Day 1 - Sunday

I will start with an important correction to my previous post. It was not crocodile, it was alligator. And the brave souls were…Edd, Suzanne, and Linda.

Here are some reflections on our day from several team members…

“It's a joy to wake up to unusual bird calls, dogs barking and roosters crowing -- noises of the neighborhood around Village of Hope.  Eventually there are the sounds of music and children in the mix.  Vibrant colors and terra-cotta, jasmine and cooking smells confirm that we are not in Cali any more.  There is great delight in greeting old friends and meeting new ones -- the shy recognition of kids that we have seen before and questions about those who are no longer here.  We can trust that their time here has provided the needed healing and placement for them to have a better life than they had before living here because Christ's love is evident in every corner.  For many kids who are new, we can pray with the confidence of having seen transformed lives that they will heal and learn to trust others and Christ in the months ahead.

We went on the usual tour of the expanded grounds, which now include an adjacent property with schoolrooms on the ground floor and a second story being built.  There is room for a large garden and plans for a church building on the lot, too.  Moving the classrooms out of the building in the middle of the campus that was partitioned for classrooms has restored that to a large, very usable gathering space. The men spent the afternoon planning the solar panel brackets and school desks that are to be built this week.  The rest of the team spent time with the kids hearing and acting out the story of Joseph and his brothers, making crafts (stamped leather bracelets and string art cards), and playing games (sharks and minnows and bounce dodge ball).

A warm, beautiful, sunny day.  Such a treat for our waterlogged NorCal bones!” -Suzy

“Today the men started to look at the work projects that we are hoping to complete this week; solar panels, constructing three kids’ desks for school, and some other small projects. Gordon and Neil started discussing the best way to create the framing for the roof of one of the houses. Gordon is welding the frames and is excellent at developing solutions for projects like these. Neil is an engineer and it was really something to watch them working through a solution. Gordon created some extensive drawings. 

If you were ever in school and thought that you would never use the math you were learning, you are so wrong. Andy and Edd started on construction of three kids desks’ for school. We started copying an existing model and came to the realization that it takes a long time to do this when you do not do it for a living. More to come as we get further into these projects, we really need God’s grace.” - Andy

“We had a great time making leather bracelets today. There were a few who had made leather bracelets last year along with those doing this craft for the first time. Everyone jumped right in -- stamping their names, smoothing the edges, attaching snaps, dyeing the leather, and conditioning the leather. One common denominator -- they all are proud of their creation regardless of whether the letters were straight or crooked, or even occasionally sideways. 

A few older girls continued crafting after the main group left, and demonstrated artistic ability. Who knows, maybe a few of the older girls will continue making crafts with leather after we leave. It could be a way for them to develop skills while also creating crafts to raise money for VOH...

Overall, it was (hopefully) a time for the kids to enjoy working on a craft that takes many steps and requires planning and care, but results in a rewarding finished product. For these kids who have been through very difficult life experiences, we hope it is encouraging to them to create something unique using the abilities God has given them.” - Neil

“A big thank you to everyone who donated to our trip!! Wednesday night I posted a donations needs list to Facebook, and by Thursday evening I was turning away extras! I brought at least 70 pounds of clothes with me to donate to the kids and staff of VOH. Every member of our team brought as much as they could as well.

The enthusiasm has been so encouraging! Even in the airport, someone wanted to give! During our layover in Texas, Suzy, Ed and I ate at a restaurant decorated for Mardi Gras. After our meal, the hostess at the exit offered me a plastic necklace. I usually have no interest in such style but thought maybe one of the VOH kids would want one. Suzy commented, “Well, if you’re going to bring one, you need to bring 30” on her way out. The girl wanted to know what we’re up to. Once I told her, she insisted that she run to the kitchen and pull out 29 more necklaces! I did manage to squeeze them into my backpack.

Today, I had the privilege of leading the Bible lesson. Last year, Debbie Carroll taught an overview of Joseph’s life from his enslavement to the reunion with his brothers. The story became real to me when I listened to Debbie tell it in the same room as someone who has also been sold into slavery. I wanted to review it with the kids and get into more of the details. Genesis elaborates on the interactions between Joseph and his brothers significantly. I told the kids that we’re putting on a theatrical production and need to cast the brothers and their families. Each brother received a necklace with his name taped to it. To try to keep the kids engaged, I had them move back and forth between Canaan and Egypt as Joseph’s brothers had. I cast some of the older girls to play the bigger roles. One girl pretended to hide and cry as many times as Joseph did. Another acted as Jacob too old and blind to make it to Egypt without the help of ten five-year-olds. Pharaoh received lots of extra necklaces and eventually passed some on to Joseph along with the prison release and promotion to be his personal sidekick. 

We had fun with the herding of kids and passing of necklaces, but I really wanted to show the kids that Joseph sustained a lot of pain from his family. I wanted them to see that God empowered him to forgive them and recognize that God had redeemed his situation. Joseph’s great success and rise from slave to second-in-command was God’s provision for not just Joseph, but his undeserving brothers as well. Joseph trusted God to have a good plan, even when others seemed to be in control of his destiny.” - Linda