It has been a long, hard trip as we have preached in 4 time zones and driven well over a 1000 miles. But it has also been a great trip of sharing the ministry & both meeting and reconnecting with many old friends. I want to thank all of our host churches for their kindness.

Today we just rested by praying & reading the Word. We want to thank all of you who had a part in this successful trip.

The busiest time of the year awaits us with graduations, the 15 year old girls, Christmas & the decisions for 2020.

12/22/2002. We had a 4:30am staff leadership meeting. Then Christmas began for us as we laid out the baby dorm gifts. The way we do it is to draw large squares with colored chalk. We put a number on the square and each gift is also numbered and placed in the corresponding squares. 

While Dottie and I watched them open their gifts the older children were making the squares for the little girls 6-8 years old and placing the gifts. Yolanda ran up to Dottie and me and said, “I have never had a Christmas gift.” Later as I walked through the stacks of gifts I noticed a little girl who had opened one gift and was just sitting there. I told her to open the rest of the gifts and she stared at me and said, “All of these are mine?”

Last month 6 boys had helped the American with the construction & the Americans sent them $100 each. They got dressed up and went to buy things for themselves. A few hours later they returned and I could tell they were crying so I thought that someone had robbed them. But one asked me, “Papi do we have to spend this money on ourselves?” When I told them no they said could Steve and I drive them to San Lucas. When we arrived there was a family of 4 children and parents living in  cardboard boxes. 

The boys asked if they could use their money to buy lumber and Steve and I along with them construct a little house. Of course we did. The boys returned to Casa & told the children about the family. Our kids then packed up toys and clothes ane we took it back to the family. This should be what Christmas I all about.