Hodgepodge

I have been staying very busy recently with different outings and activities that are planned. Sunday there were spring parades all over the country, but the biggest one happens in Trujillo. It is kind of like the Macy parade of our country. Samantha and I took two boys to church with us, to the lunch, other places and then to the parade. We were out with them a total of twelve hours. The parade was really long I think we saw about two and a half hours of it and I´m not sure we caught the beginning, but the boys seemed to enjoy it. The funniest thing that happened is while Samantha and I were watching the parade a boy in one of the bands pulls out his camera phone and takes a picture of us! Samantha and I smiled and then died laughing as all the people around look at us and laugh!
So one of my favorite things to do down here is write notes to the kids or the different workers and then translate them into Spanish. I write Miss Ali the school teacher about one a week and I always include a scripture at the end. The other day after reading the note I had left on her desk she comes up to me with tears in her eyes and said how much she needed that verse for the day. It was Psalm 46.1 God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble.
Wednesday, all the kids and most of the workers took a trip to Simbal, a place of eternal sun and good climate. At least that is what a sign said, but when we first got there it kind of felt like Florida! We played games with the kids, had a packed lunch, and then swam in the pools! I had a great day, and I think I made some people´s day, I sat in the front seat of the bus on the way there, and there were some kids in the bus in front of us, when they saw me they all start talking, one girl waves and I wave back, this made them all very excited.
This morning all the volunteers had a prayer meeting, and we spent the majority of the time singing praise music accompanied by one of the girl´s computer. It was so nice to worship in English with other girls who are from totally different backgrounds but love the same Lord.
So we have certain food items that we always have and if I want something different I either have to buy it or create it. I´m a frugal kind of cheap person, so I am all about creating, whether mushing up bananas and sprinkling it with sugar or slicing some bread to make crackers. Tonight Amy and I made some apple sauce. I even was able to use the apple peels sprinkled with sugar to have a taste of apple pie.
Two of the more meaningful things that have happened since I have been here were one, a girl said something to me about not being a Christian, so I had her read some of the different Romans road verses in Spanish, second one of the boys in my language therapy can get really pouty and hard hearted. One day he just sat on the floor and talked about how bad he was, I told him I was bad too but that God forgives and we need Jesus in our heart. I brought in Samantha, who speaks better Spanish then I do and she talked to him but he kept saying he didn´t want to change, he had no desire to be a follower of Christ. Truly God has to do the work on a person's heart, except for the grace of God there I would be.
It is really sad to see the stubbornness of the human heart against the God of heaven and earth, creator, redeemer. How often I forget my place before our perfectly holy King, yet he blesses me and I call him Father.