much danger and crime (one of the Guatemalan missionaries was robbed on her way from the ministry house one day while we were there!), yet so much love and hope; so much poverty, yet so much resilience and determination; no wonder we can’t figure it out.

The majority of the Guatemalans we met had so very little when it came to material wealth, but they were so grateful and content for what they did have. We concluded that at least when it comes to material possessions, maybe less is more. When it comes to faith, more is definitely better! These Guatemalans were so willing to listen to the Gospel, to share God’s love, to delve deeper into His word. And that is just the people we met outside of the ministry house! All week long you have read about the wonderful Guatemalan missionaries that God has blessed this ministry with: Sandra, Oscar, Julian, Ruth, Ody, and Cesar. A person’s compassion for their fellow brothers and sisters, and a passion for Christ, could not have been more evident than what we witnessed in these true servants of our Lord. (Yes, you read that correctly – they witnessed to us!) All of these Guatemalan missionaries, and many others, live each and every day without complaining at all and seldom feeling sorry for themselves. These people endure suffering like we can’t imagine. They have diabetes, kidney problems, and glaucoma – all treatable diseases in the U.S., but they cannot afford the medication or health care. They endure police and government corruption, a high rate of crime, death, drugs, and the likes. Yet amidst all this, we were overwhelmed by their positive spirit, hospitality, love, hugs, and smiles – all shared with ten strangers; well, maybe not strangers. We were received as friends they just hadn’t made yet!

This past week was so much more than a physical journey to another country; it was a spiritual journey. We didn’t see the environment as much as we saw peoples’ hearts. Our Guatemalan friends showed us how to start and end each day with devotions; how to live each day in faith; how to praise God in all circumstances; how to be grateful for all we have and to the One who gave it to us; how to be closer to God – to make Jesus Christ the center of our lives – and be firm in His word; how to be a strong witness; how to use our gifts and blessings to bring glory to God; how to communicate, even if you don’t know the language, with a smile or a hug. We thought we were going to teach and reach; instead we learned and received!

This past week, we took between 250 to 350 pictures a day. However, when we look at these pictures, we don’t see the places, so much as the faces. We don’t remember the “where” as much as we remember the “who”. And if its about the “who” and not the “what”, can’t we do that here in our everyday lives? Can you? Only God knows, but maybe if we listen closely, He will tell us.

In closing, we say a very heartfelt thank you to Ginny and Kevin and all our Guatemalan friends. We say thank you to everyone for reading our blog, and for all your prayers, love, and support. We pray that your lives were touched by sharing in this adventure as were ours. God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good! Let us never forget that.

Hola! Greetings and love from Guatemala City. What a week we’ve had. If you have not been following our blog, you may want to check it out. There is just no way to summarize in a short email all the blessings that God has showered upon us this week. We have met so many wonderful people. When we would knock on a door for a house visit, never once were we turned away.

The people were always so gracious and hospitable. Sometimes a house visit would last 20 minutes, sometimes a house visit would last over an hour. Much sharing and caring and prayer and praise took place at these visits. One of the most powerful moments for any team member who experienced it was when Sandra, one of the Guatemalan missionaries, finished praying and broke out in song. Wow. Powerful beyond words.

Also, we were amazed at the way the Guatemalans prayed. Usually a prayer leader prayed out loud and anyone who wanted prayed along. And the more fervently they prayed, the louder the prayers rose. It is difficult to explain, but oh so amazing to be a part of. Sometimes we would be outside, sometimes we would be in the house – well, a house such as they have, with dirt floors and tin walls – where it was so hot that sweat rolled down our backs, and yet at times we experienced goosebumps! And then when some of these people would show up later in the day for the Bible Study and VBS, it was like greeting an old friend again. They remember us with hugs and kisses, and we remember them with the same.

And speaking of the Bible Studies and our VBS times, another double WOW! One day we had over 140 children attending. Mass confusion, but oh such joy. Our only regret was that we fear we may not have actually hugged each and every child. I can assure you that we tried though, and if they didn’t receive a hug and/or kiss, we are confident they received a smile.

The women often applauded at every scene of the drama, and the children certainly understood the point, because they answered the questions correctly almost every time! I guess the father and son, or maybe the pigs (we named the pigs Peggy and Butch) , or maybe the dogs that wandered in the middle of the skit left an impression, but whatever it was, the Holy Spirit was definitely at work with this story. Of course, the ring pop suckers didn’t hurt either.

In closing, we would like to say THANK YOU to all of the members of Trinity who made this possible for us. Lives were definitely changed this week, and we are not talking about the Guatemalans.

Our day began once again piling in the van for another road trip. (What are we going to do when we get back home and have to ride in a vehicle with only one or two people? It’s going to be awkward for a while, to say the least!) Anyway, our adventure today took us to the quaint little town of Antigua. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Los Palmas and then walked around the town.

We walked to the silver shop which is a special place in the hearts of many previous team members. I’m not sure if it was because of the poverty we saw all this week or what it might have been, but funny thing was, our hearts just weren’t into spending a lot of money on jewelry. Hmmmm. Interesting.

After a brief time at the silver shop we happened upon a wedding at one of the cathedrals and just had to take a little peek inside. Interestingly enough, the bride leads the procession, and then the attendants and parents follow. Funny thing was the bride processed in to “Here comes the bride”. Hmmmm. Interesting.

After the wedding, we went to the market to shop. We had just a couple of hours to view a large number of stalls, but we still managed to find plenty of bargains and wonderful souvenirs to help us remember our time in Guatemala.

And speaking of remembering, what a memory God created for us tonight! As we were finishing devotions (and as God would have it, our devotion happened to be on memories, and what a wonderful gift from God they are), we had a most wonderful surprise. Cesar, who has only been with the ministry full-time since February (we were his first “team”) and his mother came to bring us a special treat. Cesar’s father had made us each (15 in total, one for each team member, Ginny, and Kevin, and the other two are a secret so as not to spoil the surprise) a special bread that is made for Holy week. Now so you can truly appreciate this act of kindness, not only did it take Cesar’s father six hours to make these special breads, but Cesar and his mother had to ride a bus for 30 minutes, after dark, with Cesar’s mama carrying this basket of bread on her head. (Of course, after many tears, words of encouragement, thanks, and praise to God, they had to walk back to the bus stop, and then ride another 30 minutes, even later at night, to go back home.) Talk about being awestruck and humbled. And just as we dried these tears and said our heartfelt goodbyes we had another surprise. Sandra and her sister stopped by to tell us goodbye.

Again, these two girls had to travel over an hour and a half one way to get here merely to thank us again for all we did and to tell us goodbye. Funny thing was, it was Sandra who did so much for us this week. Sandra is approximately 4’10” but packs a dynamite love for the Lord and works tirelessly for the ministry and for her Lord and Savior After riding a bus for an hour and a half to get to work at the ministry, she works from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. (well, usually more like 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. before she leaves), riding another hour and a half to go home, she goes to church for Bible Study. Every night she goes to church. And then she gets up the next day, and does it all over again, except for on Saturday when she goes to school all day (and then church at night), and Sunday, when she goes to school for a half a day (and then church at night).

This blog is probably the most difficult one that has been written this week. Not because we didn’t do anything or because we didn’t have anything to say, but because there really truly is no words or any way to say what we are feeling right now. So in closing, we will simply say, “God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.”

Our morning began with devotions led by Oscar. It was also an opportunity for us, the Guatemalan missionaries and the Trinity team, to share with each other just how we felt after having spent an amazing week together. They were, of course, very grateful for our help this week. We, in turn, were amazed at their zeal and eagerness to go out into the world to proclaim the gospel. Some of the words and phrases used to describe our Guatemalan missionaries were “humble”, “courageous”, “on fire”, “fearless”, “passionate”, “solid in the word”, and “loving”.

Our devotion time closed with a very heartfelt thank you from Odilia, who gave us all a pink rose to express her gratitude for our love and support.

After devotions, we piled in the van and headed off to George’s ministry, “Only a Child”. For many who do not know the story, George is from Boston and approximately 18 years ago God called him to leave his home and move to Guatemala to start a street boys’ ministry. Some of you may have purchased or received as gifts the wooden boxes that the boys make at the carpentry shop. And if you haven’t received one yet, there is still hope, as I know some of the team will be making purchases tomorrow!

After our visit to George’s, we made a stop to pick up the freshly ground, wonderfully tasty Guatemalan coffee that we ordered. Again, if you’ve not tasted this coffee, there is still hope for you, as our team alone ordered 46 lbs of coffee to bring back to the states! Chances are you may be able to enjoy a cup when you sit down with a team member to hear their story! We can also verify that the coffee is indeed freshly roasted and properly ground to ensure the best quality. We personally met the woman who roasts and grinds the beans!

After enjoying a wonderful lunch with our Guatemalan friends (who would have known leftovers could taste so yummy!), we headed up to the roof (Jeanne’s favorite spot in the entire ministry house) to get ready for our afternoon Bible Study and Women’s Ministry. Again, a wonderful time was had singing praises with the rhythm instruments. I’m not sure who enjoyed them more, the women or the children! This was an extra special time, because this VBS program was for our sponsored children and so we were able to see some of our very own children; well, we refer to them as our children anyway! And after a final performance of our drama, and a sad goodbye to our little pigs – Peggy and Butch – we broke up into our women’s and children’s group for the review and application.

Once again, the children were spot on with their answers. We’re not sure if it was our wonderful costumes, the dramatic faces of the actors, our wonderful narration, or God touching their hearts, but the children sure got a firm handle on the point we were trying to present. God is good, all the time! One little boy brought his crayon over to John and compared the color of his crayon (which was a yellowish-orange) to John’s toe, to make sure that he had the flesh color right before he colored the father in the story book. How precious is that!

After finishing our coloring book covers, and passing out the yummy ring pops, we had a couple of minutes to play with the children. We enjoyed laying on the cement coloring with some of the children and Will enjoyed playing a bit of rough-house with some of the little boys. Some of us were fearful that as he was picking the kids up over his head, he might drop one off the side of the roof, but practicing our trust, we knew God was in control, and it was His hands holding these precious little ones and His ears that were hearing their laughter and joy! Another priceless moment for all of us.

Our afternoon concluded with a hot game of Uno with some of the Guatemalan missionaries and Manuel’s children who live in the house. The Uno game was a lot of fun, and less competitive than the late night golf game, but all card games are played in love and so good fun is had by all.

The day concluded with a very sad goodbye to a number of our Guatemalan missionaries, as they will not be coming with us tomorrow. Many tears were shed, as many hearts have been touched this week, and the lives of both the Guatemalans and the team will never be the same.

Oh, and as a side note, the one picture placed on the blog that you can’t really tell what it is, that’s the “electric light (a/k/a glow stick) parade we had on the roof top with Manuel’s children last night. We’re not sure what was shining brighter, the glow sticks or the smiles on all the faces (adults and kids), but no doubt, it was a sight worth seeing. Too bad our flash didn’t work, but hopefully, you get the idea!

Until tomorrow…..

After devotions, we loaded our stuff (and yes, we did remember to take everything we needed today, and it was verified by at least four different people before the van pulled out of the driveway!) and headed off to the town of Amatitlán. Along the way, we picked up our new BFF, Choci! Today was Choci’s birthday, and when she piled in the van, she had presents for us! Some got play Guatemalan money; to be used in our skit and Jeanne received a beaded necklace and small doll. Presumably this was a thank you for being the walking crutch and duet partner the other day, because when Choci got in the car the first thing she did was ask if Jeanne remembered the songs she had taught her. Had Jeanne not been able to sing, she’s wondering what would have happened!

Upon our arrival, we broke up into three groups and headed out on house visits. At one of the homes we visited Cesar began sharing a scripture verse with a young woman named Norma (whose husband had left her, she had no job, and she was raising her 9 year old daughter alone) only to discover Lynn had her finger on the very same verse to share. Obviously God wanted that verse shared and so had placed it on the hearts of both of them! We were amazed, although upon reflection we shouldn’t have been, because God has revealed circumstances such as this all week. It also touched our hearts deeply when Norma appeared at the afternoon Bible Study/VBS time, and was eager to introduce her daughter Ashley to us! It just seemed like we had met a new friend for life.

At another home visit, after we closed our time together in prayer, Sandra (one of the Guatemalan missionaries) broke out in a song that was so beautiful and so heartfelt that the ladies we were visiting were brought to tears. And although we didn’t understand the words she was saying, we too could feel her praise and were a bit weepy ourselves.

After enjoying our morning visits, we took a short drive to a park at Amatitlán Lake to enjoy our yummy PB&J lunch (which sandwiches again were extra tasty, having been made with love by a combination of Team Mango and one P.Y.T.). Although the lake seemed a bit green to us, the mountains surrounding us and the view itself was breathtaking, and again we stood in awe and wonder at God’s magnificent creation.

Our afternoon was spent performing our drama for the women’s Bible Study (which was approximately 70 women) and the VBS children (all 140 of them today!), with one special addition to the skit. You may recall that the past two times, we had a dog join us in our scene. Today, we had Choci! Choci decided she wanted to be a “party girl” along with Makala and Liz. How could we refuse? After all, it was her birthday and she had given us additional play money to use! She was certainly a crowd pleaser and we couldn’t have been happier to have made her day! The entire team was sad to say goodbye to Choci. She is certainly a character of Christ and will forever hold a special place in the heart of each and every team member.

We were also blessed to have another singer join our group as we were teaching our Grande’ Fuerte song. One little boy sitting in the front row…well, you know they’re not exactly in rows, but they do try to sit as orderly as possible as they sit on the ground… was singing so loudly and so proudly that Will had him come up and join us. Guatemalan children are no different than children in the U.S. – he was sure hamming it up when he was part of the crowd, but got a small bit of stage fright once he was looking out at all those people. However, Will, in true Will-like fashion, continued to encourage him, and he did a fantastic job!

After the skit, Pastor and Lynn continued to work with the women, and the rest of the group was needed to share the story review and application with all of the children. It was humorous that a small group of Guatemalan men decided at the particular time to rev the engine of their motorcycle, over and over again. The louder we got, the louder they got, but we proceeded on, knowing that God could still hear the women’s beautiful singing, and confident that the kids were hearing us well enough too, because once again, they were spot on with the answers to our questions and the application. Just goes to show you, you can throw out a lot of smoke, but you can’t stop God’s people when they are on fire!

The children thoroughly enjoyed the coloring book craft, and their yummy ring suckers. You might be envisioning 140-some children all scrambling to get their suckers, but with the help of the Guatemalan missionaries, they were very orderly as they stood in line to wait their turn, which we certainly appreciated, as we were able to see their individual faces as they received their rings, and were able to give them one last little hug of love from the Trinity Home Team.

Well, tomorrow’s our last day presenting out VBS and adult Bible Study to the Guatemalans for this week. We can’t believe the week is coming to an end. However, we have one more day, and we can’t wait to see what God has in store for us tomorrow. Hasta Manana!

Our day took us on a two hour drive to the village of Buena Vista. You may be thinking that two hours in a van with 9 to 12 people (well, plus those additionals we picked up along the way) may be a “long” two hours, but on the way, we had the most amazing view of several of the volcanoes. Two of the volcanoes, Pacaya and Fuego, actually were showing off for us by blowing out a little steam! Impressive to say the least!

And after turning at what apparently was the correct two-track, through the sugar cane fields, and going past the big tree at Main Street, we arrived at our destination – a beautiful spot, with a wonderful pole building with tin roof, and yes…our very own bano’, complete with a seat, walls, cover (a/k/a board over the hole), and a door. Granted, no need to flush, but boy, after yesterday, did the girls feel like they were at an MDOT rest area!

We began our time with the Women’s Bible Study group, where approximately 35 women gathered as we sang songs of praise and shared our story. Pastor L. continued to discuss the devotion, while the majority of the rest of us headed off for house visits/water filtration systems. As a side note, while we were off on our house visits, we were able to hear the “women’s choir” praising God in song. What fantastic volume these ladies have! Anyway, back to our traveling salesman. We “sold” one system to each of the three houses we visited. O.K., so it was a really good deal – they were free to anyone who wanted one and agreed to use the system properly – but still, we were thrilled that the people were willing to accept the system (for their own health), but in doing so, it allowed Julian (one of the Guatemalan missionaries) to share the gospel of Christ. In showing how the system took dirty water and when ran through the filter, the water was clean, Julian was able to use that illustration to show how we are unclean because of sin, and through Jesus our Savior, can become clean.

After a quick bite of lunch (PB&J sandwiches, which were extra tasty today, because they were made with lots of love by the P.Y.T’s the night before!), we took a hike down the track to the river and walked over a “bridge”. It sort of made you want to break out in an “Ode to Billie Jo”, but again, absolutely breath-taking country, added with a bit of adventure!

After we hiked back, we set-up for our VBS. As we were getting ready, we realized that we didn’t have all of the items we needed. However, rather than get all bent out of shape, we trusted that God would use the time as He saw fit, and sure enough, you should have seen the pleasure on the faces of the children when we filled out time with extra songs and rhythm instruments. The sun might have been shining, but it was the glow on the children’s faces that made the afternoon so bright! And, for the second day in a row, it was obvious that the children are really “getting” the story! They are able to answer the questions and share the meaning with little prodding. That in itself, makes this all worth our while!

By the way, God concluded our day by blessing us with an amazing sunset and the gift of a one-time blossoming flower on the tree in the yard; not sure what more we could have asked for out of today!

Oh in closing, and on a personal note, we want to assure all our families and friends that we are doing just great. And yes, moms, your young girls are doing just fine! They are loving each and every little child they meet, can’t believe how precious these kids are, and can’t wait until the next day when we get to do it all over again! So please, quit your worrying. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!

After unloading our supplies, we were off to our first visit, which was to see Carlos. For those of you who know the story of Carlos, it is truly a story of unconditional love and forgiveness. Carlos is now in a wheelchair (well, a Guatemalan wheelchair) and is able to get out of the house. In all of the years we’ve known Carlos, this is the best he has been, and we rejoice in his health. We were also able to venture out in the fields where we discovered some real jewels from Heaven; black diamonds we think, but probably most likely lava rocks which were strewn from the volcano which erupted in May of 2010. How many people actually have real lava rocks…well, not counting those in their electric grills? We don’t know, but there are at least ten of us now!

After gathering our jewels, we broke into groups for house visits. Some of us had the pleasure of beginning our walk….well, we didn’t walk, we marched….with Cochie. Cochie is a 71 year old Guatemalan woman whose faith and zeal for the Lord puts us to shame. She is truly a character of Christ! She started off singing as she marched up the road, and we soon recognized the tune to be “Oh When the Saints”. Say no more, we had to join in! And that was the beginning of a wonderful morning of singing and praising God as we walked through dirt and fire (well….we didn’t actually walk through the fire, but for a minute or two there, we wondered if we were going to have to!) all the while singing song after song in joyous harmony!

As to house visits, what a humbling experience to meet so many wonderful people! Several of the homes we visited gave us a lesson in praying. Guatemalan Christians pray so fervently that even with sweat running down our shirts, we stood with goosebumps on our arms because of the presence of the Holy Spirit. And even though we cannot understand the language, well…that and the fact that they pray at the same time, with a prayer leader and anyone else so moved joining in to re-emphasize his point, we knew the prayers being uplifted were mighty!

As a side note, we are discovering that we are not the ones doing house visits. We are merely coming along side the Guatemalans, who lovingly share the experience with us. They are the core workers, and we find ourselves being a support to them, as they preach the gospel to any and all who are willing to listen. (And again, as a side note, it is so awesome to see how willing these strangers…well, yet-to-be-met-friends, are to stop their day and listen to God’s word!)

After house visits and enjoying a yummy lunch of pb&j and cancan’s (a/k/a cookies), and before the VBS gathering, we had time to play outside with some of the Village children. At first, there were only two brave enough to join in a beach ball game of keep away with the Gringos, but before you knew it, there were several more children who gathered, and the game fast became a game of “tackle the person carrying the ball”! (Whew! Some of us are getting a little too old for this type of fun!)

And then it was time for the VBS! We were able to get the kinks out of the drama before we left (thanks TLC for your love, patience, and understanding!), and the drama should have come off without a hitch. Instead, it almost went to the dogs. In true Guatemalan fashion, right in the middle of the drama, a dog wondered in and decided to become a part of the scenery. And although the drama itself isn’t a comedy, for a minute there, we thought it was. However, our fearless characters held their composure, and we are thrilled to say that the children really seemed to grasp the lesson. Good thing, because we sure didn’t want to have to rewrite the script to include a dog!

Well, that’s all for tonight. Chores are done, we are ready for tomorrow and whatever God has in store for us, so it might be time for a little golf. (Inside joke, ask one of the previous team members or when we return!) By the way, have you figured out who the P.Y.T’s, Will’s Women, and Team Mango are yet?

And there’s no other way to say it, today’s blog will be telling it like it is. Even for those of us who have been here several times before, we are still taken back by the sounds, and experiences of the day.

Our morning started off with a wonderful devotion by Julian, one of the Guatemalan missionaries who works full time for the ministry. Julian stressed God’s love and the importance of family, which at the time seemed rather ironic, given that most Guatemalan families see very little of their husbands/fathers. But God used Julian and his devotion to prepare us for some of the situations we would encounter in our home visits. However, before we get to the home visits, let me share a little bit about our morning trip to the dump. No, I’m not referring to some light house cleaning where we loaded up a truck with old furniture to be thrown away. I’m talking about seeing how a large number of people live and work in and around the Guatemala City dump.

We are no longer allowed to actually visit the dump, so the dump was viewed by overlooking the bluff at the cemetery. The view of the dump that God provided us today was unlike any other we’ve ever seen. We were actually close enough to see the people as they lined up in their “pecking order” along the sides of the trucks as the trucks were still moving. We couldn’t help but feel like people who gawk at a car accident. You don’t really want to see it, but yet, for reasons that are difficult to explain, you can’t look away either. We stood there for quite some time riveted to the scene below us. All aspects of the dump operation were before us. There were trucks after trucks of garbage being dumped, surrounded by people scavenging through the waste. There were bulldozers pushing the “left over” garbage down the hill into the ravine. There were dump trucks adding sand to the mix. And while this vision was horrifying – we kept holding our breath in fear that some of these people were going to be ran over by the vehicles or buried alive by the garbage being pushed around – we actually saw this as a good thing. In the past, garbage was merely piled on top of garbage, often causing spontaneous combustion, sink holes, and avalanches. By adding sand to the trash, and pushing the trash around, these problems are being eliminated. Six of one, half a dozen of the other – good thing God is in charge, because this whole scene was beyond our comprehension.

As Lynn stood at the side of the hill, her first thought was “these people have such a difficult life, Lord, have mercy, and end this travesty”, immediately followed by “wait, how many of those people know you, Lord”, only to then be followed by an urgency to reach people all over the world!

Whew! And that was just our morning.

Our afternoon was spent doing house visits near the dump area. We broke into two groups, and with several of the Guatemalans with us, we set out. Group one’s first house visit provided us with an obvious “wow”, as our new friend Maria shared her favorite Bible verse: Joshua 1:9, which “just happened” to be Jennifer’s favorite verse. And, Jennifer was able to share with Maria why it was that that verse meant so much to her. And with 11 people living in a “two bedded house”, Maria could certainly relate. Both Makala and Elizabeth left their home visits with a sense of gratitude for the many blessings they have back home. (Yes parents, you may remind them of this the next time they even think about complaining!) Makala couldn’t help but walk away with a sense of awe with how strong their faith is, and the sense of hope they have. All families visited by both groups were so hospitable and welcoming. We were able to share scripture verses that God brought to our hearts, and prayers of needs and praise and thanksgiving. Group two enjoyed a “heavenly conversation”, with a joyous farewell that they would all meet in heaven someday, and in heaven, would all be equals.

The day closed with our household chores. No, again we are not complaining. We have even found a way to make these “chores” fun. Chores are divided amongst “Tri-teams”, affectionately named “P.Y.T.’s”, “Team Mango”, and “Will’s Women”. And no, I’m not going to tell you who are on which teams…I thought I’d give you something to think about and a reason to check back tomorrow! Adios Amigos!