Since we don't have air conditioning we sleep with the windows open. And every morning when I wake up I think to myself, "Well shoot. The wind is up today." But then I look outside and realize that it isn't the wind that I am hearing, it is the ocean waves! That definitely has to be one of the best parts of being here. It may be a bit sticky with no a/c and the windows open, but going to sleep and waking up to the sound of the ocean is pretty cool.
What isn't so cool is the roosters. Every morning around 4am the roosters that run around everywhere get rolling and they can be quite loud! But I am getting to where I can fall back asleep fairly easily, as long as they aren't roosting on our porch :).
After my morning run by the ocean, we headed over the breakfast where we had a great time chatting with Cecilia. I'm sure she and her sister and mom just laugh at us trying to communicate in Spanish, although she is very patient as we make our attempts. After finishing off our coffee, Karen, Hillary and I went down to the beach. Janis wasn't feeling well so she decided to stay close to home and rest. The tide had been way up early in the morning, but by the time we got out there it was down and we could walk along the little pools in the rocks. We walked a long way, stopping to pick up shells, take pictures and be entertained by hermit crabs. Those little guys are hilarious!
At 1pm we went over to the staff meeting where we enjoyed a great time of worship, and then shared with them an idea of how we can continue to support them after we return home. Hillary read them the story of "The Starving Baker" which talks about how leaders are often so busy serving others that they "starve" themselves. We told them we didn't want that to happen to them, so we are going to focus on how we can support the staff in their roles as leaders of Seeds of Hope. Our idea involves sending a suitcase full of items for them down here every 6 weeks with the SOH director. More details to come as to how we are going to accomplish this, and how you can contribute if you so desire!
After quick showers and tidying up, we picked Paula up and headed for the Parrita Clubhouse to help out with Jewelry Day. Once a week the Parrita clubhouse kids and/or moms come and learn how to make a piece of jewelry. They take supplies home and make the jewelry, bringing it back the next week to contribute to the supply. It's kind of a "come and go" or some "come and stay." That jewelry is then sold, and the money is put into a food fund. Those who attend Jewelry Day each week, plus one day of Bible class, receive a food stipend from the food truck that comes on Jewelry Day and they take home a bag of fresh food from a local gentleman. It's a great way for SOH to support the community and to serve these families! I think it was the most fun watching the ladies interact with each other and with the staff. It was like a big girls' night! Hillary helped cut bracelet string, and then got to make a bracelet of her own.
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| Parrita Clubhouse |
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| Parrita clubhouse garden area |
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| Jewelry making |
Karen and I planned to make no-bake cookies for the ladies while they were making jewelry. We had packed up all the supplies but when I unpacked them at the clubhouse I realized I had forgotten the oatmeal - a major ingredient! A quick trip to the convenience store (if you can call it that) did not yield any oatmeal, so we had to make them when we got back here. As it turned out, we had to use the stove to make this particular "no-bake" cookie recipe so I guess making them on-site just wasn't meant to be! We knocked them out in no time and will send them with staff to the clubhouse tomorrow. :)
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| Heating the water to clean the pot! |
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| Paula's big sandwich! Dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow. |
I enjoy reading these with my morning coffee
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