Tuesday – Final Ministry Day

The blue team traveled to the Emmanuel house today to hangout with the kids. There were many unexpected moments in our day, but when we got there we got to hear from Mirqueya, the starter of the school. Her story was very powerful and you could tell she has a heart for everything single child there. We then got to do a few songs for the kids while they were at recess. Some of us got to share our testimony to the kids there and it was very cool. We then got the opportunity to go to the high school and minister to some of the kids there. A lot of us were intimidated because they are our age. It ended up being super cool – we got to interact with them, singing songs, sharing more testimonies and incorporating a few within our skits. Once we left we went back to eat lunch. Then we got to travel to a village that was very impoverished. We parked our bus and kids began coming. We did not get to do our program but we got to share the love of Jesus with the kids in the community through games, songs, chalk and basketball. The village needed prayers so some of the blue team went out in groups and prayed for individuals in the village. It put life into perspective seeing how they lived and how much joy they had inside. They welcomed us into their homes graciously and we got to join together in prayer. I am so thankful to say that it was a life changing day. These kids were so grateful for anything and everything we brought them and it was a beautiful thing to see. Thank you so much for all your prayers. Continue to pray as we sight see tomorrow and travel home Thursday. Thank you so much! (Maddy Shindle)

Today the Red Team traveled to Ensancha Alta Gracia, our partner school! As soon as we got there, we could tell it would be a unique experience. The kids had been with other ministry groups at this point, so they knew what to expect, which was a lot different than the other places we had gone. The kids were incredibly excited to see us and wasted no time asking for hugs, piggy back rides, and to sit on our laps. We went through our Bible story program which included some songs, a skit, and a craft. After our program, we were able to dance and play with the kids, personally connecting with them on an individual level. After our lunch break, we were able to visit the school’s daycare. Before we left, though, we got to give the teachers of Ensanche some small gifts to show them our appreciation for all the work they do in the kids’ lives. Luckily, when we got to the daycare the kids had finished their naps and were ready to play with us. We only had thirty minutes to hangout with them, but we were still able to dance and play with them. When we returned to Ensanche in the afternoon, a new group of kids was ready to welcome us. We sang songs with them and did a coloring craft, which included drawing on paper, and also using face paint to draw on us. Overall, the day was full of a lot of love from both us and the kids. We are so grateful we got to visit Ensanche and see all the good work they do there. (Annie Rettstatt)

Today the green team had the pleasure of going to a small village about thirty minutes away from the Score facility we’ve been staying in, and it was truly such a blessing. We arrived in the middle of a school day during which some children were in class and others were not. For a few hours instead of running our program with songs, skits, games, and crafts, we played games and had our faces decorated with colorful face paint by only the most artistically skilled of the group. Today was one of mixed feelings, as we realized in the midst of our games and prayers for the people of the village that we would likely never get to interact with these children or their parents again. Although it will be a small blip in the lives of the people we interacted with, we pray that in the body of Christ others like us will come through and give those children and adults the positive interaction  and care we were able to give them today. (Kailey Luckett)

24 of our WC students had an opportunity to serve with the Medical Team. Our ministry days were Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. We saw a total of 161 patients (96 adults, 65 children).
All of the children received a toothbrush and toothpaste and vitamins. All of the adults received vitamins as well. Here is a sample of what we were able to help with:

Respiratory illness 48
Pain 72
Dermatology 26
Physical Therapy 13 treatments/evaluations
Gastrointestinal 50
Genitourinary 23
Wound care 4
Vision/Dental 21

In addition, an unknown number were prayed over, and everyone was “heard” and “seen” and encouraged (we hope and pray). Our kids did a truly terrific job! They learned how to take vital signs, how to ask questions about health history, how to take a few words and turn them into sentences (or fragments), how to transcribe for the doctor, how to count medications and reconstitute an antibiotic, and how to create instruction labels in Spanish and then communicate those to the patients! They were flexible through the communication barriers, good-natured in the heat, patient when the lines got long and backed up, and saddened when it was apparent that we were not going to be able to help because the need was greater than our ability/resources to meet. Remarkably, God had worked upstream to give us a bilingual WC student on each of the 3 days, without our planning. We were SO GRATEFUL for the HARD work from Andre, Josh, and Shamie. Be sure to ask your child about the observations and adjectives spoken about them. You would have been very proud of your young people this week. We sure are! (Lisa Cunningham)