Kids Club and Construction

singing

lesson

We began today by leading Kids Club for the children of La Fe.  We arrived early and played lots of games with the kids.  We are always amazed with the energy that they have, and how excited they are to have us play with them!  We then began around 10 am with some songs that they know and then Mike and Tom taught a lesson.  We taught them about God being the Bread of Life (John 6:35), and that He is the way, truth, and the life (John 14:6).  We then began a craft with them which involved coloring, which we have learned is something that all of the children love to do.  Megan had organized for them to color in a Bible verse, which was then framed with colorful foam core, and then they were allowed to put foam core stickers on the final product.  The kids also loved the stickers, so we were very glad that we brought more than enough!

crafts

Following kids club we went and ate lunch under some trees at the edge of the town.  We have been amazed with how inviting the locals are!  Today, one of the men came up to us and offered for us to use his bathroom, which is significant, since they are seen as rare amenities and are not open to the other villagers.

moving soil and rocks

After lunch, we all went to the construction site and worked hard at preparing the incline so that it will be ready for concrete.  I would like to praise God for putting together a team who works so well together!  Mike L. headed up the project by communicating with the Mayor to get the vision for the project, the rest of the team then worked to move, rake, and pack dirt and rocks to create a foundation for the concrete.  In this heat and humidity we are all learning that we cannot work as hard was we normally do at the construction site.  Team members would work for about 15 minutes and then switch off with another member who was resting.  Those who were resting spent time getting to know the locals and the kids who came by to observe the project.  It was also a HUGE blessing to have several of the community come and help us.  The shoe repair man, who we mentioned yesterday, was a big help in particular.  He was the perfect man for schlepping the wheelbarrow full of dirt and rocks down the hill to dump where needed.  There was also another local who helped us dig the dirt to be moved down the hill.  At the end of the day we were trying to convince the Mayor that we needed dig a "french drain" before the concrete was poured.  This ditch would be filled with concrete several feet down to prevent rain water from eroding the sidewalk once it has been laid.

All done! (for now)

At the end of the day the missionaries took us to 'Tipicos', a local restaurant.  It was very tasty!  The meal consisted of beef, pork, chicken, sausage, and plantain chips with re-fried beans.  We are all loving the local cuisine!
I would also like to share the ways that God has been using each of the members of your team down here in Honduras.  These kudos were called out by team members at our last meeting...
Jay: Being such a blessing to the kids!  They love to play soccer with him and play with his camera, and he was a big help during the crafts today
Austin: Being so eager to reach out and try to communicate with the locals.  He has picked up the language very quickly!
Lisa:  Finding every opportunity to show love to the locals, especially the women of the community
Nathan:  Always being a helping hand, ready to do what ever is needed
Tom: Heading up the lesson for the kids today.  His proficiency with the language has been a HUGE blessing!
Mitch:  He has been very eager to try and reach out to the kids that we have met, and work hard to get to know each of them better
Ginger:  Heading up the music for Kids Club as well as the devotions
Mike J: Having such a great attitude about everything.  His positive attitude has been such a blessing!
Marcia:  She has such a gift with the children!  She works hard to try and understand everything that the children try to communicate with her.
Emily: The kids absolutely love Emily, especially the little girls!  She takes time to talk to them, play with them, and get to know them each individually
Megan:  She did such a great job heading up the crafts!  The kids absolutely loved it!
Mike L:  Heading up the construction for the ramp.  He helps us catch the vision, and then re-catch it as the Mayor changes his mind on what he wants done and then translates into English for action.
Gwen:  She is the perfect person for organizing work shifts and making sure we all stay well hydrated!  She keeps track of how long people have been working, and then making them switch out with someone when they need to take time out to rest and hydrate.

Honduran Bovine :)

There are a couple of prayer requests that we would like to mention, particularly for tomorrow.  The children in La Fe have a big problem with head lice.  We would like to pray for the team members as we play with the children and pick them up.  Tomorrow we will be going to the river with the kids to wash their hair with real shampoo and learn how to wash clothes in the river.  Please pray that God will protect all of us from the lice.  We are trying to have the attitude that Jesus worked with lepers, and head lice aren't nearly that bad.
We also want to give our kudos to you!  All of your prayers are greatly appreciated, and we love hearing from you (especially the missionary jokes :))!