The team was able to spend a few hours at an orphanage nearby that tries to keep siblings together. Donations of fun items such as balls and games as well as candy were given to the orphanage by the team, as well as many types of balloons which were a huge hit! They toured the property with the Director and were able to get an inside look at where these sweet children stayed.
Some beautiful connections were made and hearts were moved at the orphanage on Friday and Saturday when many of the same children came to the House of Hope (HoH) for a time of fun and learning about Jesus.
The HoH girls put on a wonderful three station learning experience about God that wrapped around the house. At each station the children were given information and then asked questions – when they got the answers right, they all received the station’s give away! These included items that were recently donated to the HoH: beautiful handmade crosses, Jesus Loves You bracelets, and stickers of Christian phrases and cute animals.
After which was an exciting chocolate easter egg hunt and an amazing puppet show put on by some of the HoH’s current and former residents!! Outside in between the fun was some chalk art fun where we found many wonderful young artists! The kids and the adults were then treated to a delicious lunch of hotdogs and Tio Kerry’s homemade Chili!
The afternoon and evening was full making sure our multiple work projects that we had progressed through the week were completed as well as tidied up after.
Sunday at the HoH was one last breakfast, one last conversation, one last hug (or maybe 15 last hugs—and we still couldn’t let go), one last pet for Kaiser and Nala – the snuggly guard dogs, one last picture of us all together, and one last sorry-filled, tear-jerking goodbye to the new family we made.
A short list of labor intensive projects we took on this week:
- Applying 2 coats of paint to the walls and ceilings of the 3-story entryway and common areas on the third floor.
- Organizing, cleaning out, and scrubbing down an apartment’s worth of rooms on the second story of the auxiliary building.
- Scrubbing handrails and stairs in the main building.
- Raking/cleaning out the side yards.
- Removing and trimming trees to protect the carport and the apartment building.
This week has truly been God-centered, Jesus-filled, and Spirit-lead. There have been many examples of Spirit-driven interventions through our study of the Beatitudes and we have each been forever altered by our time with these amazing young women living in what is so aptly named, the House of Hope.
May God continue to keep our hearts centered on the path that He chooses, find true Joy in the everyday, and bless the community in la Pintana.
Amen!
