Finishing the Race

The countdown is on... well, kinda. In some ways we just refuse to acknowledge that we are leaving in a week and a half. Other times we are excited to come home to our families and friends and the very many luxuries of the US that we take for granted...
~flushing toilet paper
~power and water 24 hours a day
~helmets
~air conditioning (or lack of need for it)
~personal space
~food options (what, when and how much)
~more clothing options than skirt or capris (and not needing to wear polos)
~showering with water pressure rather than a bucket (just for some of us)

This past week was a good one. We got to go to the beach with our host families and got pounded by the waves and hung out in the ice river in San Rafael, and then we went to Quemaito and played some softball and sat in the small rocks (as opposed to sand). We were excited to have a lot of space on the bus on the way to the beach, but then we stopped to pick up Karuna's neighborhood. We thought it would just be her family, but 15 people got on the bus at that stop, so... we had to share seats... All in all the day was pretty rad.

Tutoring continues to be an adventure...
-Luckily there has not been a lot of rain and the Don Bosco students are allowed to come to school. And Kate and Shannon finally figured out how to get the kids to work... stickers. "You can add 2+2? Here's a sticker..." "You wrote a-m? (not even the whole alphabet) Here's a sticker..." "You came to class? Here's a sticker."
-Algodon is always crazy in the mornings and it takes Karuna, Ingrid, 2 translators and the principal to gather together the kids, break up fights and teach the kids. The kids also love to intentionally call both interns "Karuna", and so were assigned to write Ingrid's name 12 times for homework. It seemed to work well until they began to call Karuna by Ingrid's name as well.
-Los Robles is rockin'. The kids are learning so much and it's so awesome to see them so excited to come to class. Normally when we drice up, they are waiting in front of the door with their notebooks, or they are waiting to jump on the bus. Either way, they are waiting for us. It's wonderful. Today there were actually two girls who waited on the road for us then after we passed started running behind us. Megan likes to make this comment every once in a while and makes Lauren laugh alot. She says "They are like little bugs. (Thlrp) haha. and shows how they latch onto the side of the bus. Anyways, they really are learning alot and today we got to divide them up into 2 groups, one in reading and the other for math. it was so exciting for Megan and Lauren to see their kids understand how to "borrow" when they are subtracting numbers in math class. They are the cutest little kids and on WEdnesday should all come to class with tatoos on themselves...ha. that should be a a sight to see..

Despite the chaos of the mornings, the interns continue to try and love on the kids, share the Bible with them and just connect and play. The Lord really has been working in the lives of the kids. Last week, one of the interns had the opportunity to pray with a 12 year old girl in Algodon, Margarita, to accept Jesus into her heart. The conversation really came out of nowhere as Margarita was just waiting around with the interns for the van to pick them up, singing a Christian song to herself. The simple question of "are you a Christian" allowed the girl to say no, but that she wanted to be one. It's been really encouraging to see that the Lord is moving and uses us when we respond to his promptings.

Jessica and Rachel are still having a good time helping out with the clinic. Last week and continuing on into this week they are working on vaccines in Don Bosco, the last batey for the Vaccine Project. The little kids are actually really excited to see them (after receiving the shots) and are the self-declared assistants of our american doctors (ie Jess and Rachel).

Brandon continues to serve all of us by safely navigating the treacherous roads and invest in each intern as well as his host family. They will be the most sad when he and Shannon have to leave, and literally are holding the two of them hostage for a few days after the interns return home.

As we start our last full week of ministry we have lots to look forward to:
~On Tuesday is the softball game between Los Robles and Algodo to end the softball ministry with excitement and show the fruit of all the girl's hard work and practice. The girls will get to come play at a stadium near Altagracia, Fundacion.
~For the last two times of small group in Algodon we're hoping to continue Bible study and conversations about our worth in the Lord. The girls also loved doing arts and crafts (We finally finished making journals after 4 full small group sessions) so we also have a few other artsy things planned.
~This is also our last full week of english and tutoring. The english classes are planning on playing Twister, which should be entertaining
~On Saturday the interns transition from the host families to Casa Betesda with a dinner. This is sure to be an emotional night, with lots of tears and hugs. Hopefully all the interns will make it as some of the families have declared that the interns will not be leaving on Saturday, but rather will stay forever.

Random Highlight:
~On our journey to Los Robles, a group of soldiers yelled at us in the bus... being the curious, cautious Americans we are, we stopped... they needed a ride, so they all piled in. Then Lauren proceeded to give them all Tums, because they thought it was candy...

Please continue to pray for us, our health, and team unity, and that we would continue to finish strong, investing in our host families, the kids and each other!