It was another day of hard work and fun here in Matagalpa. The devotional this morning was given by Eric, who spoke about the value of patience. We tend to get caught up in what we're doing and feel like we need to rush to get everything done in one week, but that's not realistic nor our goal. Our goal is to continue our long-term partnership with the Tingles and this mission project, and patience is an essential part of doing so.
It's been raining on and off since we got here, but once again it held off long enough for us to continue work outside and keep things moving along with the construction. Our plan for lunch was to make chicken and broccoli for the kids, but broccoli was nowhere to be found in Matagalpa today so we improvised and made cauliflower instead (which they loved just as much).
It was truly incredible to see everyone work as a team today. The kitchen is far from being big enough for all of us to work in at the same time. Yet we had half of us in there preparing and cooking the food while the other half was in and out using power tools, building cabinets, and cutting wood. Others may have thought it was impossible but somehow we managed to make it work.
We changed things up today and had Rich, Bill, and Todd help serve the kids' lunches so they could get to know some new faces. The kids were excited to have Rich serving their food because of the 'muy grande' portions he gave them. I'm pretty sure most of them even left with enough for dinner so they were very happy about that!
After lunch, Donna and Amy (with the help of Megan as their translator) taught a class for new and expecting mothers in which they gave them some great tips for taking care of their newborns. Sally Jo sat with them and helped to make sure everything went smoothly. They also put together gift bags filled with diapers, bottles, and other goodies for each mother to take home with them. It was truly inspiring to see them talk to a few of the mothers one on one who were dealing with some difficult health issues. Overall, they did a fantastic job with these women and made a difference in their lives.
In the meantime, Eric and Doug finished building the cabinets, Wayne and Todd finished putting the shelves up, and Bill and Rich cut enough wood for all of them to do so. They also got the shutters put together and ready to go for tomorrow. I was excited to use my first power tool today with the help of Chuck, who was also working on getting some wood together for the shelves and cabinets. I've never measured and cut wood before but I was thankful that Chuck cared enough to teach me and guide me through it.
Our winners of the Bueno Bars tonight were Rich and Amy. Obviously Rich for his extremely generous lunch portions... and the fact that he's the only bilingual one in our group who can have real conversations with the kids. Amy did an incredible job teaching and comforting those women who were definitely in need of both, and I could tell they were very grateful to her for doing so.
Today was really extraordinary to say the least. It's hard to believe we're more than halfway through the week already but what a week it's been. We look forward to giving our best again tomorrow and we pray that the weather works in our favor. We are thankful for good health, our supporters, and our ability to accomplish so much this week.
Well done everyone. BLC has been covering you all in prayer.
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