Our devotion in preparation for today was encouragement from Psalm 96-the psalm that we have used for preparing our own hearts for this week of ministry. May we always boldly proclaim "the Lord reigns" and declare his glory and marvelous works among all the peoples (Psalm 96:3)
Today, the guys spilt from the women. They went back to the house from Saturday to work on putting its walls up. Jeremy is totally in his element! This house built with all of the materials costs about $1500 and the land was about $1500 (but she has owned it for quite some time). They put the walls up, and watched the men construct the toilet, just like that.
I went with the other women to the prison for the teenage girls and was reintroduced to a few familiar faces, Brenda and Nicole (who both speak English) and a few other girls. What they are doing now at the prison is holding academic classes and focusing on special trades. For the month of May they are doing Beauty school and paint/design. So upon our arrival, the girls welcomed us and painted our fingernails. I was able to walk around and chat some with the girls, though they seemed hesitant to respond. After connecting with one, they ended up fixing my hair too!
What happens is these girls are in the jail for all sorts of reasons (13-18yrs) and they have been members of different gangs. Once they arrive in the jail, there are still barrier walls in between the different gangs and the girls still carry a bit of hatred toward one another. It's quite a weight to carry, but you can tell by their looks at one another and their body language. I wish I could show this to you, but it is strictly forbidden to take any kind of personal belongings into the courtyard. But it's visions that stick with you for sure.
While the guys were still out, the ladies had a few hours of rest. I was able to pass most of the time on the swing on the porch overlooking the mountainside. I am preparing to "preach" at one of he churches in Wednesday evening for their devices. All of the men in our group have done this so far, and the women were asked to help. So I was chosen and encouraged to do so IN SPANISH!!!! So the afternoon was helpful in setting aside time to prepare a bit. I'll be focusing on the early chapters in Paul's letter to the Ephesians, sharing the encouragement we have as believers, and charging us to pray boldly and hold fast to the expectation of God's provisions. In all things, that God would be glorified.
- the girls in the prison, and for their love for each other to grow
- the woman who will have a house by the end of the week
- continued unity among our group and those also here at the house
- safety while we travel, especially on our 2-3 hr road trip to the village tmrw (on the rocky winding roads)
- our little girls at home that we haven't had much of a chance to chat with, and we do miss them
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