hurricane update

we just heard news that the rio was completely wiped out. there is one building that back 2 back built there that is still standing and has over 500 people in it with no food or water and only the clothes on their backs. please please keep them in your prayers. word is so far that most of the childrens homes are still standing just flooding problems. the damage here is so severe i cant even put into words the feelings and emotions that have been running around this campus. we are all heartbroken about the places that have nothing anymore, but we are thankful that we are all safe. i could go into so much detail but i feel like i would be typing for days and my time could be used so much better helping clean up around here since i am leaving in the morning. if you wanna know specifics about what is going on down here please talk to me when i get home i would be more than happy to fill you in and pray with you if you want to. the biggest thing anyone from home can do right now is pray for everyone here and that we have safe travels tomorrow cause a lot of the highways are flooded so it might be tricky getting to the airport. i leave tomorrow morning at 825 am and will arrive in dayton at 212. i will try and post a blog tomoorow letting everyone know i made it home safetly.

hurricane alex

hey everyone we just got internet and power back. i am okay and everyone here is okay. our property is destroyed. my flights were cancelled today. i am flying out sunday now. please pray for everyting going on here. there is so much need.

june 30th

today was insane! the rain started pouring down and hasnt stopped. the good news is hopefully everyones prayers have been working, the hurricane is coming here but should be over by tomorrow night. please keep praying though. we have been running around like mad people trying to get everything prepared around here for the worst. we are really worried about the people at the rios whose houses are literally made out of trash and are being eroded away by the rain. also the people who live right by the river in the rio, are having some major issues cause the river is up really high. last time something like this happened in one of the rios, 7 people died. if you could just keep everyone there in your prayers. we are all prepared here so please dont worry (mother) :) we just need your prayers that everyone here stays safe and as dry as possible. keep the childrens homes in your prayers too, a lot of them have bad roofs and have some serious flooding problems. tomorrow no one is allowed off campus just so we know everyone is safe. as i said before pray for the flights on friday! thanks for all your support!

june 29th

today was the best day i have had since i have been here. we took the kids from del norte (my favorite home) to this park that is a safarri and we rode on this bus that had the roof cut off so it was open and there were wild animals like elephants, camels, zebras, monkeys, lamas, giraffes, and all kinds of things. it was so much fun. we got cups of food and the animals literllay came up to the bus and ate out of our cups. it was so much fun. the kids loved it! except the kid i was paired with, he was only 3 and was so scared he threw a complete fit and wouldnt let me go. he was adorable. i had an absolute blast today. i cant believe i only have 2 more days and then i leave friday morning, provided my flight doesnt get cancelled cause of the tropical storm, please start praying it doesnt. everything is going well here i am so sleepy and worn out i cant wait to sleep in my own room :) but i absolutely love the girls i live with so it all works out! please please pray for this storm that it doesnt affect flights coming in or going out on friday!

june 28th

today we went to rio 3. it is another place that is a dump site near a river where people have built their houses out of the trash they have found. everytime i go there it breaks my heart, to know that the kids i interact with have to live in those conditions. although, they have an advantage over the kids in the childrens homes, because they all live with their families. this week is going by fast which is bittersweet. i am excited to go home and see everyone but i really dont wanna leave here yet. i absolutely love it down here. i feel like god has put it in my heart to continually pray over the next year to see if he wants me to intern again next summer. if the funds all fall into place then obviously he wants me here again. it has been an amazing growing experience emotionally and spiritually and i pray that when i go home i continue to live the way i do here and continue to be this close to god because there is absolutely nothing like it. thank you everyone for all your support this month it has really made all the difference. please be praying for us as there is a tropical storm headed our way.

june 26th/27th

yesterday, saturday, we had 4 new groups come in. it was an incredibly long day, but it was a lot of fun. Del Norte, and ERJ came for the pool party, which means I got to see Juanita!!!!!!!!!!!!! yay! she is so cute. she got off the bus ran over to me and said lets go swimming. i was a lifeguard at the pool, (scary thought, i know) and i learned a lot of spanish, like dont run, no jumping in the baby pool, and its time to get out for dinner. :) all in all it was a really fun day, just incredibly tiring.

today is my day off. i slept in the latest i have ever slept here, 1130! it was awesome i really need that! everything is going good, i cant believe its sunday i leave on friday! i was packing up things i know im not going to use in the next couple of days which makes me really sad! i think i am ready to go home though, and pass on everything i have learned here to my family and friends.

june 25th

today was intern outing day. it was so much fun. we went to this place that is in the mountains, literally. we climbed up part of the mountain and repelled down. o my gosh it was so scary, but so much fun, and yes i have pictures to prove i did it! after we were done repellling, we went to this pizza buffet. it was so good to eat american food! then we got this card where we could play games for an hour for free. we did go carts, bumper cars, laser tag and all kinds of other games. we had an absolute blast! it was a great day. i am so sad that it was our last intern outing though! :( tomorrow groups come again. its gonna be my last saturday! :(

june 24th

today was a really hard work day. we ended up doing concrete work at erj, a childrens home. i was on the top of the scaffolding lifting buckets of concrete up to the roof. i am so completely sore i can hardly move. i cant wait to see how sore i am in the morning :) haha. we also painted part of a house and did some dry wall work and electrical work. it was a very busy day. i am ready to sleep in tomorrow! i cant believe i only have one more week that is insane, it has flown by so fast. sorry this is so short. this is the first time i have sat down since 8 this morning. im a little sleepy! tomorrow is our intern outing, we are going hiking and repelling. please pray for safety!

june 23rd

today we took the kids from memes rio to a public pool to swim for the day. it was really fun because a lot of those kids had never left the rio before so it was awesome that they could get off the property and hang out and be a "normal" kid. they had so much fun. by the end of the day a lot of them were sleeping in lawn chairs they were so tire! it was so cute. everythign is going good here. i cant believe i only have one more week! :( its going by so fast. i am excited to see everyone from home but not ready to leave here yet. hopefully god gets me ready cause its coming whether i like it or not! tomorrow is going to be hard day, we are doing concrete. please pray for strength for us!