Day 7 - Final Day at Hope Partners

Day seven was the last day our mission team worked with HOPE partners.    Today, we started by finishing painting the wall we had been working on this past week. We painted the word "Bienvenidos," which means welcome. Yesterday, we didn't finish as much work as we had wanted, so today, we started, worried we might be unable to complete it. Fortunately, we were able to finish in time. 

Once we finished the wall, we walked into the middle of the school. When we got to the center, we were surprised by all of the kids. All the school kids had gathered around to thank us for all the work we had done. Some of the teachers thanked us by doing a traditional Costa Rican dance. The children had made us all signs and handwritten notes. Eventually, the children made us all get onto a stage and dance to traditional Costa Rican music. 

After we left the school, we traveled to the HOPE center. We were welcomed at the HOPE center with a traditional Costa Rican meal, which was very good. Working with the kids all week has been my favorite part of this trip. The best part of working with them is the dance. Every day at the HOPE center, we all do a group dance. Every time, without a doubt, some of the kids don't want to dance because they are too "cool." Throughout the dance, our energy slowly affects everybody. The children start jumping and dancing. The joy and energy in the room is almost indescribable. It's when we genuinely bond with those kids.

Here are a few ways you can pray for our team:

1. Energy for our last days here. At this point, we all need a little boost.
2. Please pray that our members continue to feel healthy!
3. Patience. At this point, everyone on our team is sleepy and requires some extra patience with everything we have to come.