This morning we traveled into El Maguey to visit the homes we will be working on. Elsa Molina and the Orlinda family met us at the homes and it was such a pleasure to meet them. We also visited the church to see what repairs we will be working on there and where we will hold the VBS. We had lunch with the Pastor and the families receiving the homes. With the help of Maurya and Karla we were able to bridge the language gap and formed some new friendships. This afternoon we visited with a few of the families that received homes in the past. It was moving to see them welcome us and some of the team were able to visit with their old friends from past mission trips. Nicole was able to see some of the little girls that she had developed friendships with two years ago and Ron, Bob, Jason, and Milt all seemed to be right at home visiting with old friends.
This evening we attended worship service with our new friends and for some of us it was an emotional experience. Most of us have never met any of the congregation, but because of our common faith we were able to follow in service and feel an instant connection. They are so appreciative that we are here so help in their community. The kids were beyond excited to see new faces and sing songs with us. They grabbed onto us right away and when we left this evening I thought some of them were going to get on the bus with us.
Upon walking out of church we saw a bright streak in the sky. Some of us thought it was a meteor but Elsa said "no it is just a plane" and she was closer than we were. It was the space shuttle on it's way to land in Florida. Something I don't think I will ever see again. Very cool!
