BEAUTIFUL

What a full full day!!!! Oh man. So much to write about, so little energy to do it with! Haha. Let's just say the day was so full we arrived back at the campus over 3 hours late. Oops!

When we arrived this morning, our crew leader Ricardo read the Scripture of Jesus washing his disciples feet. He then handed us all a paper towel and asked us to kneel in front of one another and wipe each other's boots, and then to give them a hug, thanking them. Oh man. I got down in front of a 7 year old kid (ironically, Im just realizing now his name was Jesus. Haha!) and slowly wiped his dirty shoes clean. It's a moment I hope I never forget. Many tears were shed, and it was only 10:00am!

For lunch, the family surprised us with DELICIOUS home made fish and/or shark tacos. :O Fresh guacamole, cilantro, onions, lettuce, salsa (of the picante kind!!). It's just incredible to me that these families who live in a neighbourhood referred to as "The Skunk" served us with such joy and generosity. I mean, the husband earns under $10 a day for a day's work. 

The rest of the day consisted of painting the interior of the house, finishing the roofing, putting up the trim around the doors and windows, finishing up the electrical (which worked!), burying the wire in the ditch David had dug with Chris and Ben, etc etc. All this while Dylon and David ran a few errands for our family. In the end, we ended up adding several small additions, including 2 awnings over the windows, a clothes line, a counter for a kitchen area, and a small 2nd counter for the stove we bought for the family.

Thanks to your generosity and kindness, we were able to buy a stove for the family, along with a basket of food. We also had toiletries for the mother and dad, tons and tons of school stuff for the kids, soccer balls (we even had 15 soccer uniforms donated by the West Van Soccer Club!), storage cabinets, etc etc. The house looked BEAUTIFUL by the time we were done. 

Wes had gone around the neighbourhood to collect funds for the trip, and with the proceeds, we were able to buy food baskets for the family that will be delivered for the next 8 months! We also bought a food basket for the neighbour who made us tortillas. She was thrilled, mostly because this meant she had a bit of extra food she could give to a single mom from the area. 

The day ended with the key ceremony. This is always such a powerful moment that I always wonder how anything could ever top previous years. This year, I finally learned that it's not about it being better, but trying to see God in the differences. The team is different, the family is different. And once again, the handing over the house was steeped in goodness and joy (and lots of tears!). The keys are passed from hand to hand, with each team member being given an opportunity to say a few words to the family. The father, Moises, started crying from the moment Dylon started speaking (and he was the 1st to speak!). His lips quivered the whole time. So did mine. Haha.

Upon entering her house for the first time with her children, the mother burst into tears, saying she never thought she would live in such a beautiful home. It makes me tear up just writing about it. They were simply overjoyed. The mother brought out small bracelets for us that she had made for each one of us - so that we would never forget them, as they would never forget us. They even asked if they could keep Ryley's Canada water bottler. :) 

When we left the house for the last time, the dad looked at me and just put his hands on his heart, with a beautiful, large smile. 

Ryan begins painting the blue bedroom for the kids!

Sam won the award for most covered in paint. Oh for sure.

Manuel, the pastor we were partnered with, preparing the shark tacos.

Ricardo giving a final little pep talk to the roofing crew prior to putting in the last nails.

And there you have it: the last nail goes in. 

After scraping the gunk off the floor, Sam and Nicole were tasked with the cinderella-esque chore of washing the floor clean. :O Rachel, our intern, said she'd never seen such a clean floor!

LUNCH TIME!!!! The mother, Veronica, is on the right. :)

Putting up the last awning.

Jesus tried to join the roofing crew. We said nice try Jesus. ;)

Waiting for the key ceremony!

What the living room looked like. :)

A cross from Jerusalem, and the parents' bedroom in the background.

The boys' bedroom.

After a first look at the house - a tearful round of hugs!

Veronica bought hats for the 3 ladies on the crew - Chris, Rachel (our AMAZING intern and translator!) and Katie.

Katie, Dylon and I - so so so proud of our amazing team.

The beautiful family - Aron, Veronica, Andres, Moises and Jesus.

The 2013 Team!!!

Tomorrow is our day off! WOO! We head to a market to check out the local culture and will spend one last night as a big group before heading back home Saturday morning. Ill update the blog again tomorrow evening before we head out! Until then, please pray for ongoing health, safety, and lots and lots of LOVE.