Day 7

Here we are. The last day. This morning some of us went to “The Tent” where we had done VBS the last 2 days. The rest of us went to Bombita. Both locations had a Fun Day, where we played games, did crafts, and some face painting. Those of us who have sponsored kids got to see them again in Bombita.

My kid, Lisandro, was there and I put him on the phone with Michelle. I don’t think he was used to a cell phone, so he couldn’t really hear her. I was able to pass along some toys to him, and Mike had a spare Baseball Glove that I could give him. It was awesome!

I must interject here to say that today was the first day, I ended up dealing with some illness. I’m surprised I lasted this long. This morning, I woke up with some stomach issues, but by the time we left I felt a little better. Even when we went out in the afternoon, I was good. Then when we got back to the hotel, it hit me hard again. I thank God that he kept me through the times I needed to do the work. I’m feeling better now too.

This afternoon, we walked to an open area in a place called Villa Carolina. It’s the same area we did VBS the first day. We had sporting equipment and some crafts. When we got there, some of us went into the housing areas (alleys and apartment complexes) and told the kids that some missionaries were there to play with them. I think that’s awesome. It’s also very odd to be referred to as a “missionary.” A bunch of kids came out and we spent the afternoon having a blast with these kids. We invited them to come to church this evening and a bunch came.

Church was great. We actually walked there which was cool. They had a full band that was surprisingly very tight for their age. They also had a drama, a dance, and the Pastor share some thoughts on following God’s call. Afterwards, we said good-bye to the kids we had met and some of the missionaries we won’t see tomorrow.

It has been a life changing week. It put a lot of things in perspective. What we take for granted, joy in hardship, what Christ means when he says to love the unlovable, and so much more. As we leave this place we hope to bring our personal change back and let it be something that will encourage and challenge our families and church. Thank you for your prayers. We look forward to sharing with you all of the stories and lessons learned from this week. Believe me, you will be hearing them.

PS-Kevin has dreadlocks!

Dave