Halo!
This morning, our team split up to attend two different churches. At one, the kids from House of Hope performed a play. At the other, they shared a dance that Lexi taught them. It was really special to be part of worshipping with the local community. After church, we had lunch with the pastor and a missionary who spoke earlier. It was a good time of conversation and connection.
With a couple of hours before the Royal Rangers camp setup, we headed back to the hotel. Some of us took naps, some swam, but I got to go on a little adventure. Lexi, Corbin, Elise, and I went to explore a nearby beach. The tide had moved in, and the sand was scattered with crabs and hermit shells. Before we headed out, we picked a coconut and drank the water straight from it so fresh.
After our beach walk, we jumped in the pool to cool off, and the water felt amazing. Eventually, it was time to regroup, grab our things, and head to the field for camp prep.
We left the hotel and met up with Mike and Diane at House of Hope. After filling our water bottles, we picked up a few of the House of Hope kids and made our way to the field. Once there, it was time to get to work. We started by bringing in bamboo poles while some of the guys began building the toilet area. Me, Corban, Josh, Kellen, and Dave worked on digging holes for the bamboo ladders that’ll lead to the zip-line platforms. Other kids were pulling weeds and clearing rocks to make sure the camp base was safe, especially since many of the campers would be barefoot.
After about three hours of hard work, it was time for some s’mores! We picked the perfect sticks and showed the kids how to roast marshmallows just right. It was so fun watching them enjoy it for the first time. Sticky fingers, big smiles, and lots of laughter all around.
When the sun went down, we walked back together singing songs, tired but joyful. Back at Diane’s , we had makan malam, which means dinner in Bahasa, and spent time in fellowship with food, testimonies, and devotion.
Before heading back to the hotel, we made a quick stop at Alfa Mart (basically a small grocery store). We’re all currently obsessed with these mango Vitamin C drinks, and thankfully, the mission to find more was a success.
Now we’re back at the hotel, ready for some much-needed rest. Today was full of worship, fun, hard work, and a lot of little moments that reminded me how beautiful this experience is.
~Meeka
