Day 28: Passion

I got all stirred up today, but then I laid down to start typing and all I really feel is sleepy now. 

Today was a really good day. We started the day (well, I did, some of the team had already been up) with worship and prayer. The song that stuck out most to me was "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."  I don't get very easily discouraged or anxious, but I do spend a lot of my time spinning my wheels trying to make things work. "Take it to the Lord in prayer" is a needed admonishment fir me. Thank y'all for praying for me.

We went to the CDI a little early, because two of the kids needed to come early. So, we got ready while playing with them, which was cool. I really like when there's fewer kids, because we can spend less time focused on crowd control and more time individually engaging with students (I'm sure all the teachers are thinking, "duh and amen"). 

The devotional lesson we're on now is "Respect for Authority." Our verse is Romanos 13:1 (lemme see if I can get it) Sométese toda persona a las autoridades superiores, porque no hay autoridad sino de parte de Dios, y las que hay, por Dios han sido establecidas. Ok, I'ma check our document. Oh, heck yea. I got it perfect. Way to go me. Anyway, the kids responded pretty well to the lesson! I'm curious to see how tomorrow's groups do. 

English also went well, Matthew taught the difference between "make" and "do." This is tricky, because in Spanish, they're the same word, hacer. It's like the trouble we often have with ser and estar. Matthew did a great job though, and I think the kids are getting it. 

I got to spend a lot of focus today on Axel, who is a great kid. He's a little feisty, but he's so smart and has such a sweet heart. Today, we spent time practicing the verb make by...well...making things. We put the kids in teams and gave them blocks and assignments. Axel did not want to work with his team; he wanted to work on his own to build, but I wouldn't give him extra blocks, so both he and his would-be team were sorely limited in what they could build. This made him pretty annoyed at me. But, during the play time afterwards, I brought him the box of blocks and told him now he could build whatever he wanted. Then, when he built something that was legit amazing, I told him so and he decided we were friends again. By the end of the day, he gave me a hug before he left. 

The boys here often do not respond well (initially) to male authority. Any mom-like figure gets immediate compliance, but men are treated very suspiciously, or outright aggressively. However, long-term, the boys also are very pulled towards those same men. Lagos is their hero, even though they are punks to him sometimes. 

We cleaned up and I sent the team home. Lagos rolled with them, because he and some of the H@ngout students were planning to come over to watch the Nuggets/Heat NBA game at our house. 

I went to Cafe Momo for a much-anticipated date with my fiancée. Though I've been here a whole month and we've talked every day, we haven't gone on a single zoom date! I know, right? And she still is excited to marry me. What a gracious woman. I got to Momo, and we logged on, and she looked so good, and it was lovely....except that we couldn't really hear each other very well over the loud music (unusual for this place) and the voices of the crowded restaurant (also unusual) and the buses driving by (very usual). So, I walked to a park and we talked on the WhatsApp version of Facetime instead. It was so sweet to get to just chat and connect. Alexis and I swapped some stories from our childhoods (she's pretty hardcore, y'all), and just...hung out. Eventually, my battery got low and we ended. 

I got some cash, and my phone died, and I got on a bus to head home. I got home and the game was just wrapping up, so we made a grocery-store run for tomorrow night and then hung out and talked to Lagos about CDI and H@ngout stuff. 

Wow, what a conversation. I feel so humbled and inspired by Lagos y Ana Raquel's passion for their ministry here and their trust in God. He shared about how they're doing and why he values the ministry here and a little about the sacrifices they make for it and a lot of other stuff. I just feel so impressed by the church here and by their faith in God and the way they're serving whole-heartedly and whole-lifedly. Dang. 

PRAYERS PLEASE
-for the kids at the CDI to absorb the love and principles directed at them
-for the H@ngout students to absorb the love and truth directed at them
-for God to provide in powerful and faith-building ways for the church here
-for the plans we have this weekend to work well
-for James' and Sheryl's upcoming travel
-for our team to continue working well once there's just 3 of us

I made a sparkly glitter crown today

VERSE

Momo Zoom Date Year 2