Great Start

Ok, can I just say, today has been a phenomenal start for the first full day here and our week! To be honest, when it comes to bringing a team of 80 anywhere, stress can be a little high. But I can say, these students have been phenomenal. If you are following us throughout the week, then just to give you an idea of how this will play out with me continuing to update the blog, I will post pictures throughout the day and write mostly every night around midnight, unless it's Thursday night and I may just pass out from exhaustion at that point. So check the pictures out throughout the day then I'll write to you at night!

Today was great. We got up, had a great breakfast then left for church. Two of our students got up and shared their testimony this morning and it's amazing from my perspective for a few reasons: Students willing to share what God has done in their own lives and also for other students to see what others have been through, b/c a lot of times, students think they are going through things alone...but they aren't.  The pastor brought a great message to us about Moses and how we must go where we really don't want to be and how we have to listen to God's call. Perfect message for our group to hear. We came back, had lunch, then just hung out for a little while.

This afternoon, we headed to our VBS locations and the fun began. Our teams split up handed out flyers, saw old faces, and went throughout neighborhoods to invite kids out our VBS'. For some of our kids, this was the true beginning of Rio b/c they have never been and seen some of the conditions they saw today. For some, it was reconnected with those little kids and families that stole their hearts. After that, the best dinner ever. Our adults, and one lovely gentleman in particular, did an incredible job cooking steaks and chicken and all the fixin as we got ready for a great but a hard week.

I ended the night reiterating and expanding on what I talked with our kids about when we arrived at the church church yesterday morning. CHANGE. And challenging them to identify what it was that was holding them back from the next level, from the place they really needed to be. B/c we can not hope or strive for change with Christ if we don't even know what it is that is holding us back. I also asked the question, Why are you here?!? I love this question b/c now the truth begins. New faces get to hear why some return. Returners get to see why some of the new people came for the very first time. A leader gets to catch a glimpse inside the heart of these students that they may have preconceived ideas about or that they even thought they knew. And I get to see students opening up, becoming real, and being a team.

Let the fun begin. The kiddos are all in bed. I am not far behind them. I'll post some more pictures that I see on my phone here in just a moment when I get in bed.

Hasta Manana.

Thanks for your prayers!

-s-