Day 5 The school supplies!!!

Today we woke up more rested and were able to catch some extra z's because we went to the school. We finished packing all the school supplies that we started packing the night before. We sorted the items out into individual bags so that we could give each child a portion of the school supplies. The first day we were here we purchased the notebooks they typically use for school but apparently we did not get enough. So today after breakfast we took a trip in TucTuc's to purchase additional notebooks to ensure the children each received some supplies.

Jason and I used some of the money people had given us to go and purchase additional pencils and colored pencils from Costco and the Dollar store. We had a great time purchasing the additional supplies before we left for the trip. Also today when we handed out the supplies the children were very excited with big smiles on their faces. It was a lot of fun to see the joy the children had for items we take for granted. Simple things like note books, pencils, pens, and other items we do not think twice about. Thanks to everyone who purchased school supplies! I wish you all could have been there to see the look on their faces.

After we handed out school supplies we met pastor Diego who took us into Cerro de Oro to all the schools. We visited the schools in the community to see the facilities for planning activities such as VBS for the children in July. Once they met with the principles at the schools we headed off to see the house. Cruz and Jose had made great progress and were finishing the construction of the stove in the old house. This is a unique feature for the home typically the kitchen is placed in one of the two rooms of the home. Gregoria asked if we could build the stove in the old home so that they can have two rooms instead of one. She would like to have a room for Esteban when he gets married for him and his wife to live in.

Barrett with Pedro (the twins brothers)

We told Cruz and Jose we were heading out to visit some of the families we had built houses for. So we started at Quebac family visited with Concepcion her two sons (Cruz and Diego) and her mother, Catarina. We prayed for the family at the home and were able to spend some time visiting with them. Next we headed to Puac's family and talked with Juana and her son Jacinto. We also prayed for the family and their home. It was exciting to see the improvements the families had made to the homes to make them more comfortable.We visited a few families today since we have to visit 12 families total.

Thanks for all the prayer and support we really appreciate and are enjoying what God is doing in the lives of the community.