Please remember to keep our team members in your prayers daily.
TEAM
MEMBERS
Charles Smith
Laura Smith
Chuck Smith
Fran Wells
Ann Brancroft
Ann Phillips
Christine Reuss
Sheryl Thornton
Wes Thornton
David Hurst
Cully Dorer
Bryan Sisson
Check out the lastest pictures from our team
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Chuck Smith's journal
entry for Wednesday, June 18...
Today started like any of the others: with an amazing breakfast, which
Cully and I were almost late for. We laid down our plans for the day,
and I must say that they were quite complicated, as Kay had several things
planned for us. We started work around 8:15 as usual. But at 9:30, the
preschool children were gathered, and we presented them with toothbrushes.
Charles, who is a dentist, talked with them about the importance of using
them everyday. Their toothbrushes will be kept at the school, and the
teachers will make sure they brush. Modesto led the children in a responsive
prayer in which they all prayed, "Lord, we give you thanks for what
we are about to receive."
Work continued after that. Our main projects were laying brick for a wall
in the school, laying a foundation for the portico entrance, and removing
the old plaster from the walls so that they may be replastered later.
We knocked off for our usual 12:00 lunch at the hotel. Earlier that day,
Bryan, Christine, and I started giving each other new names of popstar
sellouts. During lunch, we finished the team roster, and it is as follows:
Bryan Sisson - Ricky Martin
Christine Reuss - Britany Spears
Chuck Smith - Justin Timberlake
Cully Dorer - Mariah Carey
Fran Wells - Queen Latifah
Sheryl Thornton - Paula Abdul
Wes Thornton - Michael Jackson
Ann Phillips - Madonna
Charles Smith - Sonny
Laura Smith - Cher
David Hurst - Wayne Newton
Ann Bancroft - Cindy Lauper
Kay Twilley - Neil Diamond
Note: Most of these names were decided by group consensus, and the person
involved had no choice in the matter.
After lunch, Cully and I had our siesta in our room, watching strange
latino music videos. Rather than return to the worksite after siesta,
we took a trip to the Hasta Crecer that last year's team helped build.
We introduced ourselves to the kids, then enjoyed some free time with
the kids. We brought all of the fingernail polish and hacky sacks donated
by everyone at church. We spend some fun time with them playing hacky
sack games, and painting fingernails. After that, we returned to the worksite
for the rest of the afternoon.
After dinner we went back to the school, where we were treated to some
Bolivian-style dancing. For the first dance, the school teachers dressed
in traditional clothing, and I got much more than I was expecting. The
rock song they chose had a kickin' lead guitar and really bumped things
up a notch. The second dance was performed by the teenagers, and it was
just as lively and very well choreographed. The guys wore all white, and
the girls wore gold, red, and green dresses.
After the dance exposition, Damian presented us with lapel pins from Collegio
Metodisto (the school). We then gave him a cross and flame lapel pin from
our church, and many photos were taken of all of us together. The ladies
from the church then gave us the opportunity to buy their handmade goods.
There were blankets and bags and hats, and more. They listed everything
in dollars for our convenience, but to tell the truth, I've really gotten
used to Bolivianos.
Back at the hotel, we crashed, eventually falling asleep to some badly
dubbed five-year-old American movie with translated english subtitles.
NOTE FROM TEAM: Leonor, the leader at Hasta Crecer, and her 14-yr-old
daughter, Ruth, will be coming to Vestavia on July 2 to live in our community
for a year. Ruth is thrilled to death to have the opportunity to go on
choir tour with our church's youth choir!! Thank you to everyone at VHUMC
for all of your creative support!