Today some illnesses threatened to stop the team's ability to serve the community according to our plan. Even though we were down by 2 everything planned for today was executed. Praise God for a large team this year! Here's a rundown by activity.

Build Project

The story I kept hearing was about a 62 year old woman who was able to "out work" every man on our team! When a worker picked up a shovel to mix cement on the ground, she gave him 15 seconds before pushing him out of the way as she took over. I think she has a special place in her heart for Jeff Costa. When Jeff asked her if she would like to take a break and have an Ice Cream she looked up and said, "Otra Vez, Jeff?" which means "Again, Jeff?". The men can't say enough about the special nature of this Salvadorian Super Hero named Marina. Marina has been working on the water project for 5 years, every day, as a volunteer! When she's through working on the project she returns to the 6 foot by 10 foot tin "hot box" she calls home to take care of her son with physically and mentally disabled son. Her story, while heartbreaking, is massively inspiring.


Haircut School

Jamie was able to both cut hair today as well as teach some local women. Jamie's dedication to ministering to these people was evident in that she was not feeling well AT ALL. By the end of the day things were looking up and in between people were blessed by her commitment to sharing both the love of Jesus and her trade skills.



Dentistry

Dr. Alicia Borgman performed her second day of dental work on local children. It's not pretty but usually, very necessary. I helped carry some of the equipment to the truck this morning and remarked to her husband Jim that the 1 hp shop vac for suction probably wasn't up to health code in the U.S.! He replied, "No, but out here it's what works". Many, if not all, of these kids have never been to a dentist. Alicia and her assistants are doing a great job managing stressful situations!





Children & Pre-Teens

The Children's Team spent their second day of three at a Christian School in the community. The kids go to school in two sessions, morning and afternoon, and our team was recess for the the day. Each grade will have one opportunity to be with us during the week. Today we gave a lesson on building a firm foundation by using the game Jenga followed by hot potato and the most rowdy game of musical chairs I have ever seen!






Women's Ministries
Today the women's team demonstrated how to serve one another by providing hand massages. They have been spending time daily with a group of about 15 women all week and Lisa Bryan says they are making progress towards breaking down relational walls among the group. The women are all neighbors in a very small community but attend two different churches. Under normal circumstances they might not even be speaking let alone sharing their stories and asking for prayer from one another. Let's pray God continues to bless this process long after our departure. After lunch all of the women went shopping for the social to be held this Friday and even stopped to enjoy ice cream.