Beach Day

July 20, 2017

Today, we woke praying the rain would hold off so we could enjoy a beautiful day with some young ladies from CIPI, Trata,  and teen moms from SVDP. Our team ate our breakfast, prayed and left to go pick up girls from one of the centers. After a long bus ride, we made it to the beach house where we unpacked and began setting up for the fabulous day ahead. There was a pool, hammocks, and of course sand and ocean all available for our pleasure. We started in the pool where kids began laughing and splashing instantly. There is truly no language barrier that can separate the fun and loving smiles we shared. One young lady in particular came right up to me and a few other gringos and started acting like we had been best friends for years. She called us all her "Moms #s 1-5". 

Then "Despacito"started playing and one little girl hopped right out of the pool to dance, turning the heads of everyone without saying a word. Next, we moved on to the beach for some salty fun. The waves were huge and knocked us down but with hands interlocked, we stood right back up. Alternating between the pool and beach happened until the call for our delicious lunch prepared by States Diner. Following lunch we set up stations for the girls to rotate between. We had games, a bible lesson, crafts, and tattoos. I worked the craft station where we had a makeshift build a bear. The girls picked a patterned bear, drew on the faces, stuffed them, and finally added a small felt heart that was sealed with a kiss. When the bears were stuffed we tied them off at the top and sent the girls on their way to the next station with a new fluffy friend. Other stations consisted of soccer, pool volleyball games that quickly turned in to chicken fights, tattoos galore, and even some tears shed by those that were touched by Kelli Ellermann's words. 

All the while, the rain held off which was a true gift from God. The girls from the orphanage left around 3pm and the rest of us stayed until sunset. We walked on the beach , took photos and relaxed. In this time, we were able to reflect on our precious time we spent with them. This group of girls was supposed to go to the beach a few weeks ago but it rained all day. God knew what he was doing holding off their beach trip until today. It's safe to say all of our team members were blessed by their company and we hope to have changed their lives in even one small way. I hope when they looked into our eyes, they saw God and the love He has for all of us. From Psalm 37: 7-8, "Rest in the Lord, wait patiently for him to act ...Don't fret and worry--it only leads to harm." This verse is perfect for today. It's all in God's timing and I know in my heart it was our team who was supposed to serve with those girls today. So thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to worship you in a beautiful setting with beautiful people and for clearing the skies for us to have an amazing day.