Holy Week

We returned to Guatemala just in time for the full swing of Holy Week activities. The week was filled with a trip to a water park, afternoon games Tuesday to Friday, a sleepover for each age group, special breakfast after each sleepover, Good Friday service, bonfire celebration on Saturday, Easter sunrise service, special Easter breakfast, an Easter egg hunt and a picnic lunch!

Although I don't have any pictures of it, Daniel and I again this year prepared a special activity for the kids called Journey to the Cross. Thirteen different stations were set up in classrooms of the school building. Each station represented a different event in Jesus' life during Holy Week, leading to the resurrection as the final station. Each room was decorated and had a recording for the children to listen to on headphones of corresponding scripture and then they had an interactive activity to do to go along with that event. I was impressed that many of the kids took their time at each station and with each activity. I pray that they experienced the Lord's presence and His great love for them during that exercise.

It was a very busy but great week! Here are a few pictures with explanations below each picture:

Lee & Staci did a great job with games this year! In this picture, Edgar is trying to catch the ingredients for a hot dog (bun, hot dog, ketchup, mayonnaise) as they are thrown by his teammates off the second story of the school building.

Each evening, dinner had a theme for how the kids should dress with a competition held for the most creative team. This night was jungle night.

Angie ready for Crazy Night at dinner.Tug-o-war in the mud pit (a trench dug on the soccer field).

Eagerly waiting for the pool to be filled up by the water truck.

Enjoying the pool. The water got pretty gross throughout the week!The little boy and little girl sleepover. They watched two movies and had snacks together in Lee & Staci's apartment. Then the girls slept at our apartment. They actually did sleep.... hooray! Although, they were up and ready to go at 6:30 am.

Pablo and one of the newest little guys, Jorge.

Easter sunrise service was a little too early for Josue.Checking out the candy from their Easter eggs. Randy and Jorge (the two little guys on the left) were confused by the egg hunt concept but quickly caught on and enjoyed the surprise of opening the eggs and finding great treats inside.What post would be complete without a picture of Michelle?! Here she is in a preemie outfit that we couldn't resist buying for her while we were back in the U.S. (By the way -- Michelle got a great report from her doctor on Monday. She is up to 6 pounds 11 ounces, has grown a centimeter, is getting her first tooth, and she is no longer anemic. While these may seem like only small gains, they show continued improvements and we celebrate them!)