SALVADOR SERVANTS: Sunday Fun Day!

Our eyes seemed to all pop open around 5:30am this morning and with church services not starting until 10:00am...that made for a pretty long morning. So, what did the majority of us end up doing to fill the time? Well, in a community where it's not recommended to mosey around the city on your own, leaving the hotel was out, so that left...the hotel gym. We all unknowingly seemed to have the same idea, because around 7:30, when the gym opened, more than half of us were found up on the 11th floor running, squatting, lunging, doing push ups, pumping iron, and/or burning calories on the eliptical. At this point in the morning, no one graciously posed for a picture, however, we did capture this far more appealing view from the gym window. What a way to start our day!!!

Breakfast included some new foods for a handful of us. In addition to the normal scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and croissants, many of us fueled up with bean and cheese pupusas, tamales and fresh, ripe papaya! There certainly was not a person on our team that left still hungry!

Church services were done in English, in this charming, yet quaint church. The structure was similar to North Points, but the panaramic backdrop behind the preacher was like no other! A reception followed the service to get to know a couple more community members.

All the father's at the service were asked to come to the front to be recognized as we were reminded of how important the role of a father plays within a family. Dad's guide us, teach us and love us, providing us with the tools to have a successful and stable life. Check out all the awesome dads!!

Meeting the kids from the orphanage was, by far, the most significant part of the day. After reflecting on the experience, many of our team members felt awkward at first...not being able to welcome them, break the ice and get to know them, or stir up conversation as they normally would have if English was the common language. Although the language barrier was a challenge, we quickly learned that PLAYING was universal!! We played soccer, frisbee and volleyball, and before we knew it, everyone was communicating in some way, shape or form! We were picking out colors to paint nails, being taught/teaching others how to make rubber band loom bracelets and talking about hobbies, favorite colors and foods. It's amazing how games, smiles and laughter work and make "language" suddenly not as critically important. We are SO looking forward to more time with these children throughout the week!

Luck would have it that a gelato/dessert shop just happens to be next door to our hotel! In case you can't guess how we ended our day...here's some pictures to prove it!! :)