My day off :)

Hey guys!
So it's my day off! I'm hoping this'll actually work and I'll be able to get some pics up from this week!! :)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok...so no luck. The internet here is SOOO sketchy. :P I'll have to try again after worship tonight.

This week has been pretty great! We only had one group- so it was nice and non-hectic. :) Next week we have three groups, so hopefully we've gotten the hang of it all!

I'm gonna ask y'all to pray for me. Whether or not you believe in God/Jesus, He'll still hear you if you pray, so do it. :)

Ever since I've gotten here I feel like I've been goin through what Jesus peeps call a "spiritual attack". I've been REALLY insecure, and just feeling really inadequate and useless. In my head I understand that's not true- and that God has me here for a very specific purpose. I know that there's no reason to be insecure. It's like these thoughts just creep into my head, and I have to fight against them. So- please pray. :)

That aside, I really love it here. :) So far I've used a drill, a tamper, a hammer, shovel- all kinds of stuff!! It's pretty exciting! The staff here has a really awesome mindset about teaching. They could get all the projects done MUCH faster if they just did it themselves. But they all are under the same "Give a man a fish- he eats for a day. Teach him how to fish- he eats for a lifetime" kinda mentality. And even though Todd had to show me like SIX times how to use the drill... he never once showed frustration. :)

We had a kid in the Hope program speak last night. (The Hope program was started because they were finding that once the kids got too old to live in the children's homes, they had no where to go and were falling into prostitution, and drugs simply because they had no place else to go. Plus, school after seventh grade (I think) has to be paid for. The Hope program brings these students onto campus to live with host parents. The see a functional Christian relationship, and get to be a part of a family. Pretty cool stuff!!) It was just so cool to see how God has taken something that started off so awful, and turn his story into something so beautiful. There are so many stories like that here- it just gives a person so much hope.

One thing this place is definitely teaching me is that with prayer and patience- God comes through. Every time. And it's neat hearing people's stories... While they're in their story they are so overwhelmed and hurting, then God comes through in SUCH a huge way.

I feel like I have 1,000 things to say- and can't manage to get anything out clearly. :) Forgive me, please. :)

I'm gonna go check my laundry, and maybe nap. :)

Love and miss you guys!! :) My Facebook e-mail works, if you wanna shoot me a hello!!

Grrrrrrrr :)

Ok, so I FINALLY get a chance to write on my blog and share pictures I got of MY GIIIIIIIRLS!!!!! AND the internet is working! All systems go, right?! Nope!! lol
"Blogger" is updating something, and will not let me upload the pictures.

BUT- I did get to see my girls. :) I was so excited! I didn't even know what to do! I mean, I wanted to run to them screaming "TE AMO!!!!" ('I LOVE YOU!!!) But they'd most likely run screaming. :)
Wendy is doing so much better! Laughing, smiling, even dancing! So cool. And Lidia's doing excellent! She went through a really rough patch where she was so angry.... :( But she was smiling and playing when I saw her! I'm so happy I got to see them!

We also went the the Caderyeta yesterday. It's kind of like the Rio- a homeless area. I cry everytime... :( We helped clean up, and I held it together! I was doing fine! lol Then we went to a church there in the Caderyeta. I later found out the pastor of that church has a salary of $50 a MONTH! :( yikes.
One of the things that really was cool was their worship and prayer. Their worship sounded like one giant hour long song!! It was cool! I didn't know the words, but it sounded awesome. And their prayer- they all pray at once- out loud! It was awesome. And to see how passionate these people were... really encouraging.

So I even made it partway through THAT without crying! Then- a man dragged in two really drunk men. It kinda blew my mind. I didn't really know what to think. :( It made me really sad. :(

Today we went to Imperio De Amor (Empire of love- how cool is that?!) One of the children's homes. We worked on leveling the ground so we could pour concrete tomorrow, then played soccer and basketball with the kids. :) I actually played!! It was fun! I was awful, but it was so fun!!

I really like the group we have now! It was cool, cause we only have one this first week. (We usually have 4-5) It was a nice way to be eased into it all. Most days I still have no idea what I'm doing... but God's been working it out! Most nights I come home completely filthy and exhausted. I wake up around 6am and go to bed about 11pm everyday. I have never felt so happy or fulfilled or excited to wake up. :) I truly feel like I am where I belong. It's like breathing a sigh of relief. :)

Well peeps, I'm wiped out, and am comes REALLY early! I'll try again to post pictures tomorrow! I wish I could've posted some tonight! I have so much to show you!

This I mean to keep telling you-
We can't flush toilet paper where we stay- we have to throw it in a trash can cause the septic system can't handle it.
We can't drink the water where we're staying
I had the bright red hotdogs!! (Salchichas-I got a picture this time!!)

Night night folks! :)