Things have been so busy around here that it has been tough to sneak in and write to you all! So here are some fun updates on what's been happening the last few days:
Sunday- After attending the wonderful church service, we had a chance to eat Filipino style Pizza Hut Pizza, and play ultimate frisbee with the kids. They are tremendous athletes, and all caught on with amazing agility. We played with about 20 people per team, which made for a wild and crazy game filled with lots of screaming and laughter. We wrapped up our time with the kids on Sunday night with one of Jeff's all time favorite movies- Pistol Pete. It is the story of the famous basketball player's childhood- and a must see for all basketball lovers like those at Sankey.
Monday- We started the building project for the summer camp bathroom. Each year, Sankey hosts kids from the community and church at Christian summer camps. We are building a bathroom and showers to help support this ministry. The walls are getting higher day-by-day! Our muscles are getting bigger and bigger!
We also were able to start vaccinating the kids- and we have a big praise here too. We were hoping to get the Hep B and Tetanus vaccines for all the kids and staff- and even though there is a national shortage, we were able to get the vaccines, and at a 20% discount. This means Sankey will have enough money left over to finish the Hep series after we leave. The staff actually administered the vaccinations- they were very brave and are becoming very proficient nurses!
Rich brought wood crafts for our Monday night time with the kids- they built bird houses, boats, airplanes, butterfly houses, and pine cars. They were a great hit! The gym rang with the sounds of many hammers and much laughter.
Coleman taught his first skit on the armor of God to our little drama queens, and they performed for the whole group at the end of the night to rousing applause. We will do this skit again for the outreaches on Saturday.
Tuesday- We started the morning back on the bathrooms- it is amazing to see how quickly the building is going up! The summer has begun here- and it is hot and muggy. Our team worked like champs though, and shoveled sand, moved bricks and cement, and laid mortar like pros.
After lunch, we went to the neighborhood school for a feeding program. The kids from Sankey sang songs and did skits as entertainment, and then all the school kids got a full bowl of soup and a dose of vitamins. We were also able to provide medical care to several kids who had boils, ear infections, asthma, and burns. The Sankey kids prayed with each of the kids before they left the clinic- what amazing hearts the Sankey kids have for ministry and for touching others' lives. We are also getting pretty good a setting up an effective medical clinic in minutes!
We vaccinated the rest of the staff and the girls Tuesday as well. They were a little more afraid- as word had gotten out that the tetanus shot does hurt!
We wrapped up the evening with basketball, uno, ping-pong, dice games, and unicycle riding. Jeff is getting pretty good- and can ride all around the gym!
Wednesday- Today we are in for another day of building and playing. We are also starting the design for the mural in the gym.
Please pray for continued endurance and team unity. Everyone has been working hard and doing such a beautiful job encouraging each other. Pray too for all the wives and kiddos still at home.
Please also pray for our upcoming events:
Play time with the kids each night
Time to encourage the staff
Dinner out with the staff on Friday
2 more medical out reach programs on Saturday- one will be up in the hills with the indigenous people here
Jeff is giving the sermon on Sunday
Much love to all!
