block by block

After a good night's rest and another hearty breakfast, our busy Saturday kicked off with tons (literally) of bricks and cement. Walls at Augustine's home steadily rose as rooms began to take shape...brick by brick. Just three days ago we were filling the foundation trench with buckets of cement. By this afternoon some walls were four feet high. The other half of our team was also doing cement block work. Their project is a gymnasium inside the Mission that should be competed this summer. God again answered our prayers as He kept both groups safe.

In the evening we visited a local market to shop for souvenirs and gifts before our walking tour of the historic "Zona Colonial" and an Italian dinner of pasta and lasagna. 

on the streets

This morning our team visited the village of Quita Sueno, a place where Mission Emanuel is just beginning to minister. Most of the people in this community have no running water or help from other organizations. We distributed bottles of pure water door-to-door, and invited families to a program of puppets, music and crafts. More than 100 people came, sat in the dirt street and, on a hill where pigs grazed, heard about how much Jesus loves them. 

In the afternoon we returned to the village of Cielo. One team primed and painted an entire house, preparing to move a family in on Sunday. Another team laid cement block walls for a new house. The afternoon ended with countless hugs and smiles as our students spent time playing and chatting with children on the streets. 

visiting Jesus

Our day began at the leper hospital. The doctor who has worked with the patients there for 30 years, has greeted us in past years with these words: "These patients are very dear to me. I see Jesus in every one of them. When you get to heaven, Jesus will say to you, 'On January 1, 2015, you visited Me'."  

We visited patients in their rooms, singing with them, laughing with them, holding their hands, hugging them, and praying with them. Then we gathered together for more singing and a short devotion. Each patient and nurse was then given a Christmas gift bag full of the donations that all of you generously provided.

These words and photos do not completely capture the emotion of this morning, but know that hearts were impacted. Our shirts read "loved/lover" and each team member showed the love of Jesus in amazing ways.