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So, yesterday was our last full day with the kids although we will be there with them this morning. It was a great day today, we did some more service work today, because there were other volunteers there from a college, I personally would rather have been with the kids but it was still great. Then Brandy took us on a tour of Bithlo, and showed us the dump and some of the trailer houses, and the park and community center. It was super sad to see these houses and trailers and to hear the stories. So many of them are falling apart and have so many bugs and cockroaches in them. Oh and the people can't really even use the park or community center because it get locked up and they don't have money to do any of the classes or put their kids in the baseball team.
We had taco lunches again at the same place that we had the lasagna. VBS went pretty well, although there are the kids who just don't listen very well but they still had fun. We played with one of those big parachutes with handles on them, the kids loved that. When the kids left someone brought us some homemade Puerto Rican food for dinner, then we went to showers and then came back, cleaned up some and had our debrief time and then to bed.
Well we take off around eleven to head straight back, please pray that these last few hours will be very impactfull and that we would have a safe flight back home.
Thanks for your prayers,
Davita Gruber
I meant to post for Saturday and Sunday but I just got to tired and forgot to finish in the morning but I will put them in now, it is just our fun days but I thought you might like to know what we did.
We got to sleep in on Saturday morning which was very nice. When we had cleaned the floors, vacuumed and touched up a bit we headed for beach. We went to Cocoa beach, and could see the NASA shuttle manufacturing and storage hanger in the distance at Canaveral. We went to Ron Jon's Surf shop, apparently it is the largest surf shop on the world and it is open 24 hours a day. After some pizza hut we finally went to beach. Oh, and the water was so warm, I loved it. After the beach we we headed back for early showers, so we could go to downtown Disney in the evening. We ate there and got to look around, there were some cool Lego statues, and lots of lights and stores, it was very fun, we also got to go on a ferry ride from one side of downtown to the other, it was very fun.
And yesterday we went to Tim Mickiney's (the head of UGO) church, Orlando Baptist Curch and their college group. Everyone was so kind to us. And apparently Tim told the pastor about us, so in the service he addressed us, it was very special. For lunch, Tim treated us to a Columbian restaurant, The food was great, and I am just so grateful for him. After lunch we headed to the beach again, I was so excited. Oh, and the family, who has been letting us use their showers, let us borrow their boogie boards and beach chairs, it was very kind of them. The beach was slightly different than Saturday, but it was very nice, except that we got lost on the way a few times. For dinner, the people who are letting us use their showers, bought an extra pizza for us to eat and made cookies for us. They have been so nice to us.
Davita Gruber
Ok so as y’all might have noticed, Bithlo team is a little less verbal then Costa Rica team. We’ll just chock that up to us being servants and not sitting in a Wi-Fi parking lot (Just kidding Brian!). On the other hand, this weekend was a lot of fun. We had some down time and went to the beach and hung out at Downtown Disney for a while. Then yesterday, we went to Orlando Baptist Church for Sunday service which was really good.
But now we’re back and it’s Monday. School is going to start in a few minutes so hope this short, sweet and to the point post will satisfy y’all.
Sorry, I didn't post last night, I was falling asleep, so I will post today about yesterday.
Yesterday I spent most of the first part of the day cleaning and organizing the resource room, the room that they put all of the stuff that people donate to the school and where they store their supplies. Me and Leilanie were in there organizing, some of the stuff they had in there they didn't even know they had, because it had just been thrown in and not sorted. It still isn't finished but hopefully I will be able to work on it more today or tomorrow.
So, the school isn't necessarily supposed to feed the kids lunch at the school because it has to be pre-packaged from the store, but they bend the rules a bit so that they can feed them. But on Thursday, the health inspector came it just as they were putting the chicken in to cook for the kids, so they were told not to feed them after that day, so yesterday they didn't serve lunch at the school. Please pray that they will be permitted to serve food there. So, we went to one of the volunteers house for lunch and the kids had to bring their own. Lunch was so good, they made lasagna and bread and salad, and then for dessert she made this wonderful, sweet bread pudding, it was so good. It was very kind of them.
For VBS, we had a lot less kids come than on Thursday but it worked. We did a skit and met Abraham and Moses and learned about God's promises. And Trent did a great job teaching the kids about God's greatest promise, his son. When it came to the crafts, I was helping one of the girls, a twin, to draw a rose, and I was trying to encourage her that she could do it, but she wanted me to draw it, and she became really stubborn and hid her face and wouldn't respond to anything. So she received a time out and she went to the corner and started to cry, and my heart really went out to her and I just wanted to hug her and tell her I loved her and see what else was going on, but Leilanie thought it best to get Brandy, who worked there, to talk to her. I got very emotional, and started to cry because when I see someone hurting I hurt for them and feel for them and all I wanted to do is sit with her and be her friend and talk to her. When Brandy came out she explained that she just missed her mom because she started this new job and was away a lot, and said that there were tons of cockroaches in her house. I hope to have another chance to talk with her on my own and get to know her and her twin better.
For dinner another volunteer fed us chicken fettuchini, bread, salad, and strawberries, ice cream and cake for dessert. It is such a blessing to have these people feed us.
Please keep Kendra in your prayers, she hasn't been feeling very good, for most of the trip, because of migraines. She was in bed practically all yesterday, so please pray that she will feel better soon.
Well, today is a free day, so we are going to the beach and maybe downtown Disney later on. Pray that we will have opportunities to share the gospel even on our "off day".
Thanks for your prayers, oh and please post so that we know that you're praying for us.
Thanks,
Davita Gruber
We did much of the same things today that we did yesterday at least we did in the morning. The afternoon consisted of prepping for our VBS, playing with the kids for another hour, VBS, and, an large dinner that the church puts on for the neighbors and poor families.
I would just like to thank you all for praying for the VBS to go well, because it went very smoothly, unlike what I had expected it would be. Music was well done, the kids loved the skit, they were mostly listening to the bible story and answering questions, they were super excited about craft (animal masks), and the game (even though we had to do it inside because it was down-pouring) was super fun and the kids enjoyed it a lot. Well done for a first day.
Then later in the evening, the church had their Thursday night dinner, there were other helpers there so didn't serve for that but we sat with people and talked to them and got know them all little. After going to our showers, we came back, and me and Kieth swept and mopped the bash room.now to bead because i keep falling asslep while writing. But any way we just had a very fun and profitable day. Please keep us and the Costa Rica team in your prayers.
Thanks,
Davita
Today we woke up at 7:30 ish and put the chairs back in place from last night when we made beds out of them. Then we got ready for the day and went to to breakfast at 8:00 no one showed up right away so we talked about the day tell Brandy showed up and server us breakfast. Next she assigned us jobs for the day, Keath and Matt went on a tour of the church/school then spent the time up until lunch cleaning and sorting out a storage bin of suff that be thrown out or organised. Everyone els spent time hanging out with the kids and teaching them school lessons until lunch. After lunch we went to chapel and Cameron and Jessica gave their testimonies to the kids, they asked questions then we sang a few songs (father Abraham was the best) then we went to recess and we all hung out with the kids. (that was fun) after words we helped clean up the kitchen and bathrooms. Trent & Keath Cleaned the guys bathroom, Laloni and Kendea cleaned the girls side and moped the dinning room, Davta cleaned the kitchen with Jessica and Matt & Cameron scrubbed doors, walls and tables. The last think we did for work for the day was teem up and go around the nabor hood door to door handing out VBS fliers to people. We got done with that at 3:45 ish then and took naps in the chapel tell dinner. Ate dinner then went and took showers at two different peoples houses Guys and girls split up. After showers the girls went to grocery store and guys went back to the church. Debriefed in chapel prayed then went to bed.
So, what you can be praying for is these relationships, and that no one person will feel left out. Also, pray that many kids will come to the VBS tomorrow and the rest of the week, and that they would experience God in it. And lastly, please pray that we will be able to figure out the last minute VBS details, and that we will be prepared and that all goes smoothly.Thanks,
Davita
So we got to the church that we're staying at and 9 o'clock eastern time so three our difference, it is pretty weird. We met up with the person that I've been in contact with and she told us more about Bithlo and what UGO (united global outreach) is doing to try and help out the city.
Well we are in the airport ready to leave. We have been anticipating this for a while, and it's hard to believe that it's already here.
Here are some things that you can be praying for:
- Safe flight
- That all the details will work out for VBS
- That we will be witnesses and to the people there and a blessing to the church that we will be working with
- And also pray for the Cost Rica trip and that they willbe able to reach the hearts of the people there.
Thanks for your prayers,
Davita Gruber