This mentions food a lot. There must be a reason for that.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014 8:45 p.m. Who needs coffee when you have Power Toddlers? Seriously. Have you ever had to give a devotion at 6 a.m. to 25 little boys under the age of seven? They may not have a lot of protein in their diet, but I am pretty certain they eat primarily handfuls of raw sugar constantly. Each of the team groups made it through their devotion time and learned they CAN lead a group of youngsters in a foreign country. If God is Love and Love is the Universal Language…. Well, it starts to make a little more sense. Kate was very proud of all of us. After breakfast, David McFarland took a team over to the farm area to dig an irrigation ditch for a mango grove. An unexpected need for an artist emerged as we learned visiting dignitaries this weekend created a wish for updated murals (and a squeaky clean gym). And, as God provides, Morgan rose from the crowd as the unexpected muralist among us. Hope ran off in woodworking frenzy, and the youth scattered across campus for one-on-one time with the youth. At the store today, I took one of the youth over for a “taco” (it seemed a lot more like a burrito to me, but for a dollar American, it was a huge homemade tortilla stuffed with potases (that’s what the kids say it is, not potato but a rood vegetable. We are guessing maybe Yucca?), chicken, grilled on a griddle and topped with cheese. Yes, it was delicious. But the real point of the story was that, it was bought for one youth, and immediately separated into three parts as he shared it with other kids hanging out near the store. Because that is life here. We were even forewarned that in sponsoring children, don’t be surprised when they give away the gifts you give them. That’s just part of the culture here … making sure that each person has his share. The Hillside youth headed up to the farm and all took turns at milking cows. It’s not as easy as it looks, but by the end of the day they had at least gotten some milk in the bucket. It was a little disappointing to see how easily the farmhands made it look. As an added bonus, the barn cat has a litter of five kittens currently, and that fresh milk? It went right into the kittens’ bellies. Dinner was once again delicious. I haven’t mentioned the food that is prepared for the team while we are here, but it is always a delight. Fresh fruit with every meal. EVERY meal. Cheryl even said that this is the only mission trip she knows of where you actually gain weight. And her brother, John, who has joined us this year and been begging to make it onto the blog (first by trying a two-broom Irish jig), finally won his spot by bringing me seconds on deserts. It was some ridiculous apple pie dump cake with fresh pineapple. Don’t judge me. I think we all had seconds. By tonight, we are a quieter bunch. The week is wearing on us a little. The work is hard and hot. Bed is looking better and better, even if it is a four-inch piece of foam on a wire frame bunk bed. So, we have internet! Yay! And now it is time for lights out. Hopefully we can keep our friends and families better updated from here on out. Keep the prayers coming our way, and trust that we are praying for those of you back at home, too.