Sunday, June 10

I haven´t been online since last Tuesday. When I got to Randy and Kathy Short´s apartment after this morning´s assembly, I enjoyed reading many e-mails, checking this blog, and seeing that the Yankees have won five straight. Look out baseball world. Here come the big spenders.

Well, so much to mention, I´ll try to be brief. Most of the TORCH group arrived in Recife on Tuesday and a few more since then. We are staying way out, far from the city, at the church´s camp site. There are several houses in the area so we see people (especially children) every day. The TORCH team includes 5 from Florida, 4 from Pennsylvania, 3 from Nashville, 2 from other places, and 5 from Lubbock (plus 2 recent Sunset grads, Danny Bratcher and Jorge del Bosque). Also, 4-6 preaching students got the week off from classes to work with us. Overall, I think I can say that we are getting along well, working very well, and really grateful for the opportunity to be here.

On Wednesday afternoon, we went to a children´s hospital. What an experience. These kids were amazing. Some were very sick but their faces lit up when we gave each one a present (mostly, stuffed animals and other toys) and told them that Jesus loves them. We got to talk to several mothers too. Really, it was a tough visit. Bev and I and our group probably saw about 25-30 kids with various sicknesses and some with cancer. Why our families have been so blessed with good health I´ll never know and always be thankful. Here, I keep hearing my mom say, ``Be thankful for what you´ve got; others have it a lot worse.´´

For 3 mornings we had VBS out at the camp. Each day we had 50-60 kids; we taught Bible lessons, helped them color, played games with them, and fed them a snack. All these kids were special. Most came in their best clothes with hair fixed, and having just had a bath. They loved the activities, especially the dramatized stories of the Good Samaritan and David and Goliath. I got to be Goliath´s armor bearer. Goliath were about 9-feet tall (one guy on another´s shoulders). There was a lot of rain Friday morning but still they came. Some arrived a little late on Saturday and I went out to welcome them. About 4 or 5 kids, about as tall as my waist, just grabbed me and gave me a big hug. Others wanted to play catch with an American football or baseball. I was just so impressed how these kids were glad to see us and share things with us.

On those afternoons we had 3 work groups at the camp. Some work on the outside (cutting grass, etc.), others were painting (Bev was great at this), and I got to help put together church pews. A lot of very tedious, time-consuming work; very enjoyable, too.

Tomorrow (and maybe Tuesday) we will be distributing food to 5 different groups. Wednesday, we fly to Salvador and will be there for about 11 days. I should have internet use every day there.

Thanks so much to those who have written comments on the blog, and for the prayers. Please continue praying for us, especially our health and evangelistic activities.