A day in Monte Margarita

Thanks for checking in! Ever wonder what we do when we're not in the villages? Here's a little background on our time when we're at the hotel: We typically start joining each other for coffee around 6:30am before meeting for breakfast at 7:00am. In years past, we'd do our devotionals in the late evening after supper. This year we decided to split it up, the first portion of our devotional is in the morning as we wait for our breakfast. We finish our devotional in the late evening after supper. In the morning, after breakfast we pack the bus. The bus usually gets here at 7:50 and we head out by 8:00am. It takes about 50 minutes to get to and from the villages. It's not that they're far away, it's just the roads are really bumpy and it's all uphill to the villages. We get back from the villages around 5:30ishPM and cool off in the pool for a bit or shower right away. We have free time until 7:00pm, when we meet for supper. Right after we eat, we'll gather outside around a table to finish our devotionals and discuss ideas and challenges we faced throughout the day. We usually finish up our devotions around 9:30pm and then spend free time until bed time; which is around 10:00pm, sometimes 10:30pm. Every part of our day is fun and exciting. It's exciting to share devotional time together. It's exciting to have fun teaching and playing with the children and it's also exciting to relax, unwind and recharge for the next day. 

Today, we spent all day in Monte Margarita where we handed out school supplies, met with local pastors, ate lunch, and ran our Biblical activities. Monte Margarita is the village where the team paved the road with cement a few years ago. 

We arrived this morning to another group of excited of children. We welcomed each other by taking turns on the loud speaker, as we do at each village, giving blessings, thanking God & each other and praying. I've got to tell you, each village we've been to, a representative from each community recognizes our brother, Warren. Yesterday in Monte Margarita, we had a moment of silence for him. Remember that question I asked the other day: How can you strengthen relationships around you? Our brother, Warren was a great example of that. Take a moment today to think about him, or anyone who did this well, and think about what he/she did around our community and our church. How and why did they do it so well? I thank God for the impact he made on me as a man, and the life he brought to so many people and places. Thank you, Lord for a great role model. I pray we all have a powerful, Godly role model(s) to look up to. 

In the villages, Sadoc explains to the children in each village about the pins. He tells them that they are not a good luck charm, but they are to remind us that Jesus died for us. This cross is empty because it did not end there...Jesus rose again and is alive!  The cross reminds us that we belong to him! 

Sadoc, while showing a picture of Warren handing out the mints, explains why there's a mint in each bag handed out to the students filled with pencils and a pencil sharpener. We also share a mint on our bus ride back from the villages, not because we worship Warren, but because we're thankful to God for such a brother in Christ. 

We then met with local pastors for two hours discussing 

(Above are pics of the meeting, lunch, and us with the pastors)

After the meeting we enjoyed lunch together then prepared for another afternoon of soccer, Bible school, songs and home visits for prayer. Nick and Phil played soccer with the children. Bonnie, Terri and Don made home visits, Shelby read Bible stories in Spanish, Jeff and Mary ran the arts and crafts, coloring and making crosses out of popsicle sticks, and Jan & Julee taught songs. 

I'd like to share with you a student I got to know today. 

His name is Julio. While we were playing soccer, he just hung out by me by the goal. After a bit he started talking to me, and of course, I couldn't understand what he was telling me. I called over Luis and had a great conversation with Julio. He is very talented. I forget how we got on the subject but we started talking about worship music. He told me he plays piano and drums, and is also learning to play guitar and bass guitar. He plays these instruments at church. His dad, who works in Milwaukee, is trying to send him a saxophone. Later on, he asked me if I had any scripture memorized. I rattled off one of my favorite scriptures, James 1:19.  Before I could tell him other scriptures from memory, he quickly told me his favorite verse, Ephesians 5:1 before I could grab my Bible from my bag he already rattled it off. I was very happy to see this 11 year old took his faith seriously. He didn't stop there; he then said his other favorite scripture was Psalm 23. As I was flipping to it, he started saying it from memorization. He versed the whole Psalm from memory. I was really impressed and proud of him. What a bright kid! 

Right before we left they made us some of the coffee we purchased from them that day. It was really good! We bought 75 pounds and it came from Esperanza Miralta. Earlier in the week we bought 20 pounds in San Juan. 

I want to leave you with this verse we read yesterday morning. 

The heavens declare the glory of God; the heavens declare the glory of God;

    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.

God Bless