After the morning session of getting ready, it was time to head down for breakfast. I made it my normal protocol to eat at a table with the Blantons, Matt, Kendell, and Liz which always made for a really fun way to start our morning. After we finished eating, some of us headed outside for some more futbol action. After my embarrassing plays on Tuesday in soccer, I really wanted to play well today and more importantly, not bust my knee open again! I decided I wanted to play defense against Harsen again and played some good ball. I went down to my hand once trying to get the ball away but that was the only negative play for me for Thursday. After soccer, we split up into mixed groups of guys and gals to have a sit-down chat with the kids. Matt and I took the opportunity to share our testimonies with the kids which was a fun experience for me. In my other trips to ES, I had kind of fallen through the cracks and never actually shared my testimony through an interpreter. Something that was eye-opening about the experience was learning about the dream jobs of the kids. The answers that came out were pastor, doctor, veterinarian, and pilot. It was encouraging to see just how the kids had big dreams even after all that some of them have been through in their lives.
Following the small group sessions, our team loaded up and headed to San Miguel for lunch and a trip to the market. Our first stop was at the mall to do a little shopping and also grab lunch at Wendy's. Ironically, this was my first time to a Wendy's since my last ES trip in 2012. I ordered one of their chicken salads and promptly dropped it on the ground as soon as it was handed to me. Definitely another embarrassing experience to add to the check list but not the final one of the day. A cool thing about it is that it opened up a fun conversation at the lunch table. Christina asked me if she could share the story with Lupita, one of the older girls from the orphanage who was with us. I said sure and afterwards, Lupita asked me what ten things I would want to do if I knew I only had six months to live. That was fun experience even if it's incredibly difficult to come up with that many things. After lunch, a group of us headed to La Despensa de Don Juan, which is a grocery store owned by Walmart to buy some unique food items that aren't sold in the US. I purchased Nicole some coffee but have no idea when I'll actually give it to her.
After the mall, our ragtag little bunch headed to the market to do some more shopping and also so Milena, Lupita, and Christina could buy shoes for all of the kids which was one of our final big ministry projects. We split up into two groups to go shopping. My group consisted of the Millers, Leah, Valmori, and myself. One fun thing about walking with Valmori at the back of the group was that he kept sharing with me what all of the shop owners were saying to me. The common theme was that I was being called "Sweetheart" and was asked to "Check out the wares." After we all bought some souvenirs (I bought my dad a machete), we headed to the meeting area. This is where stuff got weird. We had seen a TV camera and reporter with a microphone walking around previously and didn't give much thought to it. While waiting for the rest of our group, I had the reporter and the cameraman come up to me. Also with them was a man wearing a blonde wig and red ladies pantsuit. I find myself standing in between the reporter and the cross-dressing man being posed a question in Espanol along the lines of how I feel about the president getting rid of fossil fuels and using milk instead. While I'm looking at the camera confused, the cross-dresser begins to stick his tongue out in a kissing manner and gets way too close to my face while putting his black scarf over my head. Thankfully, I didn't have to make out with an El Salvadorian cross-dresser but it was a little close for comfort. Right as this was happening, the remainder of our team showed up which made for interesting stories to tell. That may very well have been the most embarrassed I've ever been. After that, our team headed to Pollo Campero to have a soda while waiting for the women to finish shoe shopping.
After that, we headed back to Remar to prepare for our final night of VBS. The evening began with Selah giving her testimony. After the previous nights' lackluster lessons, we decided to deviate from the prepared lesson and instead do a skit based upon the parable of the ten virgins with the kids playing the virgins and Daniel playing the bridegroom. The lesson definitely kept the kids intrigued and engaged in what was happening. It probably helped that their peers were helping to tell the story. After the lesson, the girls led the activity of the kids playing with homemade Etch-a-Sketches made of Ziploc bags and paint. Following that, the kids played a modified version of Red Rover and Hot Potato until church was over. After church, we headed into the kitchen and were excited to see that it was Tilapia night. Tilapia is always one of the highlights of any ES trip as the fish is freshly cooked and even still had the head on.
After dinner, our team played with the kids for a bit before heading back to the house. While waiting for the meeting, Kendell and I had a great conversation just talking about things we'd learned on the trip and just life in general. It was definitely good to be able to connect with someone and discuss the things that God was teaching me in depth. Tomorrow I'll write more about what all God taught me on this trip once I have a little more time for it all to marinate and sink in.
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