His mercies are new every morning... week two begins

Hola hola coca cola!

Today begins our second week here in Bogota, and what a great day it has been!
James 1:27-28 "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

Worth smiling about:
Fletch received a precious Father's Day card from Geraldine--his self-proclaimed "new daughter" who was one of the life-giving orphans with whom we spent part of the day yesterday. :)

Team Uvas:
Due to a few members of the team staying back to rest and recuperate today, team uvas was down in numbers but still high in spirit and had a super day. Jane and Kate spent the morning with the teen girls at Penuelas--these are unwed mothers who spend anywhere from one year to three years in the program with support there. They enjoyed a time of sharing God's word and applying it to their lives as well as enjoying crafts and Bingo (with smarties as place holders, of course). Kate and Jane then met up with "Pablo" (Pravaas) and "Espencer" from team uvas in the afternoon at La Fundacion Internacional Maranata for a spectacular time with some of the children we have come to know and love sharing Bible stories, crafts and running around at the park.
Highlight for Jane: seeing a group of children crowd around Espencer on the floor to listen intently to his reading of "Old McDonald" and joining in for every "e-i-e-i-o" :)

Team Pinas: John jumped over to join team pinas for the day at a new ministry, "Fundacion tierra fertil" in Suba--another area of Bogota. This foundation serves at-risk children of the area, many of which come from families of single-mothers, recyclers (those who look through trash for things to re-sell in the city), and families struggling with addiction, and abuse of all kinds. Janet, the director spoke of the love the volunteers have for the children and the provision of God through lack of funding and destitution. J-Fos, Marci, Anna, Emma, Josh, Sammy, Elizabeth, and Linnea adapted to the high-energy atmosphere at the Fundacion. Not only running around, team pinas shared Bible stories, games and crafts, taught colors in English and received many hugs and questions about their lives. The team and the children look forward to another full day tomorrow!

Prayer por favor:
Maintaining health and strength to be able to fully serve and learn for the duration of this week
The children of the many ministries we have the privilege of  serving--provision in resources and strength for the staff
Patience, perseverance and positivity within our team as a whole
The truth of the Gospel in hope, healing and redemption to be proclaimed in word and deed
--praise for Laura's interview for a job today!

Muchisimas gracias y un abrazote!

We'll try to get some pictures up tomorrow.