CAROL & MICHELLE'S GROUP

Check out the fun "crowns of life". Also on the wall you can see the wonderful posters Michelle made for each daily lesson. Each has the Bible verse of the day along with the main point of the lesson.

Here are Michelle and Carol with "the littles". They can be quite a rambunctious group, but Carol's gifts as a teacher and 20+ years of experience in the classroom really had a chance to shine through during the week. She knows exactly how to handle the kids, and Michelle's experience as a Girl Scout leader came in handy too. One of the ideas from Carol's ARSENAL of ideas was these adorable frogs. The kids had fun making them and were very anxious to show them off.

Even the adults wanted to get in on the fun of the crowns. Pastor's wife Nanci is in the orange top in the second to last picture, and in the last picture we see Karla (one of our wonderful translators) and Luis Antonio (Pastor's oldest son). They both helped out with this group.

ELECTRICITY FOR LOS LIMONES?!

When the community of Los Limones was created, its residents were promised that there would be electricity.I remember thinking,"Well, I'll believe that when I see it." We had quite a surprise when right in front of where we were holding our outdoor VBS, workers began to bring in the cables, etc. for electricity. Maybe they don't set it up in quite the same way we would, but nevertheless HERE IS THE ELECTRICITY. This is a great thing to see that the town government is keeping its promise!

When you see these pictures, you really do get the sense that we are doing our afternoon VBS in the middle of nowhere! With a few strong singing voices, (and fortunately) a battery-powered CD player, and a couple little craft items or coloring pages, you're ready to roll. Like Pastor Jasinto is fond of saying " Jesus didn't need things like an overhead projector or a DVD player to spread his word."

HYGIENE KITS--PART 2

Completely unprompted by anyone, these 2 little guys couldn't wait to try out their new toothbrushes, even if it meant brushing their teeth without water (or toothpaste!). Pretty cute and pretty funny -- especially the one on the right who is missing quite a few teeth!

HYGIENE KITS

Cheryl and I were very proud of how our older group of kids put together 400 hygiene kits with a minimal amount of "horsing" around. I said just a few words about the importance of having a servant's heart and helping out people in the community, and then it seemed that the kids took things a little more seriously. So they formed an assembly line and put together these kits that were distributed to all the attendees at the church and at Los Limones. Trinity Lutheran in Roselle, IL. (our home congregation) was very generous with hygiene kit items, as were several area dentists, a local college, and some private donors. Each hygiene kit had a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, a bar of soap, a comb, a card with a Bible verse, and a little mini booklet with a Bible story.

ACTS 2:47

The Bible verse "And the Lord added to their numbers daily those who were being saved" comes to mind when I think of our amazing numbers! God was very busy working through our work.

Here is a summary of our attendance numbers from Monday through Friday. (Los Limones is where we worked in the afternoon and is a mission for the church)

CHURCH: (M)71, (T)75, (W)77, (Th)90, (F)105
LOS LIMONES: (M)113, (T)205, (Th)225, (F)287

So on Monday we had 184 kids total, and by Friday we had 392. Praise God! Cheryl and I worked with the older group of kids at the church, and we had 23 on Monday and were up to 35 by Friday.

The pictures I posted here are kids from an area called Piedras Azules. Every morning, Pastor Jasinto would bring these kids in his pick up truck. So he had a pretty busy morning every day! Piedras Azules is another area where Resurrection Church works with the children.

Here is Pastor Jasinto with the kids. We were all praying they wouldn't hit a big bump and lose anyone along the way! :-)

GREETINGS FROM THE TEAM--SENT 11/11/09

We are doing great. All are feeling well and doing ok in the heat. Weather is much cooler than last yr. Pastor Jasinto tells us today that they are up to 68 students at the new school! God is really working in the hearts of the people in Gualan! Here are some thoughts from the team:

DOLORES -- It´s been a really ¨buggie¨week! VBS in Gualan is going great with a bug theme. Children in both Gualan and Los Limones are singing God´s praises. Mosquitoes love me!

CAROL -- I´m amazed that the children always find room on the bench or around the table for one more friend. When I taught preschool we only fit 8 kids around! Here we manage to fit 12 or more and no one says NO TOUCHING ME, although the one on the end may fall off! My heart is so touched by the kindness I see the children showing each other. God´s love is definitely growing in their hearts. I am loving every minute!

GARY -- The weather has been wonderful. The pool has been refreshing each day. The puppets are enjoying themselves and have been entertaining the children.

CHERYL -- We had a great day with packing over 400 hygiene kits. Our students ages 11 - 13 formed an assembly line to complete the task. Painting continues at the school -- I´m enjoying watching this trip!

MICHELLE -- It´s been fun to realize that kids are essentially the same here as they are at home. They are so proud to show you their project so you can tell them "muy bien" or "excelente". They love hugs and smiles.

NANCY -- God is alive and well and working in the congregation of Gualan. The children are having fun as they grow in their faith. They really enjoyed the lesson of the Feeding of the 5,000. The team is doing a great job of continuing to build our relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ at Resurrection Church.

We miss you all and will see you soon. Please pray for safe travel for us on Sat. and Sun.

Have a blessed day and be a blessing,
Nancy