Bon nochi,
What a difference a day makes in conjunction with a full night’s sleep! This morning we were refreshed and ready to go at 7:00 AM. Ellie led our devotions from Psalm 118:8 reminding us to trust in the Lord, not to put our confidence in men as well as to take refuge in Him and while resting in His will. Following devotions, Jerseley laid out a wide variety of breakfast foods for us including scrambled eggs from Lucas’ chickens, sausage, yogurt, granola, warm bread, assorted meats, cheeses, watermelon, apples, coffee, and homemade herbal tea. Esther shared fresh passion fruit with some of us and that was a spectacular treat! Ashlyn, Brielle, Luke F. and Wesley did a wonderful job with speed KP duty (dishwashing and breakfast clean-up) so we could head out to Emmy Berthold Elementary School for our first service project.
This week the students there are on a break because they have exams next week so the school was very quiet which was fine because we needed to focus on painting the wall that borders their upper elementary playground. The project required us to sweep all the dirt away from the walls, pull weeds, scrape old paint, and then wash the wall by hand with sponges so we could begin painting. After all of the prep work was complete, we painted the wall sky blue. The Lord blessed us with cloud cover and a cool breeze for this first part of the project which was so welcome. The kids were singing and chatting while they were working. It was so cool! When the first coat of paint was done, we took a break and had a snack which Esther had packed for us with ice cold limeade. Refueled, we applied a second coat of paint and Ellie and Luke C. started sketching animals and plants on one of the areas. We will return to the school on Monday to complete our painting project.
As the heat of the day set in it was time to clean rollers and brushes and head back to the Youth Centre to change clothes so we could go to town for lunch. We ate at a fantastic place called Burgr Haus down near the city center. The atmosphere was so relaxing out on the patio and the burgers were top shelf! Some of us had a local beverage called awa lamunchi which is a really tasty, fresh squeezed lime drink that the locals love. After lunch, we wandered through a little art gallery and then headed to the Kura Hulanda museum of slave history for a guided tour. The tour was really informative and extremely sobering!!
Several of us were in need of a quick pick me up after the tour so we went to Flores coffee shop and had frozen cappuccinos, iced lattes, and standard cappuccinos. While we were waiting for the caffeine to kick in, we sat in the shade on a patio and laughed a lot. Reinvigorated, we walked down to the harbor to show everyone the floating bridge which is a UNESCO heritage site and the waterfront. Following a few photos, Lucas picked us up so we could return to the Youth Centre to rest for a bit and prepare for Youth Explore.
Prior to the youth meeting all of the students were playing volleyball with the teens as they arrived. Then we all sat down and had chicken fried rice and shrimp chips for dinner. Once again well fed, we headed into the church for worship, games, teaching, small groups, and fellowship. It was a fantastic evening and the kids really clicked with the youth! It is now 11:00 PM and everyone is showering and getting ready for bed. God blessed us with a very full and rich day!
Until tomorrow,
Lisa
What a difference a day makes in conjunction with a full night’s sleep! This morning we were refreshed and ready to go at 7:00 AM. Ellie led our devotions from Psalm 118:8 reminding us to trust in the Lord, not to put our confidence in men as well as to take refuge in Him and while resting in His will. Following devotions, Jerseley laid out a wide variety of breakfast foods for us including scrambled eggs from Lucas’ chickens, sausage, yogurt, granola, warm bread, assorted meats, cheeses, watermelon, apples, coffee, and homemade herbal tea. Esther shared fresh passion fruit with some of us and that was a spectacular treat! Ashlyn, Brielle, Luke F. and Wesley did a wonderful job with speed KP duty (dishwashing and breakfast clean-up) so we could head out to Emmy Berthold Elementary School for our first service project.
This week the students there are on a break because they have exams next week so the school was very quiet which was fine because we needed to focus on painting the wall that borders their upper elementary playground. The project required us to sweep all the dirt away from the walls, pull weeds, scrape old paint, and then wash the wall by hand with sponges so we could begin painting. After all of the prep work was complete, we painted the wall sky blue. The Lord blessed us with cloud cover and a cool breeze for this first part of the project which was so welcome. The kids were singing and chatting while they were working. It was so cool! When the first coat of paint was done, we took a break and had a snack which Esther had packed for us with ice cold limeade. Refueled, we applied a second coat of paint and Ellie and Luke C. started sketching animals and plants on one of the areas. We will return to the school on Monday to complete our painting project.
As the heat of the day set in it was time to clean rollers and brushes and head back to the Youth Centre to change clothes so we could go to town for lunch. We ate at a fantastic place called Burgr Haus down near the city center. The atmosphere was so relaxing out on the patio and the burgers were top shelf! Some of us had a local beverage called awa lamunchi which is a really tasty, fresh squeezed lime drink that the locals love. After lunch, we wandered through a little art gallery and then headed to the Kura Hulanda museum of slave history for a guided tour. The tour was really informative and extremely sobering!!
Several of us were in need of a quick pick me up after the tour so we went to Flores coffee shop and had frozen cappuccinos, iced lattes, and standard cappuccinos. While we were waiting for the caffeine to kick in, we sat in the shade on a patio and laughed a lot. Reinvigorated, we walked down to the harbor to show everyone the floating bridge which is a UNESCO heritage site and the waterfront. Following a few photos, Lucas picked us up so we could return to the Youth Centre to rest for a bit and prepare for Youth Explore.
Prior to the youth meeting all of the students were playing volleyball with the teens as they arrived. Then we all sat down and had chicken fried rice and shrimp chips for dinner. Once again well fed, we headed into the church for worship, games, teaching, small groups, and fellowship. It was a fantastic evening and the kids really clicked with the youth! It is now 11:00 PM and everyone is showering and getting ready for bed. God blessed us with a very full and rich day!
Until tomorrow,
Lisa