Tuesday, July 10, 2007

journal excerpt #2 [DR]

Tuesday, 1pm

We arrived in La Meseta just before lunch yesterday, and after the initial period of awkwardness where the team stood together in one area of the school yard and the kids in the shade of the other building, I asked them if they wanted to play, which of course they did, so we got out the baseball equipment and the guys got a great game going while me and Emily played various forms of catch and hot potato with a group of the smaller kids until lunch time. After lunch we had a brief siesta time and then most of us headed to VBS because there was no construction scheduled for the afternoon. Even with all hands on deck, it was crazy with the 100+ kids who showed up. Our activity (tracing their hands and decorating them) took a long time, but I think the kids really enjoyed it and learned something about being made in God's image and how He loves them. One of the kids Willy helped lead singing and Neylin answered all the questions I asked about the Bible passage we read (Psalm 139).

After VBS there were kids running all over the schoolyard and trying to peek into our windows--until finally we had to change the rules and limit the play area to outside the school gate.

That night Byron led devotional and we talked about Micah 6:8 and how it's not about the stuff we bring but who we imitate (i.e. Christ) that will leave the most lasting fruit. I think it was Jim who said it best: "We don't want the kids to say, here come the Americans who give us stuff--but here come our friends who love us and whom we love."

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