Hard Stuff and Shopping

Last night was pretty rough emotionally. After our normal time spent playing soccer, we gathered together with Staci in the meeting room. During that next hour, we asked her about certain children that we had become close to and she filled us in on their life details. Most, if not all, of these children have been through a very rough time and are dealing with a lot of emotional baggage. As a dad it was very difficult hearing all of these details. But I think it was good for our students to hear the reality of what these children are having to, or have had to, deal with. And it was also great to hear stories of the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. One girl had been abused to the point of her father sticking her feet in boiling water. Some time after having come to the home, she informed the NLCH staff that her feet no longer say who she is, that now, Jesus tells her who she is. She realized that her abuse doesn't define her, but what Jesus says about her does. What an encouraging message that is! And great for us all to hear.

After that, we needed a light and easy day today so we went to Antigua. We left early in the morning and went to a five-star resort in Antigua and had a buffet breakfast. It was delectable! From there we took a tour of a coffee plantation and learned how coffee is made and processed. Did you know that for 1 pound of coffee it requires the beans from one coffee plant for an entire year? After touring the plantation we then checked out Antigua, some of the shops there, and some ancient church ruins. After a chicken lunch we then went to the market and spent way too much money on some very inexpensive items. We may have to pay for some students' extra baggage fees on the way home.

We got home in time for dinner and had our normal beans and tortilla dinner with our various homes, with the added joy of plaintains. I don't know about anybody else but I love those things! Afterwords who headed back to the gym for some more soccer. Being later in the week, we are starting to get some nicks and bruises here and there but nothing serious and nothing medical-attention-worthy. Don't worry moms and dads, everyone is fine.

While the shrieks and laughter of game-playing wafts out of our common room, I am going to head to bed. Thanks for staying up to date with us!