The group from Country Haven came almost as expected, except 10 hours later. Even though the schedule was a little mixed up, God used for a blessing. We were able to rest and recover from a busy week. Even though we hadn’t planned to spend the night, Maria’s sister, Ofelia, was generous enough to open her home to us and feed us a delicious breakfast before heading to Mazumiapan.

Back at the ranch, we hit the ground running, inviting as many children as we could to the VBS the very next day. We hardly had time to get settled in because next was the children’s small group and then Maria’s birthday party.

By the next morning we had unpacked some. Our friend sent us a whole set of bamboo dishes just in time. It works perfect for serving the group! Once again, God’s timing is impeccable. As you can see in the picture, the carpenter finished the benches and we fit 13 around the table. Praise God for a full house!

We thought the house was full with 13 of us plus the dog, but on our way home one night, a little “meow” caught our attention and a small black kitten appeared out of the bushes and followed us down the street. We asked whose it was, but everyone said it was just a stray, so we took it home.

Vacation Bible School was a great success. The group was a blessed with many talents which were useful for the program. Erik with his accordion was a big hit with the children.

Kristi, who has worked with children on other mission trips, was able to pull the crafts, stories and games together to make for an exciting day. There were many new faces and all were eager to come back again.

We’ve been watching bananas grow outside our house, but didn’t know whose they were. Yadira, a friend from the village, was helping us at the house and took matters into her own hands. She negotiated with our landlord and got the green light to cut the bananas. She promptly took a machete in one hand, the bunch of bananas in the other, and with one chop, cut the bananas from the tree. I tried to lift the bunch of bananas, and could barely do it with much force, but she made it look easy! Now we have a whole box of bananas ripening in our home. We look forward to eating them today or tomorrow.

One of Kristi’s daughters had a desire to share food with those in need. We learned of some widows in Mazumiapan, and went to visit them with bags of food on sabbath. One of ladies was over 100 years old. It was great to visit her, because when she was younger, she went around helping those in need. We received a blessing in giving to others.

This week we start the construction on the church and look forward to a health fair in Mazumiapan. Thank you for keeping us in prayer.