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Hola from Mexico! The last two days have been very full. On Sunday morning we had church together at the training center where we watched one of Doug Small’s sessions from the ATI Regional Conferences. After that, we had to quickly switch gears to prepare for a banquet that afternoon for a local church. Leah supervised as a great kitchen crew finished preparing a delicious meal for a group of about 45 people. Another group touched up the house and made flower arrangements from the pink and red bougainvillea flowers that are blooming all around the yard. By mid-afternoon, the kitchen was a beehive of activity. Everyone did their part in making the afternoon event a success.
In the evening, we planned for our orphanage visit Monday and prayed specifically for a second vehicle to transport the second half of our team. We rejoiced to see the Lord provide a vehicle twenty minutes after we prayed!
Children at the orphanage
When we left the training center this morning for the orphanage, the sun was poking its head above the towering green mountains to the east. We threaded our way through back roads to Guadalajara over cobblestone streets and the frequent speed bumps. An hour later, we piled out of our vehicles onto the driveway of a Christian orphanage school in Guadalajara. We didn’t really know what to expect, but we were cheerfully greeted outside with handshakes and smiles by many well-groomed and cheerful young orphans.
Once inside, we divided into our five groups to work with the 65 children. We quickly got the morning started with a short large group session before breaking up into small groups. Each of our team’s five groups had three leaders, one translator, and about 12 children. The children especially seemed to enjoy the songs, and caught onto the words and hand motions very quickly. Today we taught “The Brush Song” and the “The Ten Plagues.” Even the teachers and “house parents” from the orphanage seemed to enjoy learning the songs. The morning passed quickly, with skits, songs, stories, crafts, and outdoor games filling the time.
At 1 p.m. it was time to head back to the training center. We came back and had a yummy lunch, then enjoyed an afternoon of rest. A little before 6 p.m., we gathered to discuss the events of the day and watch a video from Bruce Wilkinson’s Seven Laws of the Learner series. After that, we all had ice cream sundaes and played some games together. Tomorrow will be our final morning at the Guadalajara orphanage. We are looking forward to seeing what the Lord will do!
The busy kitchen
Outdoor fun
A fast-paced team game
