Trying to Catch Up

I've wanted to blog and have so much to write about. I am just swamped and exhausted by the time I have a minute, it is almost bedtime. Thanks for being patient, but I promise there is lots more to come!

Susie and Kristen

I pulled this from Susie's facebook post.

Work Day 2 was spent painting more murals (yes, somehow I was blessed to be with these amazingly artistic young ladies!) at Caliste Government School followed by fun recess, hair braiding and finishing a couple paintings that the rain interrupted yesterday.

 

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

It's Jenni.
Tonight we had Adoration. I could have stayed with Jesus all night on the beach. It was so peaceful, so moving, and so beautiful. The waves were crashing onto the shore less than 10 feet from the altar, and we were all surrounding the Blessed Sacrament on our knees in the sand. The weather here is perfect, so as the breeze blew in off the Caribbean Sea, my heart swelled with love for Christ. Listening to the water move and smelling the salty air with a clear sky of stars was overwhelmingly amazing. I am so thankful to be here.

Guest Blogger Chloe Johnson

Sunday:  Such a beautiful view from the most soulful mass I've been too...God is good (all the time) God is good. - at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Monday:  "Listen for God's voice in everything you do and everywhere you go." Proverbs 3:6. Such a great day visiting and hanging out with kids at a local school! My heart is full.

Tuesday:  Today we helped paint and redecorate a youth center here in Grenada. The mural outside of the center was to show Jesus's hands pouring out love from above to everywhere and everyone. Many kids stopped by to check it out on their way home from school. Their excitement and appreciation for our art brightened my day.

Facebook post updates

Our youth are busy out running around serving others, plus they have me lots of new people and are enjoying social time. With sketchy WiFi, it makes it hard to get time for them to blog, besides the fact that it is quite a challenge to keep the laptop charged so they actually can get on to blog. So I have pulled a few Facebook posts and some pictures to share with you.

Guest Blogger Josie Patton

First Work day in Grenada! I'd just like to start off and say how grateful I am to be here!
Today my group, as well as Mollie and Leah's group got to paint this old church! We ended up cleaning the yard, painting the walls, shudders and even the floor of this church. We had a ton of fun (as seen by the paint everywhere!) and even though I was hot and sweaty I seriously had the best time, and we even have made new friends from other church groups all around the U.S.! Apparently it's not common to say "pop" or "suckers" in California. (The alternatives were "soda" and "lollipops")

As a side note, yesterday afternoon the locals though a beach BBQ for our group, complete with Caribbean food, music performed live from a local band and playing soccer and sand volleyball with local teens! And there were ladies there doing hair too! I got a couple corn rows on my side and i think they are so fun! Just another example of how people from different cultures can come together to share their beliefs and lifestyles!

Guest Blogger Alexis

Greetings from Grenada! It is now Alexis Boeh speaking! :)

What an experience this has been! I have been blessed with so many opportunities and we have only been here for 2 days. When I committed to attending this mission trip, I honestly had no idea what to expect. I thought a week outside the country and helping others... sounds like a GREAT time! This trip has been that, but so much more.

Today, I spent the day at a nursing home in Gouyave, Grenada which is home to 27 residents. When I first arrived to the nursing home, I was honestly in shock. The building looked fragile, paint was chipped, the rooms were dirty, and there was only one television for the entire home. There were no card games, no materials for arts and crafts, or beauty products for makeovers (all things that can typically be found in most U.S. nursing homes). To make matters worse, the bathroom was filthy and there was no toilet paper available. Honestly, it took me 30 minutes to just get past the circumstances and focus on the job at hand.

At the nursing home, we painted the outside cement wall a cream color and then painted flowers over it. Unfortunately, the rain came and put a damper on our productivity on the wall. Just as Jenni Halley explained to me tonight, there are no "accidents" on this trip. The rain allowed us to spend more quality time with the nursing home residents. I spent most of my time with two amazing ladies. I met a lady named Sharon who was 47 years old who had down syndrome. For those of you who know, I teach Special Education at the high school in Maryville, so meeting her really did make my heart full! The second lady I met, was nearly 80 years old and was the most beautiful poet! She had a hard time communicating orally (due to being shot in the head years ago), but she had a way with her words on paper. All of her poems included the emphasis of God in her life.

Tonight's program included worship music and 2 nuns who came to speak about their life  experiences. It was really neat to see the dedication these ladies have to fulfilling God's calling. The nuns explained your life should not be about fulfilling "your moms wills or your dads will, but God's will" and God will always provide, the "finances will all fall in place". These ladies emphasized this does not necessarily mean we should enter the convent, but rather pay more attention to what God encourages each of us to do, regardless of our families desires, the money it will provide, or the reputation it will bring. We do not have to please anyone, but instead, LOVE God.

My heart is so full tonight and I cannot wait for what is in store for tomorrow and the rest of the week!

Sending lots of love to all my family and friends!

XOXO,
Alexis