A Great Start

As I was going over the list of the team this morning, I came to the realization that out of the 33 members that are here this week, only 4 have been here more than 2 times. 29 team members are either on trip 1 or trip 2. After last weeks group of only 8 new members, I had to recalibrate my mind around that fact in all areas of the trip - hotel etiquette, meals, timing, etc. But I was most anxious about how the team would adjust to their first work day in the village. This can be a rough morning for some who are not prepared for the things they will see - delapidated homes, garbage in the yards, the size of the homes, etc. Also a concern is how the kids will react to the type of work they will be doing, especially since most of them have never done this before. But for a group as inexperienced as they were, you couldn't tell. Once Terry, a contractor from Ft. Lauderdale who helps Karazim, explained the jobs, the leaders took them to work. There is a shanty house that needed walls put up, a house that needed a new ceiling and walls, and an addition that needed sheetrock and exterior painting. And as always, there are kids. After a slow beginning, we really started to find our groove. There were laughs and hugs with the children, the sound of circular saws and hammers, and lots of conversations with new friends. Before long, you couldn't tell who was new or old! One particularly amazing thing happened today with the children. A group of us went for a walk to an area called "Mermaid Pond." One six-year old girl who couldn't swim was pushed into the pond by another child. Before anyone could get help, Becca jusmped in to save her in the over 5 foot deep pond. Praise Jesus! After dinner and some beach time, we got a little sandy with our beach ball relay and ping-pong ball games. Gotta keep these kids (and adults) having fun!!