Adventures in Shell

The past week has gone by in a blur :0) 

We had four days of our regular schedule. Therapy with the babies, games with the big kids, tutoring in English and Spanish reading, and a lot of play time with Legos and dress up clothes.

We have also had some adventures in the last week….

• We enjoyed a whole afternoon (1pm-6:45pm) doing hair cuts and lice treatments for the kids (pulling out hundreds of eggs).
• We leisurely spent an evening cleaning up the lake that formed in our laundry room after our washing machine decided to gush all over the floor and out into the living room. (by 12:30 when we got the last of it cleaned up we were all pretty loopy and exhausted).
• We learned the meaning of the word “fuchi” when we came home to see a fire engine in front of our house pumping out sewer water from our yard (right next to our bathroom).

We also had some really good times.

• We brought kids home to cook dinner and play games.
• We had a big meal with the summer staff followed by blindfolded Pictionary and a goofy game of Signs.
• We had some cool craft times with the older girls. They are so creative! Pictures coming soon.
• We had our official visit with my Sponsored child Wendy and spent the day seeing some of the sights of Shell and swimming at a waterpark. (more about her visit later).

We filled the rest of the week with planning for the next few weeks, shopping, cooking, and cleaning (we have a white floor that always seems to be dirty).

Yesterday we took the day off and went to a nearby city called Baños. It is a small city full of beautiful architecture, waterfalls and lots of tourist shops. It is set in the valley of a ring of mountains and volcanoes with gives it beautiful views and lots of places to explore.

the big Catholic church in Baños

We love to go there at least once every year to enjoy the scenery and to walk the streets. This time we went with the three other summer staff who we are sharing a house with. We wandered around, making a few small purchases and running into other staff members who had made the trip to Baños. We all ate lunch in a small café called Casa Hood. Erin and I had heard about it before, but we had never actually eaten there. The food was SOO good. We enjoyed a leisurely meal with the group, then wandered around for a while more before heading back home to Shell.

taffy pulling in Baños

It is hard to believe that a week from today we will be leaving Shell. While some days it feels like we have been here a looong time (think 50+ cranky kids…) it just seems crazy that it is almost time to head home. Whenever I get to this point I always wish we had made the trip a few weeks longer. It is going to be another busy week as we try to pour everything we can into these last few days.

Prayer Requests

• Energy and enthusiasm for all of the staff as we work with the children
• Health for the staff (the stomach bug keeps making its rounds) and for the the children
• That the kids would enjoy the games and activities that we have planed for them and that their hearts would be soft as we share the good news.