We've arrived...but we don't know if they'll let us leave!

 

We arrived last Monday to YWAM (Youth With A Mission) and were met in the road by one of the staff members.  He was so helpful and showed us to the place where we would land our wheels.  I do have to say, we had to take a different route to get to the site and this was the hardest site that I have ever had to get into, but we had great help. everything worked out and we were settled.  We were here a few minutes and we were greeted by another staff member.  We chose to do a quick tour of the grounds, met a handful of folks, and it was back home to finish setting up.  We have met so many people  with so many different stories.  We even met someone from near where we left on Vancouver Island.  They know of one of our gymnastic coaches on the Island because they are from the same area!  God does amazing things!  We were also given a welcome box of food and allot of help.  We sat down for a bit in the yard and talked about the goals that we had for this opportunity.  The kids gave some amazing answers which included earning trust and confidence with each other and with new people; they also said they wanted to learn things and work hard.  These were just a few things.  That night, we also met some folks from Brazil that are here learning English.  We played ping pong, watched a bit of TV and otherwise hung out.  It was a great first night and we couldn't have felt any more welcomed. 



Our home!

Our yard, our play places, our work places, our eatery, and some of our friends' homes. 

Kamryn taking a picture during our family goal meeting. 

The YWAM that we are working with does so much.  They conduct classes on Discipleship training, they teach English, and much more.  One of the refreshing things we do each day is meet for worship.  Someone new leads it and each day has a different theme.  It has been great to start each day with others and with the Lord.  They also have a ropes course and low obstacle course that presses the necessity of teamwork, encouragement, and confidence building and is intertwined with the Gospel.  They also do community outreach and support.  There is MUCH more that goes on here than we ever thought.  We were invited to see what some of the participants learn about confidence and team building.  After we all met for lunch, the leader hooked up the kids and let them do the rope swing.  The kids had a blast and indeed built some confidence.  Caleb went right up and scooted right off; he did great.  Zachary went up and also scooted off; just like the champ he is.  Then, as we thought she wouldn't go any further than the ladder, Kamryn continued to climb and remind us that we have taught her how to rock climb with the "body close to the rock/pole and 3 contact points".  Well, she was obviously listening...because she didn't stop at the ladder.  She just kept climbing and ended up at the top.  The leader took her and hooked her up and we thought for sure she wouldn't sit on the edge...but again, we were wrong.  She sat down and scooted off and loved swinging back and forth.  We were so proud of her and the boys.  Needless to say, they did it again a little bit later. 

A little introduction to one of the ministries that are here. 

Caleb climbing high!

The kids just waiting patiently and encouraging Caleb. 

He loved it as he scooted right off!

The flying Z!

We didn't think she would go all the way up the ladder...she never stopped. 

Yup...she scooted right off with no hesitation!

We met with those that wanted to meet in the morning and talked about the necessities and tasks.  Then we had an opportunity to clean up after lunch.  A wonderful cook completes lunch each day for 30+ people and we were able to help clean up this day as a family (and other days).  The kids were great; they were nonstop.  Caleb wanted to clean the tables and stove among other things.  Kamryn wanted to do tables and mop and worked as hard as any adult.  Zachary was involved in about everything and ended up being invited to help cook each day for all of those people (we found out that people don't just get invited to help in the kitchen  :)  ).  He reports at about 0930 and we eat about 1230.  He is loving it and continues to be asked back.  When we were cleaning up, we also had a better chance to spend some good time with Ty.  He has become a great influence on our family and has an amazing testimony...he is a walking miracle. 

He had asked to clean the stove and was so prod of it!

She is sweating!

Kelly cleaning up some dishes with Ty. 

Zachary cleaning some stainless. 

 One of our first tasks were to clean out two garden plots and figure out what to do with them next.  As a family, we put a plan together and started working.  An area of weeds (some about 8 ft high) about 10 ft deep by 25 ft needed to be cleared.  Everyone got to work and again, we were amazed at the heart of these kids and how they just didn't want to quit.  Caleb ended up really adopting the garden along with an existing pepper plant.  I didn't know he enjoyed it that much but he does.  He sweat unlike I have ever seen a 6 year old sweat before and became the most encouraging (he kept telling everyone how hard they were working and how great they were doing) kid I've ever seen.  Two days in the garden and it was cleaned out, had new compost, had some transplanted plants, new seeds, and Caleb to look over it.  We had a great time working together, sharing stories, talking Scripture, and getting dirty.

The did not like how the garden was looking.

A little planning and allot of work...

Our supervisor.

They were so proud of their work.  This wasn't the end of what they did with the garden but they made such a difference. 

 After finishing up with the garden, we moved on to another task.  A fence and sign needed to be installed but there was an overgrown hill in the way!  We loaded up the tools and started a tractor and headed out.  Two full days of work later, we have a ground that's ready for a fence and sign and we had a great time doing it.  We are looking forward to moving onto the next step Monday.  Kelly looked at me weird and said, "We have been married 15 years and I never knew you could drive and operate a tractor!"  So cool to learn something about each other after all of this time.  We had a great time together and also had an opportunity to greet some of the neighbors while working. 

Kamryn on weeds and mulch duty. 

Day 2 in the garden.  Moved some plants and planted a few others...so proud!

Starting down the road to move a hill to put in a fence. 

It was hot but they didn't mind. 

One of the nights, we went to a local school and helped out with another ministry.  I had an opportunity to meet some amazing boys, share the Gospel, and just chat.  It proved to be challenging but the Lord equips us with He knows we need.  We have to be put into challenging situations sometimes to allow us to meet new limits and rely on Him.  We had a great time and I can't wait to join in again next week. 

We took a break today and headed to the river for a bit; it was beautiful.  Large rocks, rapids, and people galore.  We had a little hike getting there but we saw some beautiful sights and had great conversation with some of the guys from YWAM and met a few new people down there also.  We played in the water, relaxed for a bit, shared stories and sang.  Then we back to the house, had dinner, and tucked the kids in.   We are headed to a local church tomorrow and going to someone's house for dinner tomorrow afternoon. 

Walking across a suspension bridge (under the traffic bridge) over the river.

Playing on the rock and rapids. 

Having a blast!

Chilling out.

Zachary is in the rapids with the boys.

Kamryn is putting on a dance show for all to see!

The Lord has us hooked!  It is so difficult to type all the things that we want to.  We love coming to a place with this sort of mission and being so welcomed by everyone.  He has shown us a new opportunity for "mission work" and we love it.  We want to do our best to Share His love in this city and others...we are researching and praying about our next "assignment" already.  We are told that some of the folks here are "praying us in" to stay here for good.  We still have about 3 weeks here and hope to stay as busy as we have the first week.  We are so thankful for this opportunity.