O Canada! We're back!

Praise God for safe travels.

Our lives have been blessed and changed by being a part of this team. We have made new friends, not only within the team but also in Mexico.

A very special thanks to the team at Casa de Esperanza - Brenda & Art, Ryan, Itzel, Marilyn, Agustin, Shorty & Juan Carlos as well as fellow mission friends Ted & Maddi, Perry & Monica, Lee, Brent, Mike and Kevin. May God bless you all richly as you continue to work to bring glory to His name!

Here we are in Tucson. We had a smooth ride all the way from San Carlos to Arizona, and no issues at the border. PTL! (or as Edward would say - "thank you Jesus") I think most of us have gone to bed to get some sleep before our early start tomorrow morning. Just thought I'd let you know we are safe and sound here and waiting to see our families and friends. Thank you for your prayers.

Our last day in San Carlos

Today has been an emotional day. It is our last day in San Carlos and we are processing all of our experiences and moments. I don't think anyone here will be leaving as the same person they were when they came.
We did some more work on Pastor Rafael's house - another layer of styrofoam bricks that were angled to make the roof line. The septic tank crew also cemented the tank cover.
In the baby blue house, we put on the finishing touches such as curtains at the windows, shelving, bedding and groceries.
Late afternoon we returned to Rafael's church to do our last kids club, but we discovered that there was a community program going on with at least a hundred children, so we decided to do only the drama and then have a trivia contest to give out more soccer balls. It was good to discover that many children had actually followed the story and knew the answers.
Then we headed back to the baby blue house to present it to Ilse, the new owner. She was very overwhelmed and appreciative and expressed her gratitude through her tears.
Supper today was served to us by Pastor Rafael and his wife Maricela, with help from their sons and sons' girlfriends. It was a very special meal, and included a short program with praise and worship and emotional speeches from Rafael, Maricela and Phillip.
Tomorrow right after breakfast we head out on our long road trip to Tucson. I will miss the daily van rides to the work site (NOT) and bouncing around on the fantastic roads here! Thanks for your prayers - we have certainly felt them. Love to all family back home!

Finger painting at the kid's program

The furniture in Ilse's baby blue house

Lunch at the work site (the grey t-shirt crew)

Russ making sure the window is the right height

Typical scene in the neighborhood

It is so difficult to decide which photos to post on the blog, I have so many. Hopefully what you've seen has given you some idea of not only our work here, but also of the people we have met. Tomorrow is our last day working at the site, and we are also planning on putting the finishing touches on Ilse's baby blue house and she should be moving in. We will also deliver the rest of the food hampers and host our last children's program.

Praise God that today's children's program went so smoothly. The children were so co-operative and easy to work with. The street soccer game seemed to be a huge hit and there were some very creative accessories designed with pipe cleaners.

Two more sleeps at this beautiful retreat and then we start to head back home. Pray for travel mercies for our trip back.

Second last day here

I can't believe that we have only 1 day left. The morning was filled with working on the house. The walls are almost finished. yah who! ! Lunch was served at the site, oh my goodness. Empanadas are the best. Well to tell the truth, all the meals here are great and the most wonderful part about the meals are we didn,t need to prepare them and the dish washing is shared.
The afternoon for the women consisted of shopping for a bed and a table with chairs for the cute little house that we finished painting yesterday. The curtains are ready to hang and the shelves will be put up tomorrow. It's exciting to see it all coming together so nicely.
After supper we had the kids club and it was wonderful to hear laughter as they were playing soccer ( even if there was cheating ).Praise the lord!

Susan

Danny's day off

I went fishing this morning, and it was pretty good. We didn't catch any fish that we could eat. We saw a seal in the water, and had fish tacos for lunch. I didn't get sick this time!!!
I went shopping with my parents, but I didn't buy anything.
In the afternoon I went to the beach and saw dolphins jumping. There were lots.
Went to a seafood resturant that overlooked the ocean, and had a new york steak. It was good. Then we went swimming at a heated pool and hot tub at a country club.
My favorite part about working on the house is when Pastor Rapheal comes and talks to me, in spanish.

I want to say hi to Jake Wall, and that I'm missing you.

Danny