Thursday was painting day. It wasn't as labor intensive as concrete day but it was still hard work, especially in the heat and humidity.
Painting the inside of the bathrooms was like painting the inside of an oven. It was such a small space and there was no air flow. We were soaking wet by the time we finished.
The kids started the morning off painting but we quickly realized that they were getting more paint on the ground than the walls, so they were officially banned from painting. Instead, they spent the entire day playing with the local kids who had come to the church.
Before we left for our lunch break, the pastor of the church asked if he could tell us a little about the history of the church and how he got involved with the Potter's House. He said that he had been praying for bathrooms for the kids for five years. When the church first started, the kids were going to the bathroom behind a tarp. A few years ago, a small shed with one toilet was built but they still needed more to meet the needs of the kids/church. He said when The Potter's House formed a relationship with them, their prayers were finally answered. He was in tears as he spoke to us and it was such a reminder to me to never stop praying and never give up on God. God's timing is perfect even when he doesn't provide as quickly as we would like. The pastor was so grateful for the work we had done and I felt so blessed to be a small part of their story.
Towards the end of the work day, I realized I had some suckers and gum left over from our prayer walks in the dump. I started passing them out to the kids and they went crazy. They kept asking for more, more, more! They could not get enough! It's funny how simple things that American kids take for granted truly are HUGE treats for these kids. We even passed out some to the local (adult) workers that were working on the community center and they were just as excited to receive them as the kids!
More lunchtime fun with Mr. John
Our entire team with our two Potter's House translators (Daniel and Andrea) and the two Potter's House administrators that live in Chiquimula (Annabella and Josue)- They were so much fun to work with and it was wonderful getting to know them better throughout the week. We could not have made it without them!
The kids with Kin and Steve- They took our kids under their wings and treated them like they were their own. It was such a privilege to work with them on this mission trip and I hope our paths will cross again some day. The kids loved playing with them all week and hated to see them go back to Georgia the next day.
Daniel and Andrea- our wonderful translators for the week
On the last night, Daniel presented this plaque to us. The plaque is now hanging in the new community center that was completed by the mission team that came the week after we left. It was such an honor to know that we were part of the very first Potter's House project in Chiquimula. This was the first of many projects and I look forward to hearing about the wonderful things that are happening in this dump community for many years to come.
Our worship time that night was bittersweet knowing that we were heading back to Guatemala City the next morning. As much as I missed Cory and the girls and was ready to get home to them, I knew I would be leaving a small part of my heart in Chiquimula the next day. We came to bless the dump community but I left feeling like they blessed me in more ways than I will every be able to describe.
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