Canada Team!

This was our 4th year to have the joy of hosting the Devon Park High School team for a day! (If I remember correctly, 2009 was the first year they visited us.)

More than once, members of the team have returned as long term volunteers for Casa de Amor. In fact, one of our newest volunteers Bobbi-jo first visited several years back with a Devon Park team, and is now serving at Casa de Amor along with her friend Johanna.

It was a smaller team this year but they still packed in a lot of work and play!

We started off the day at a local jail, where the team presented music and testimonies. It was fun for me to go in with others, since 99% of the time I go into jails alone. :)

Loving on some babies

Tackling the Baby Home Jungle Yard...

(A SERIOUSLY large project!! We were about to lose small children in there. The month of February was so extremely rainy, there was no way to be able to cut the grass.)

If it gives you any idea of what a task it was, more than one asked me if we had a machete lying around, ha!

Trimming the trees, which actually haven't been trimmed since last year's Canada team

MUCH better.

Oops...did we lose one due to exhaustion?!

He was actually dramatically posing for the picture ;-)

Then we moved the team to Casa de Amor II, where Bobbi-jo had some plans of her own.

The color of Casa de Amor II's Prayer/Music room, before...

...And the prayer/music room NOW!! (And this is Bobbi-jo, showing how it's done!)

If only there were frangrance with this picture, you would appreciate what a grueling paint job this was. There is very little ventilation upstairs at CDA II and none in this room. The fumes were overwhelming and all painters emerged from the room a little tipsy!

Others worked on putting up new screens in the back "garden house"

Our cook put together some chicken sandwiches for everyone and some refreshing Bolivian drinks

...But all was not work!...

It was a GREAT idea to bring bubbles for each child!

The "magic mitts" were a huge hit with the boys, who were thrilled when I told them yes, the team was GIVING those to them. They were really good at it!

A visitor teaching little J (our youngest at CDA II) how to blow bubbles

The gift bags at the end were a huge hit

J. trying out his new playdough!

Final farewells...it was a little hard to tear everyone apart and they were already leaving 1 1/2 hours behind schedule!

Thanks to everyone on the team!! I know that it's a huge job to carry out a trip like this and do all the accompanying fundraisers and preparations. Your day at our house was a great success - the kids loved the extra attention and you accomplished lots on our "honey do" lists. It was also a huge blessing to receive your special donation for baby M's upcoming surgeries. (AND on the same day the team was with us, we said yes to a 6 year old boy with cleft lip/palate, so perhaps the funds can stretch to him, as well.)

Gracias, and till next year!