El Salvador Mission Trip 2013 (Day 6 of 7)

This is the sixth of a seven part series taken from my daily journal while in Ahuachapan, El Salvador participating in a mission trip with the LaGrange District of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Day 6: 2/21/2013

I got emails from James! I miss him and the children so much. I am truly incomplete without them. I pray one day that each of them can experience a trip like this.

We finished our third and final day of bible school today. We were greeted with big smiles and hugs once again. We helped them make stained glass/sun catchers using waxed paper and tissue paper. After ironing 34 to sel the colors, I was given a pipe cleaner bracelet by a young girl as "gracias" (thanks). I will put it with the 3 drawings and pipe cleaner "serpiente" (snake) that I was given on the other days.

Once again, as the children departed and gave hugs, I felt so fulfilled. We sent the children out of the church, carrying their crafts and hygeine kits in canvas bags they decorated, to walk the dusty, rocky road home. No car rider line. No "wait here here til your ride comes." No emergency contact numbers.

Do you know what else we didn't have? We had no complaining or whining children. We had no disrespect or misbehaving. No snacks either.
We had children who could be content with the simplest of crafts. Children who could play with pipe cleaners or color for an hour. Children who did not need to be entertained.
Last, but not least, we had "John Jacob Jingle Hiemer Schmidt" except it was "Juan Paco Pedro- something". (Note to self: Google that one later.)
 

Juan Paco Pedro de la Mar
Es mi nombre, si
Y cuando yo me voy
Me dicen que yo soy
Juan Paco Pedro de la Mar
La ,la…la, la, la, la…la…