Raining Perros y Gatos

Breakfast was a treat as it is every morning!  They have a hard time keeping toast on the table at the rate we consume it.  We had a great conversation about Cuba and the people there.  I know what you're thinking....CUBA?!  I thought they were in Nicaragua.  We are, but Lori is leading a trip to to Cuba in December and we of course had to hear all about this fabulous opportunity.  Jayne led us in a great conversation where we discussed the ins and outs of communism and the Cuban people and the history of their relationship with the United States.  Nothing like starting the day out with the easy subjects! :)


We left for Villa Roma church where we spent the morning in worship and women's sewing classes.  The women are using the machines we purchased on our last visit and they were so proficient.  We didn't hardly have to give any instructions for the blankets they are making.  It is so wonderful to see how much they have learned in one year.  While Jayne, Kristin, and Lori led the sewing project, the men headed out to the back of the church to help build an additional toilet stall.  Andy and John worked hard all morning and well into the afternoon to help mix concrete and put the walls up.

For the rest of us, the morning was spent doing what we love to do most.........play with the kids!  We saw familiar faces, Nelly and Alejandro, who were there last summer.  The kids passed time playing with the chalk we brought and tracing each other on the concrete.  I did find out that the children enjoy games and iPhones....I had to translate Temple Run which I believe came out roughly as 'the run of the monkeys'.......it seemed to work.  They played it all morning.  The children are so good about sharing.  One minute my phone was gone and the next they had created their own gaming community as they sat in a circle and cheered each other on taking turns passing the phone.

After lunch, 8 of us left for another church in the city to help lead VBS.  We stopped along the way at a gas station for bebidas (drinks) and a bano (bathroom) which was under construction and apparently required a security guard to make sure we only went one at a time.  We made it to the church across town and led VBS.  The children loved watching one of our missioners, Donovan, interpret Goliath who fell after David hit him with the slingshot.  We were making God's Eyes for a craft with the kids when the heavens opened up and perros and gatos rained down from above.  The tin rough of the church even started lifting after a few moments.  I was vaguely aware the Rigoberto mentioned tornado activity and seemed genuinely surprised not to have a bigger response from us........little did he know that Oklahomans don't get scared when someone mentions a tornado.  It was probably the only natural disaster that he could have mentioned that was guaranteed not to send us into an immediate panic.  We headed back into the van to pick up the rest of our team before they blew away and came back to the hotel.

PS......Hot Dogs are just Hot Dogs here.....not perros calientes.