VBS today went very smoothly. We arrived at the school and were soon greeted with smiles, hugs, and excitement. The staff was very welcoming and were glad we were there. Throughout the day the children began warming up to us and by the time the day was over a bond had definitely been formed. One of the highlights of VBS is the worship time. It has truly blessed our hearts to hear the children singing praises to our God who loves us. They are singing with much enthusiasm. It's hard to keep dry eyes when we see children arm in arm swaying to the songs, arms outstretched and one little girl on her knees. A point that has really been driven home to us is that God doesn't have boundaries. He is the same here in Ecuador as He is in Texas. The children are very attentive and responsive, especially during Bible time. Before the children left our whole team gathered with the children in the play yard to spend time just hanging out. This was a great time to get to know the kids.
After returning to the dorms we quickly had 30 brown bags assembled and we headed out. What an experience! As we were walking through the streets we prayed that God would show us who to give the lunches to. We soon found children in need. As we handed out the lunches we told them "Para usted. Jesus te ama." For you. Jesus loves you. The gratitude on their faces brought one team member to tears. This experience merits more than one time and we are looking forward to doing this again tomorrow.
Since fun is one of our team values, we enjoyed two rounds of Catch Phrase with the Tutens. Tie breaker will come later as we had much work to do to prepare for tomorrow.
We are thankful for your prayers and know you will continue to pray for us.
Debbie and Janet
Hey Guys,
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I am so thankful that you got there without any hang-ups and that VBS started as God ordained!! It is amazing to me just how much I am thinking of you {kind -of like a first love....if you remember!!!} It has to be God making me aware of my commitment to pray without ceasing! The photos say so much. Thank you for taking the time to include them.
Mom is still with us. She had an "event" Sunday night with severe chest and back pain. She kept saying it was gas. I'm not so sure even though she got comfortable after a short time.
Hope you had a good day today. I know you must be tired from working and from the altitude. I wish I was there with you to help!
Love those precious little children and give them hugs from me. Your blogging is great! Keep it up!
love,
Amy
You guys truly overwhelmed me tonight. Thank you so very much for the very sweet cards. What a big surprise! I am so grateful to have gotten to be a part of this trip with you, in preparation and now in prayer. It is a privilege to pray for you all. Thank you for letting me be part of the process. And thanks so much for your encouragement. You guys are awesome.
ReplyDeleteOk, can I just tell you that I love that you played Catch Phrase with the Tutens today?! So fun! And wow, sounds like such a beautiful, beautiful day! I look forward all day to getting to read your blog at night. I really hope you're getting video of those precious kids worshipPing! I really would love to see that. I love the pictures (great job, Debby!). You can let Sharon know that I've had Nathan and Bethany today and they wanted to spend the night so they are here with us. It's now 11:00 and Michaela and Bethany are still talking and laughing...slumber party! (I'll pay for that tomorrow, I'm sure.) Tomorrow we (my kids, me, and Nathan and Bethany) get to go be with Amy at her house and swim in her pool! We will definitely pray together for you all. Love you guys!! Press deeply into Him, and let Him press deeply into you.
Hey Jen! This is Sharon. First let me say how much I love you and how overwhelmed I was to get your card yesterday. Yes, that means I was needing it. ;)Thanks so much for updating me on my kids. Although, Debbie and I are curious why Rachel didn't keep them yesterday. Everything okay? Please lead them in prayer for our trip and show them our blog pics so they can see what their mama is up to. Also, is Alanna with you? Love you, friend!
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