identifying E: Day 2 - First day at Hope Home

Day 2 already complete? Why is it going by so fast already? :( sigh. Today was our first day visiting Hope Home! This is an orphanage that has about 40 kids ranging from about 4 years old to 18 years old and a large amount of them have special needs. The kids are absolutely beautiful. Lauren, Pat and I babysat them for a little while and the entire time we were with them they just wouldn't stop laughing! It's unreal to see so much laughter and happiness from these kids in their living conditions. Why can't we be that happy all the time while we are living our luxurious lifestyles? Materialistic societies are ruining us. When thinking about the workers of Hope Home - I have always had such respect for social workers and those who live to serve students who can't live a normal life, however, these caretakers were a level of loving that surpasses anything I've seen in the states. You have to have so much patience with these kids. Without them, who knows were these kids would be today. They have completely transformed the lives of these children and have helped them to understand how much Jesus loves them.

Onward to the physical aspect of our day: we began building the playground! It's coming along very nicely. The pictures below show the progress that we made today. We are hoping that we will finish by Thursday, and if not, then we will be 99% done! Everyone drilled, bolted, sawed the wood, and sanded - but not everyone got as sunburnt as Miles and not everyone's shoe sole fell off like Mr. Jeff's! It's blistering hot down here during the day. We are building two separate structures, both with picnic tables underneath. It's going to be awesome when it's finished! It will have swings, a slide, a rock wall, and a ladder connected to it (if I remember correctly). The kids are probably never going to get off of it.

When we finished adding the picnic tables we noticed that we needed sandpaper to smooth out the edges s the kid's wouldn't get splinters. Clement pointed at me and said, "Come with me to get the sandpaper from the market." I quickly responded with a "yes sir!" and headed out with Clement. We were gone for maybe 15-20 minutes total, but during that time we were able to get in good conversation. I'm not going to go into much detail about everything that was said just for the sake of typing it all out, but the basis of our conversation was living out the word of God and how easy it was to stray away - but yet no matter what we do, He is always there to open that door that we had closed. We discussed how vital it is to live by God's vision and in with some personal decisions I have made in my life, I could honestly tell Clement that I had kept my word to God and stayed clear from letting myself go and falling into temptations. It was such a wonderful feeling to be honest about something that was so personal to me, without Clement even knowing that it was a personal topic. (If that makes sense to any of you.)

In more of the pictures you can see the beginning of a wall mural that Katy and Caitlin started painting today in one of the dormitory rooms. Kenneth, the director of the orphanage, wanted a mural resembling a puzzle of an undersea scene. These girls are ridiculously talented!!! I could not believe their painting skills and how fast they were completing the project. Isn't it beautiful? GREAT JOB LADIES.

We had lunch around noon which consisted of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Lays Staks chips, and trailmix. We left Hope Home around 3:30 (we had been there since 8:30 this morning) to head back to the hotel for a little rest and a shower before we left for dinner. After a short nap and a refreshing shower, we loaded up the van and went to Maurice and B's brand new house. When I say brand new, I mean brand new - no furniture, no fridge, no stove, no plates, not anything! This was basically their first night in the house. They're furniture is being shipped over so it will be a little bit longer until they are able to completely furnish their house. Guyana is an interesting place. There are shacks right beside mansions. This house was one that would be classified as a mansion, in my opinion, but this family has not received this money because of drugs (which is how many people here are able to build their enormous houses). This family was so generous - they rented tables and chairs for us to use for dinner. We had yet another Guyanese authentic meal that consisted of Roti, beef curry, chow mein, and rice. It was really good. My mom is probably in awe of me saying how much I'm enjoying the food here. And get this Ma, we had banana and vanilla flavored ice cream for desert and I ATE IT. ALL. hahaha you would be so proud. OH! How in the world have a skipped this? Well, before dinner we were given the opportunity to stand with the family as they cut the ribbon into their new home. A ribbon cutting for their new home? Yes. It was so cool! Pastor Tim blessed the home before dinner also. We all laid hands on the door, door frames, windows, staircase, and kitchen while he read some scripture from Matthew 7. It was definitely an experience to remember. During the ribbon cutting, B told me to go inside (by myself, while everyone including the family was outside) and be the photographer. I was honored. Before we left, I went to give B a hug and to thank her for her incredible hospitality and she asked was more interested in talking to me than she was to tell me goodbye! Her kind words will stick with me for a long time. She was excited when I told her I have two younger brothers. She wants to meet them - haha! You hear that Patrick and Stephen? Get your bags ready. You too Mama and Daddy - she wants to meet you too! I'm sure you're chuckling reading this, but you better believe she was serious, and honestly, I am too. I hope that one day you guys are able to experience what I have.

When first writing tonight, I told Lauren I wasn't sure if I had much to say. Well, I guess that changed. Sometimes when you don't have much to say, words flow out of you more than ever. "Let it flow" - Clement's quote of the night. (hahaha and LOL to the team when they read that.) Have fun looking through the pictures and let me know what y'all think! I would love to hear comments about anything!

Love you all and talk to you tomorrow!

I'll say goodnight with this quote from Pastor Tim when leaving our room a few minutes ago from coming to get some sour patch kids : "Well, I'm gonna do something that the devil won't do....leave you alone."
HAHA. Goodnight everyone!