Wednesday~June 23

We spent the day in Zone 6 hosting a medical clinic and playing with the sweet kids. This little boy sat in my lap almost all day. He was the sweetest thing and so was his sister. We polished the girls nails and did face painting with them. God blessed us with a dentist that day so not only did the people receive medical care, but they also got to see a dentist!

The people here were also hit pretty hard by the volcano and tropical storm aftermath. Many lost their homes and were living at the shelter.

That afternoon we took a little time to rest and get ready for what the nights activities had in store for us. Our team hosted a medical clinic and a block party at one of the churches that Mike is getting involved in. Since we were a little short on hands that night, Carla and I manned the pharmacy. Our doctor team of 1 saw pretty close to 200 people in a little over an hour and a half. Talk about busy. Carla and I passed out dozens and dozens of medicines and every family got enough vitamins to last them almost a month. The people there were so grateful for the medicines and vitamins. When we were finished with the clinic part, Tina, our doctor came out of her little "doctor's office" and announced that she felt like she didn't see hardly anyone. Boy, was that God giving her strength like an ox. I don't think she realized just how many people she saw and helped.

During the block party I made friends with this little beauty, Mariana Guadelupe. She was the sweetest little thing. We chatted about the basics- name, age, where she lived, her brothers- and then she wanted to learn English. So we sat for almost thirty minutes and she would ask me how to say various words in English and then she would practice saying them and teaching me the Spanish words for them. Such a simple little thing but it meant so much to me. God led this little girl to my lap. She had such a sweet spirit and I was so thankful for the time I got to spend with her.

The kids had so much fun bouncing in the bounce house, playing games, and eating cotton candy. One of the girls wanted me to jump rope with her. Let me just say, those kids can jump rope. She beat me fair and square....and laughed the whole time. I am terribly out of shape-and it showed. However, my panting, out of breath, thought I was going to die, body was filled with joy when I saw the glimmer in her eyes from just me playing with her. The block parties used to be our main source of ministry. Through the block parties we have been able to enter villages and towns and put on Vacation Bible Schools, medical clinics, tiendas, and start feeding centers and sponsorship programs. Through the ministry of the block parties, we reach the children of the villages, who in turn go back to their homes and share what they learned. If we can get a child pumped about Jesus, then you know they are going to go back home and share with their families!