Thursday, June 14, 2018

Our final day of working, and a lot of great results!

We woke up to the of sweet bread from our wonderful host, Ana Lis. It went so fast that some didn't even get to try some.

After breakfast, we prepared for our final day of work, excited about finishing the work we have been doing the past few days. We also had the gift of high scaffolding for the bell tower scraping team.This was much better than the ladders and low scaffolding we had been using until today. The bell tower had over 100 years of paint layers which were scraped off to Pastor Joe's original blues sound track!

Another group worked on additional coats on the outside wall. Some us worked on renovating a park bench for the garden which will be planted in the front of the church, with hand prints of all the youth.

We also primed and painted the back storage rooms, along with a pantry next to the kitchen. The walls are so porous and humidity so high, it took three coats of primer before the walls were ready to paint.

After working for the day, we cleaned up and drove to an artisan fair, many of us picking up gifts. The artisans had jewelry, chess boards made with local woods, and wood carvings of many kinds. We also had to stop in at a corny tourist shop to top off our gift buying excursion.

Since we had arrived, Ada Lis has been talking about a specific pork chop recipe she wanted to make for us. The pork chops had been sold out at the store - until today! She made the pork chops in the Puerto Rican stye, served us potato salad, rice and beans, and fresh vegetables in a richly flavored sauce.

We had another devotion, which helped us to see it was not just about leaving the comfort of our beds for the week. Our trip here is more about service to the people here, and working toward what they need, and bringing them happiness.

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Mid-Week Update!

Welcome to Wednesday!

It has been a busy week, with lots of work, fun excursions, and thought provoking devotions. We weren't able to make it to our 'posting' office yesterday, so here is a quick two-day catch up!

Work was challenging, but also rewarding. Our schedule is very fluid, with some plan even changing between our planning one night, and the beginning of the work day the next morning. What kind of work? Scraping, of course! LOTS more scraping, in new rooms as well. Tuesday was a prep-day, scraping old paint off the walls of two store rooms, which will be the food pantry. Wednesday saw some more scraping, adding another store room, and the beginning of painting of the store rooms and outside of the perimeter wall.

Some of our crew began removing the stained and sagging ceiling tiles from the sanctuary, while others began a unique scraping job, getting the carpet glue off the chancel. Even the sound board booth had termites so had to be torn apart. Pastor Joe was an animal with the power washer, too! ;-)

Tuesday evening was an excursion to a great place called Crash Boat Beach! Super clear water, and an old fueling pier to jump off of. Wednesday, we went the other direction to Combate Beach, which had nice, warm water, and more frolicking in the surf.

Evening devotions made us think on the parable of the Prodigal Son, helping us to take a look at our own motives, and the Loaves and Fishes story, helping us see that with God, there is always enough!

Games abound! After devotions, most of our group gathered to play games together, just hanging out and getting to know each other. Another night and another day...


Monday, June 11, 2018

First Work Day!

After a great, but short sleep, we woke up early for breakfast, which included bagels, guava pastries made by Ada Lis, and of course FROSTED FLAKES.

The group was split into teams. Some of the work included scraping - LOTS of scraping - the front of the church, and a back storage room which will be her food pantry. This was our "Coatings Remediation Attack Professionals" team!

Another project was tearing out the termite infested chancel area. This included removing carpeting, and then wood which was completely eaten away by termites, and now ants. This is our "DoT", or Destruction of Termites specialists.

Some of our team removed water damaged drop ceiling tiles. (no title, yet)

Our lunch was a treat of having HAM-burgers - burgers with a slice of ham - Puerto Rican style!

After another two hours of work, Pastor Joe led the youth in a thought provoking devotion which was great for group building..

We then changed and headed to a nearby beach. The 25 minute drive went quickly, even with the rain which started on the way. At the beach, we got to play in the water, bury Steven, and have a good time in the rain, until the thunder started, when we returned home.

We had another fantastic meal prepared by Ada Lis, Pollo con arroz - chicken with rice.

After dinner, we even got to play with some local wildlife when a cat made it's way into the church sanctuary. It took about eight of us to coach one tiny kitty out of the room. Very entertaining.

Catching up - we made it, and Sunday's experiences.

Welcome back to our slightly delayed next post!

After a long day of check-in, weather, a flat tire on the plane, and a few wrong turns on the way, we finally arrived at La Posada De Angeles, our home for the week. Once we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised by Ada Lis, our host, fantastic accommodations, and a wonderful dinner!

The next day, Sunday, we went to the church service at Iglesia Primera Presbyteriana de Anasco. The service was presented in both Spanish and English. We got to meet many members of the church throughout the service.

After settling in, we decided to check out a recommended water fall about an hour from where we were staying. Although it was a little rainy, we spent the afternoon swimming, and jumping into a pool under the falls by rope swing and some overhanging rocks. We met many of the locals, and had a great but tiring afternoon. The views at the waterfall and along the drive did not disappoint.

To end the day, we took Ada Lis to one of her favorite local restaurants, and tried some traditional Puerto Rican foods.

Saturday, June 9, 2018

On Our Way

We're at the airport, and after probably one of the longest and more frustrating check in procedures, are at the gate.

One great sign of a good group is that they all get along, and just sat down to a game of cards.

Keep looking for more stories to come.

Photos aren't uploading correctly, so check back later for an update.

Friday, June 8, 2018

Getting Ready to Go!

We are getting ready to go!

So far, our team has met a number of times, raised money by selling baked goods, and fed our supporters by serving a pancake breakfast. We even had a fun time learning to use the tools we need for the trip... safely!

Our team consists of ten youth and six adults, and our work projects include the options of working on a church roof, in a sanctuary, some areas which need cleanup and repair, and repairing a concrete wall. As with any mission trip, we'll see what the details are when we get there.

Our flight leaves tomorrow morning, where we all meet at O'Hare for final farewells before boarding our plane. Please come back for some more stories, and some insights to what it's actually like on the ground in Puerto Rico. The news shares some of the big stories, but we hope to share some of what the people of Anasco actually see every day.

Below are some of our team dressed in our snazzy t-shirts, learning how to use everyone's favorites... POWER TOOLS!