Salutations, friends and family!
Man, oh man, today was a day, let me tell you! We started off with a feeding near what the locals call the “chicken arena,” where people raise pet chickens and use them for fighting. They invest a lot of money into these birds, and if they don’t pay their debts, they risk being beaten up, which is more than a little terrifying. What’s even more disheartening is how the men seem to treat their chickens with more love and respect than their own families. But despite that, we got to go in and dance with the kids and feed them champorado a beautiful, joy-filled experience.
Afterward, we headed back to the YMC to mentally prepare ourselves for what came next: forming a carry train to unload 1,200 boxes of rice, each weighing 17 kilo. There were about 50 of us helping out. Funny enough, during the first round before lunch, Farmer took Judah and himself to the mall… while we were carrying the boxes. Weird, right? Haha! (He was buying a speaker for the pastors to use for the feedings) was worth it!
Eventually, we got a lunch break and Farmer had finally come back! We all pitched in and finished unloading the rest of the boxes from the truck. Jokes aside, it was honestly so worth it. We got to work with other teams, listen to music, and share tons of laughs. It was a long three hours, but we made great memories.
After finishing, Khaycee, Alec, and I decided we deserved a little sweet treat. So we hopped in a trike and headed down the street for some boba. It’s always hilarious trying to watch Alec fit into those little things! We grabbed some road snacks and ended up with some delicious Domino’s pizza/boba.
Dinner was CHILI, and it was SO good! I had the chance to talk with some German field workers and hear about their faith journeys. It was such a powerful and encouraging conversation.
Later in the evening, our team headed to Praise Night where we worshipped, danced, laughed, and made so many unforgettable memories. I truly thank God for everything He’s doing in my life and in the lives of the people around me.
Now it’s time for sleep. Khaycee and I are munching on our snacks… maybe sharing haha.
Good night, everyone! We miss you all and will see you in just five days!
With love,
Lauren & Team <3
