Dios Les Vendiga....God Bless You

Last night the team enjoyed a great worship time as we were joined by David and Dube, the Nigerian missionaries, Frankie, the pastor from River of Life, and Abby, his wife, as well as Omar and Alyssa. It was a great night of worship, praise and thanksgiving.

Judy with Frankie and Abby's Daughter Anna

Other notable events yesterday inluded Judy Brazzel's attempt to fall through the swinging bridge that we must cross to get to camp. Fortunately, Judy has been a trooper today and is keeping her knee elevated. Richard Rice took the liberty to eat a grub from a Belize nut from a palm tree on Monday, and he paid the price yesterday as his body was not feeling well. During our worship time last night, we laid hands on Judy and Richard, and we prayed that God would heal their injuries and sickness.

Judy in Trailer Behind Quad After Falling on Bridge

Our teams went back out this morning. Amy, Taylor, and a Stem Leader Shanda went to a preschool to share with the students. Peter, Eric, Robert, Beth, Lisa, and Sereta went to a small village on the Guatemalan border to pray for the village that has been recently hit hard by a flood. They also were able to give many clothes, thanks to ELCC, to many of the flood victims. They also gave school supplies to the local school. In addition, Beth and Lisa were able to work with Abby and a child that had been diagnosed with autism and work with that child's teacher. What a great opportunity to spread God's love!

Children at the Pre-School

Barry, Chuck, and Gary went to the children's home to build a wall that would separate the children from the street. This is key to keep the children from running into the street.

Dan, Scott, Josh, Tom, Lee, and Bubba went to the church again today to continue work on the church. I can't even begin to describe the poverty level around this church. The pastor's house is next door, and I will put up photos for all of this when we return. Rest assured that unless you have been to a third world country, you have never seen anything like this. Their house is a one-room shanty that does not have doors or windows, or power, or even running water. Yet, here is this pastor and his brother working diligently and praising God the whole time for his amazing grace and faithfulness! That is a lesson in humility for all of us! We had some amazing time together with the local village, and several stopped by. Even Bubba learned to say Dios Les Vendiga, as well as Mi Hermano/a en Cristo (My Brother/Sister in Christ) when talking with the natives. We were able to deliver several of the children the clothes that had been given by East Lake, and within 30 minutes there were 10 or more children running around sporting the clothes we provided.

Pastor Gilberto Perez's Family and House

Taylor Reading to Children at Pastor Gilberto Perez's House

Finally, praise God that Richard is feeling better and is able to help Mike Lackey today as they are building a counter and cabinets to be used for life skills instruction with the special needs children. Mike has shown an innate ability to be precise with his measurements, as this job has only required 3 trips to the hardware store, compared to the 4 trips to Lowe's when he takes on a project back home.

Thank you East Lake for your prayers. Thank you for your words of encouragement! Please pray for our leadership as we determine if this is where God wants East Lake to partner in the future!