Another great day

Lots to share about today. I'm trying to sneak in a short post before dinner. The team is all quickly gathering the plates, the drinks and putting the final touches on our "Mexican" dinner while I type.

We started today by taking the scenic route through Guatemala City. We crossed a large bridge that offers an impressive view of a squatter settlement. Then we drove through downtown Guatemala City, and eventually made it to Oscar's new house, which is up the hill from the small town of Villa Canales. Our team has donated $500 for Oscar's house, and we are volunteering our time to help in any way we can. Today, he had us painting the ceiling and a few of the walls. It was simple work, but a great help to him. It was also very special to see the progress he is making on his house.

It was a relaxing time working at Oscar's house, compared to carrying buckets of sand up the hill. We enjoyed lunch in the shade of his home and a few of us even took a short siesta. After cleaning up, we stopped by Alicia's home. This is the woman whose house we built last year. She was not home, but her daughter Carla, and the neighbor boy, Kevin, were both home. It was incredibly special for those of us who knew them from last year to see them again. We had a short, but meaningful visit.

Then we drove down into the city of Villa Canales, and just a short distance away to a small church, down a back alley, of a random street. I have no idea how Oscar finds these churches, but this one was a gem!! When we arrived, there were only about 5 or 6 kids there. We started blowing bubbles, playing with the parachute, and just being friendly with the kids. Slowly, more and more started to show up, and they turned out to be a really special group. The pastor's wife, Ingrid, clearly had control over the kids in the church. There were a group of 4 teenage girls who were helpers, leaders, and overall, an amazing assistance as we did the program. The kids were meticulous in their completion of the craft. After we finished our program, the kids of the church sang a song for us, prayed for us, and they all gave us a hug.

We were able to give each child that was in the church that afternoon a new pair of flip flops. It was a challenge to match each child with a pair of flip flops that fit them, but it was worth the effort. We passed out about 70 flips flops, or more.

This was an incredibly special church. The kids were precious, and the teenagers were so kind and helpful. I feel very lucky to have been able to visit today.

And now, everyone is sitting around me enjoying dinner. So I'm going to sign off! More pictures and videos to come later tonight.