Today we woke up, ate breakfast, and prepared to visit a village. While we there we painted the church. Pastor Francis told us instructions on what needed to be done. Some of us helped paint the church, while others played with the children. Those who played with the children did face painting, got their hair braided, and handed out bouncy balls and balloons that they could play with. The children were so kind, and it was interesting to see how we communicated with them despite the language barrier. They were well-mannered and respectful, and seemed to have wanted to give us things in return for us helping them. In just one morning the outside of the church was painted and the inside was touched up. Following the village, we drove back to the complex, ate lunch, and soon will be building pews for village churches. Our class is really working great together.
-Camryn Clune and Matt McNella
This afternoon we split into two groups. One group was tasked with painting the walls and pillars outside of the complex towards the parking lot. They made lots of progress completing the wall on the inside of the complex and improving the exterior appearance. The second group was tasked with building church pews for a local church. They used many of their talents and successfully completed ten benches, which will be a great blessing to many of the locals.
Initially after receiving the tasks for the afternoon, many of us felt as though the work was insignificant compared to what we have done in days past or what we will do in the future. However, as we worked, we began to understand the importance of the service we were providing. We were able to serve the people by helping the organization which serves them daily. These tasks are just as important as the other things we have done.
-Ryan Phillips, Patrick, Opferbeck, Alex Fink
Devotion
Our challenge is to be real. Mrs. Capitano shared her testimony and encouraged the students to forgive themselves and then they can work on forgiving other. She encouraged them to not isolate their feelings because we are the church and need to encourage one another.
-Deb Wade
