A Week In The Life...

I'm so thrilled to be able to slow down and share this past week with you.

Last Thursday, a team from my home church arrived for a week of ministry and serving the Lord in a variety of settings.  What a blessing it has been to have their hearts on the field, for both the people of this nation and for me as well.  

Here's a somewhat brief run through of the week in stories and pictures...

Thursday

The team hit the ground running, passing out fliers for a concert outreach on Friday at Playa Chaquita.  We walked through barrios and immersed the team in the culture right away.  

Friday

We all traveled into Redenccion (Redemption) village for a children's outreach of fun and games.  Every child at the feeding program received a wrapped Christmas gift to their surprise.  It was such a special thing to witness the kids patiently awaiting the cue to open in tres... dos... uno!

That evening was full of praise and worship at the tent church as we had our old friend, Bobby, from San Pedro share the gospel through his music.   Such an awesome night with everyone on their feet.  Click AQUI to listen to some of Bobby's work!

Saturday

Started the day with another children's outreach, only this time in Paraiso (Paradise).  We painted faces, hoola-hooped, played kickball, and distributed small bags of toothbrushes, toothpaste, crayons, and coloring books.  We also gave the kids cookies and juice.  There is such a beautiful peace about this village that you have to experience to understand.  Upon our arrival, the kids were all outside singing songs about Jesus and couldn't wait to share the morning with us.

The afternoon was spent in one of two places for the team... either at the baseball field for a massive outreach or in preparing for the women's conference the ladies were putting on the following day.  

Sunday

What a busy, but extraordinary day.  We began by attending Pastor Lucien's church in Redemption Village for an incredible hour of worship and calling upon the Lord.  God truly ministered to my heart in this time.  Again, I couldn't understand the words, but the Spirit of God was in that room and He touched me through the loving embrace of a friend on the team.  After being here for 2 weeks and feeling those momentary twinges of loneliness, she wrapped her arm around me during prayer and rubbed my back like my mother does.  God knew I needed a mother's assurance.  He is a God who provides and nothing is too far out of His reach.

The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing and presenting a women's conference for the English speaking women of New Life church.   The theme was "New Beginnings"... how timely.  The women here expressed how blessed they were by the outpouring and testimony of the women on the team.

Monday

Thank you, God, for carving out a day of rest! We headed to the beach to soak up some sun and once there... ran for the hills again after a 5.1 earthquake shook the ground! It was the weirdest feeling.  But rest assured, we're all alive and well.  We even made it back to the hotel for grill night! 

Tuesday

The team was busy constructing benches for Pastor Lucien's church.  They worked so hard!  The day was closed with a visit to a New Mission's church at Bombita.  

Wednesday

The last full day on the field was spent finishing constructing the benches, installing a sink, shelves, and mirror in the bathroom, painting, and fixing up 6 swings for the kids on their playground.  It was quite a successful day! We got a personal tour from Pastor Lucien of the village and got to spend more time with the kids.

We ended the night with fellowship over dinner and sharing our favorite parts of this week.  It was truly a blessing to have the UCUMC team here this week!

Now... break!