Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Today was our first day at YES! And it was a very busy day!  We started the morning with ice breaker activities and worship through song!  Next Judy, Caroline and Kaitlyn lead the group in a devotion study of Psalm 139 which focused on how each of us is fearfully and wonderfully created by God. Each a unique creation of our Heavenly Father. The girls shared how they see themselves - both positive and negative. Then we discussed how God sees each of us and how this compares to our own world view. The group discussed how God sees us as his children. Each girl was given a pocket mirror to write two encouraging words to serve as a reminder of how God views them.

After a wonderful time of sharing, we split into multiple activities.

Kathi and Jane lead a group through some basic first aid and dental hygiene as they worked to build first aid kits for the girls to take home. The girls were so very excited to have a first aid kit with various sizes of band-aids, alcohol wipes, antibiotic cream, and benadryl (children's and adult). They discussed wound care, how to perform CPR and what to do when either an infant or an adult is choking. Each girl also received toothbrushes and toothpaste. This was a much appreciated activity!


Laura and Judy lead a group for canvas painting. It was great to see the individual, creative minds as they chose what to paint. This is always a fun activity for the girls!



For each group, they ended there activity with group sharing and discussion concerning the girls lives today. Praise God that the girls were very actively participating in the activities and the discussions!

After lunch, the entire group began our Recorder class and ended with a successful round of Hot Cross Buns!



Chepito, Mike, Jill, Kaitlyn, Caroline, Samuel and Jonathan began the construction project. First, the team removed the plywood exterior and the sheet rock (interior) of the first wall. We have a current plan to replace three walls in total.  Unfortunately, the studs in the wall were infested with terminates and the wood was completely rotten. The team proceeded to build a temporary support wall, then removed the bad studs and rebuilt the entire frame for the wall. Finally, the team added the new wood siding and new window for the wall. By the late afternoon, Judy, Jane, Kathi, and Laura had also contributed to the construction - everyone was helping to place nails and hold boards.  Might I add it was pouring down rain from noon through the end of the day - yet the work continued!!

Here is the before picture:

Now the wall is gone, the support is in place and the framing is gone:


Here comes the frame:










Other shots through the day:
Jane, Kaitlyn and Caroline...

Mike....
Jonathan and Kathi....

Samuel...
 Chepito...our fearless leader from The Word at Work...

At the end of the day...putting the door back on - in this picture you can see the rain...


Hear the rain!!




At the end of the day we looked at the studs on the second wall and were happy to discover that there are only a few rotten studs for that wall. We will begin the second wall tomorrow and then investigate the third wall (which is the largest). We cannot leave the building unsecured, so we must start and complete an entire wall each day. We cannot leave a partially built structure due to the possibility of theft.

We ended the day with a wonderful meal, prepared by our friend Yolanda and her family! God was looking after the details as he provided a outdoor, covered eating area for dinner. (Last year we ate in the open air, sitting on cement .... if it had been raining then, we would have been soaked!)

Please pray for continued relationship building with the staff and students at YES.
Please pray for strength, stamina and unity on the work project.
Please pray for opportunities to share God's love and hope with people we encounter.



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