Monday June 10th was our last day in Mexico and was supposed to be our beach day. But after having shopped around the market the day before, and especially after visiting the refugees, we decided to give up the beach. We wanted to divide and conquer by having one group go back to the refugees to do a small VBS and send the other group to paint the interior of the house.
We did have a relaxed start to the day since our plan wasn't going to take all day. Evie was always so pleased to be included with the big girls.
I did my quiet time outside along with some of the other girls. It was so beautiful.
Looking straight across to the opposite hill.
To the left.
Tangerines? So cool.
This was behind me. The dining hall was the white portion under the brown upper house. The showers were to the right of the vans.
Noah is coming out of the dining room and beyond was the steep hill driveway.
The door to the left of the red van is where the girls were housed and also where Evie was having her hair braided in the first picture. The staircase to the right of the door is where all the guys slept.
A very squished Steven, Prae, Evie, and Noah.
Terry was giving out the instructions for the day.
First off we all went to the refugee camp and did some songs.
The gentleman with his hands raised was a Christian from Guatemala who had to flee persecution as a police officer. Sad story.
Bible story.
We were so blessed to have Prae's Spanish for VBS.
Playing the guess who has the rock game again. Evie didn't have it.
Crafts.
Most of the students wanted to stay and do VBS and the rest of us went across the street to the house again. We were watching an event across the street very intensely...
A fire started while we were there! We watched and worried before we finally prayed. Then the guys started grabbing whatever tools they could find and were about to go try to help. We had heard earlier that the fire department never came to the slums so we weren't expecting them.
But they came!
Lupita and Paul weren't home when we arrived but when Paul arrived Mike and Eric started helping him with the fence he had started.
Then the water tank arrived and the guys hauled it up the hill.
An overview of our time at the house.
Lunch time.
We didn't have time to paint...or the paint hadn't arrived yet. Sergio had taken Lupita and a couple ladies out to shop for the paint and weren't back yet. Everything in Mexico takes longer than you think it will. We ended up leaving the paint and supplies with the family for them to do themselves.
Arleth and the boys came out.
So we didn't really do very much for them that day but it felt really good to see them again.
It was hard to say goodbye again though!
Next we visited the family Terry's group built a house for in 2015!
Steven, Prae, Sarah, and Lynne had all been there before and were so excited to see them again.
Terry embracing Israel, the father.
Looking at a picture from four years before.
We remade the photo from 2015. You can see it on his phone.
2015.
2015.
2019.
Later that evening we did a touristy thing when we walked down Revolution Boulevard.
It was only the second time our family had been on our own. This shop owner tried really hard to get us to buy a hat we didn't want.
Evie with their dog. Why are bulldogs even a thing? They just look miserable.
Getting ice cream. I vividly remember Prae upset about how cheap and delicious the Mexican ice cream was compared to how expensive it was just across the border, along with no opportunities in Mexico verses the apathy here.
Noah and Evie with Suzanne and Sarah.
At the end of the road.
Me with the kids.
There was a beautiful sunset when we arrived back at Rancho Solo.
💙💚💛💜
