Monday . . .

Well it has been such an adventure today.  We started our day with devotions at 7:30 am together.  So wonderful.  Then we were off to the building to start working. There were two vehicles.  John was driving a car with Matt, Jake, Greg, and Nick in it.  Ross was driving a van with everyone else in it.  The van was so full that Dee and I were sitting on a cooler in the back and several others were on laps or on the floor.  John was following Ross who was using a GPS to get us to the building.  Well the GPS is not always right on top of things, and at one point we had to make a fast exit with no signal, just at that same time John was trying to go around someone so that he could get back behind us.  Needless to say, we got seperated as we exited and John was stuck on the freeway.  I immediately knew we had trouble.  No one in their car had a phone, or knew where they were, or where they were going.  BIG PROBLEM!!  Ross however didn't realize that they didn't have a phone until we told him after he asked us to call them. lol!  We pulled over to the side of the freeway and waited for 15 minutes hoping they might be able to figure out how to turn around and come back the same way we went.  They never came, so Ross decided to go ahead and take us to the building and then go back and find the other car.  I think we were all praying that entire 15 minutes.  I know I was.  When we got to the building, we immediately went to work.  I got to climb up on scaffolding with Dee and work on scrapping paint off the beams.  It was hard work and our arms will probably hurt tomorrow.  Others were working on scrapping paint on the outside of the building and clearing a weedy area outside the building.  It started raining only a few minutes after we got there.  Pouring rain.  So everyone who was working outside got soaked through.  This is the first rain they have had in at least two months here!!  I think it was about 10 am before Ross came back after finding the other car.  After getting seperated they went a bit further before a nice lady flagged them down.  She said that she had been following us all and knew that they had gotten seperated.  She tried to give them directions as to how to get back to where we had gone.  They tried to follow her directions but just got more lost.  (Side note: the roads here are super confusing and insane.  Not only do they drive on the wrong side of the road but it is just all crazy.)  They stopped at several gas stations but no one knew Key of Hope or where it was located.  No one could really help them.  They tried following power lines, and train tracks. lol.  They found themselves in Effingham, which is where we were to go passing out flyers for our VBS this afternoon.  Somehow they made their way back to La Lucia which is where we are staying.  Ross was there when they got back to our bed and breakfast.  It was quite an adventure for them!

After lunch and a bit more work on the building, we prepared to go out to the Effingham squatter camp.  In the pouring rain.  We were broken up into 3 groups and went forth to go door to door, one shack to the next shack, telling people about our VBS that starts tomorrow.  I wish I had pictures to show you what it looked like.  I don't think I will ever forget it.  Rivers of mud everywhere, slipping and sliding. What a mess we must have looked like.  We were all soaked through every layer within minutes.  These huts are all on the sides of a hill, so it was a lot of climbing and slipping to go to each one.  They were made out of every material imaginable.  I couldn't help but think how I hated to go camping in the rain, and here these people were living in it.  Yet every bed was made perfectly.  Their floors were swept clean.  We got friendly yet bewildered welcomes at every door.  I'm sure they thought we were all completely crazy!!  We worked on this for about 2 hours.  We were completely frozen by the time we got done and back to our cars.  Greg fell about 6 times and was covered in mud.  Cheryl fell at least 3 times and was covered in mud.  Nick fell twice I think and was pretty muddy.  I think everyone else managed to stay on their feet, but everyone was cold, and soaked.  Everyone was muddy.  It was about 5:30 before we got back to our B&B.  We are now showered (I can't tell you how amazing the hot water felt) and waiting for dinner. 

What a day.  I think it is not a coincidence that today it rained for the first time in two months.  I think God wanted to see how we might handle doing something that most would not want to do.  You know, a little test.  I think our faith is a bit stronger tonight, and our determination also!!  Tomorrow we will work more on the building and then we will start our VBS with the kids from Effingham in the afternoon.  I am praying that lots of kids show up.  I can't wait to meet them all and share God's love with them.  Thank you all for your prayers, don't stop.  If you wake up in the middle of the night for no reason, pray for us.  We are six hours ahead of most of you, so you never know, we might be needing your prayers right then!!  I love you all!

ps- sorry there are no pictures.  I was working on scaffolding and didn't have access to my camera, and then it was pouring and I didn't want to get the camera muddy and wet.  :(  Some others had camera's so I will see if I can get pictures from them later.