One more week, I can't believe it. These passed 2 weeks have been insane, they've gone by so fast. What an incredible week this has been. My Spanish is finally starting to come to me pretty good. I am actually starting to sound like I know a little spanish again. It's beginning to flow again instead of me stumbling over words all the time so that is good. It could be because I say the samething over and over again. Puedo tomar un foto de... usually tu y tu familia...toda famila. Which means can I take a picture of you and your family or you and all your family. So I'm glad that my spanish is finally coming back to me. Professor Jolley if you are reading these let that be some encouragement for 205 next semester since all we will be doing is talking in Spanish.
One a more serious note...God was ALL over this colonia this week. Everyday it seemed like we had more and more people telling us that a family member at their site was saved or a kid at VBS accepted Christ today. So many awesome things. Auristella, our VBS coordinator this week (Pascual had to go back home for the week) said it was just incredible how the people were starving for God. She was telling us how she didn't see herself as an evangelist and didn't have to be b/c people were coming up to her and saying, "tell me about God I want to know about Him." As she said it was evident that somebody had been praying for the people in this colonia and sure enough of the interns says, "ya there was AIM (Americans in Missions or something in Missions) had gone through that colonia and done prayer walks throughout the colonia. Auristella said she felt the samething last year in a colonia when her and Cindy Sweenie had walked through a colonia the week before they had gone there to build and said people were just seeking out the Lord. It is exciting b/c AIM was in the colonia we are going to build in next week, this week. So we hope and pray that the results are the same. What an awesome colonia. One of the churches (westland) actually painted another groups house, just somebody across the street from where they were building. The man did not believe that they would do it so he did not buy the paint, so this morning when they arrived to paint the house they had to wake the man up, take him to the paint store, they bought the paint for him which he was not expecting, then painted his house. The whole time he kept asking why. They also gave him money for his family. His wife looked like she was about to burst, she was SO pregnant! But he just kept asking why, why are they doing this and Auristella explained it was b/c God loved them so much that he sent these people here to do this. This group got done early and instead of kicking back and relaxing and getting to hang out w/their family they were able to bless a completely different family and the man came to know Christ today and his wife did the day before. What a blessing!
These groups here were just so awesome. Westland has been here about a million times so it's like we don't even pay attention to them anymore or should I say they don't pay attention to us b/c they are like old pros...whatever it works out. We aso had a group from WI, Robbie Swick's church (he was an intern down here last year...GREAT GUY!) Swick actually came as an adult helper w/the junior high group they brought. We had two groups bring both junior high and high school. The other group that did that was from Atlanta or A-town. They were also a lot of fun. All the groups this week...CRAZY! Mainly Westland, Sugarhill(A-town) and community from WI. We had a first time group from Buffalo NY who did a great job. I really enjoyed them as well. Had some great leaders in that group. I told them I'd visit them the next time I'm in NY...I've never been but who knows it could happen. We also had a group from TN. Shane Knight brought them. He used to coach football at Rogersville in MO. He was also the speaker this week. He didn't do too bad. A lot better than last year. The groups were a real blessing to me, b/c all the energy they had flowed over to me and this being my 2nd to last week I definitely needed that. They made it really feel like week one. That is kind of a theme here for the staff. "This may be week 6 or week 7 or whatever to us (staff) but to these kids it's week one." So to me it really did seem more like week one than 6, except for the tired part, but ehh...what are ya gonna do?
Anyhow I had probably better get to bed. I was hoping I'd make it there by 3:30 and I think I will so that's nice. Go to the beach tomorrow then hopefullly head down to Rio Bravo to see Luis and the kids at least one more time. I'm sure I'll go again before I leave, but Rob leaves Sunday morning to go to Tecate...I'm jealous...so this will be the last chance for him to go. So hopefully we can find time to do that and I HAVE to do some shopping. I haven't got to go yet this year :(
Hope all is well back home. I'm prayin for you all and thank you for all the prayers we are receiving down here. Please pray for the colonia we will be workin in next week. As well as the kids coming and the kids on their trips home. God bless you all!
UNTIL NEXT TIME...
PHil