July 25, 2008

El Ultimo dia (The final workday) and the teams left the seminary a little weary but excited to see how much they can accomplish.

Several of the walls at Vista Hermosa are four feet above grade level, the tile at Nazario is beginning to cover the floor, and at Espinoza Mirales the rebar beams for much of second floor are laying on the wood boards that will support the concrete. The kids have really taken ownership in their projects, whether it’s mixing mortar, tying rebar, or painting that last window.

Cameras and tears are an addition to VBS today as the relationships built through the week come to a “temporary” end. All five Fruits of the Spirit were introduced and taught through song,, skit, memorization, and craft.

Tonight, all of the teams will eat at their churches. The families of each church put on a “Celebration” dinner to give thanks to their students and adults for the work done with their children and projects. In addition to dinner each church will have a time of sharing between the local congregation and the groups that served alongside of them.

We just got done debriefing the evening that we talked about above. The students had a great time with their hosts, enjoying amazing food and spending quality time relaxing with the friends that they made here in Mexico. As we sat and talked every comment came back to what an amazing week we had. No major discipline issues, no major interpersonal issues, very little complaining and minimal need for redirection. God is so good! Hopefully the next time that we blog it will be from the comfort of the Pear Tree Inn in McAllen, TX.

The plan for tomorrow, Saturday, is to:
(Realizing that every schedule set in Mexico is subject to change.)

7:00 a.m. Wake up
7:30 a.m. Breakfast / Merge staff presentation
8:15 a.m. Load vans / clean the Seminary
9:15 a.m. or whenever we’re done cleaning, Depart for the Mercado (market) in downtown Saltillo (or whenever we’re done cleaning)
9:30 a.m. Shop at the Mercado
11:30 a.m. meet in the central plaza
11:45 a.m. depart for Pollo Loco
12:00 p.m. Lunch at Pollo Loco
1:00 p.m. travel to border
5:00p.m. cross border
7:00 p.m. Arrive in McAllen (Pear Tree Inn)