Monday - The Work Begins

Today was our first full day of work and full is an apt description! We are one tired, happy crew and excited to do it all again tomorrow.

Step 1 - morning devotional - starting the day with the most important preparation

Step 2 - get glasses stolen by an adorable six-year-old

Step 3 - activity time! The sports, games, and crafts went wonderfully and the kids had a blast. Thanks to everybody who donated so generously to make today's activities possible!

The beaded necklaces were a big hit

Nothing happier than a gal with her new jewelry!

Step 4 - start working!

Hogar de Amor is currently at capacity and the group is almost done building a brand new home for a new group of kids.  The concrete is done, but it needs a lot of prep and painting before the floor tiles can be finished.  Our team worked tirelessly today with wire brushes, shovels, picks, paintbrushes, and lots of rollers, sealant, and paint to make the new home a great place for the kids who will live here.

Clearing the yard (these guys worked so hard!)

These guys did manage to get more paint on the walls and ceilings than on themselves... we think.

We had to get creative with ladders and roller extensions to get to the stairwell

Climbing on window frames to brush the bars clean was the perfect job for a certain ten-year-old

There was lots of iron to work on and we emerged triumphant with dirty faces and clean iron!

Day 1 of painting complete - we're guessing that with the amount of painting left to do, several days remain :)

And some of us spent the day sewing curtains - definitely less messy than painting with just as many days of work to get a whole house done

Step 5 - awesome home made tamales for lunch with the cutest little lunchmates anybody could ask for!

Chicken or peper and corn?  One of each, please!

Definitely our favorite crew to eat with

Step 6 - still a little time left over to cuddle the little ones!

Snuggles all around

Prayer Requests:

1. Pray that the team's great attitudes would continue and that we would accept each day's work with gusto and each day's surprises (because with 20 people in Mexico, nothing goes quite as expected!) with grace.
2. Pray that we would each have just the right amount of time to work hard on the new projects and also to hang out with the kids.  We each want a different ratio of relational and work time and please pray that we could find creative ways to fill each person's needs.
3. As always, please keep praying for continued good health and lots of energy and that each child and caregiver we interact with would know that they are special and appreciated.