Sunday, April 16, 2017

Living Hope Baptist Church, KY

The first week of April, we welcomed back for the 15th year, Living Hope Baptist Church from Bowling Green, KY.

This team always comes with a heart to serve, and as we were talking about their history and the number of years they have been coming, they have seen and been a part of a lot of BIG events at the Abraham Project!

Saturday night when they arrived, they came to our house for dinner and afterward, they packed all the Easter eggs for the activity with the children's homes kids the next day!



The Living Hope Team


LilyBeth and Jessica stuffing the eggs

Steve and Sam "fixing the world"

Kenny and Randall

On Sunday, the team went to church and then had lunch with the kids from the Children's homes.


After lunch, Living Hope had an Easter egg hunt and a piñata party! They kids LOVE looking for the eggs--as it is not part of the culture here.

Looking for the eggs

Even the littles had help

Checking out all the goodies

All the kids got a go at the piñata--finally had to break it because it was made so tough!

Taking a big swing

Getting all the goodies!
On Sunday night, the team went up to Rio Azul for an outreach message and serve dinner to the community.  It actually started to rain that day (super early for rainy season) and we were expecting about 100-150 people, but with the rain, we were afraid there weren't going to be very many.  In the beginning there were only about 25-50 people, and Bruce decided to go out in the neighborhood to invite people.  They ended up serving about 220 people--they ran out of sauce--but Pastor Gilbert said that about 80-90% of the people that came were not from the church.  God showed up in a big way.
Getting ready!

Emily was in charge of the spaghetti


and the sauce!

After feeding about 220 people, the team actually got to eat!
On Monday, the team went back to Rio Azul to work on electrical wiring of an older gentleman and to work on about 6 more steps to the staircase.

The stairs down

All the way down

From the bottom looking up

This was the old set of stair that people used.  The rest was all dirt and rock, until the new stairs were added recently.

Becky and I taking a break out of the sun
Don Evaristo is an older gentleman (76) that lives in Rio Azul.  He recently underwent surgery for stomach cancer.  The church has been helping in build a new house and our Living Hope team came in and wired electricity in his house.
Randall and Don Evaristo

Sarah in the steps--forming it up

You know, just some water pipes.....

The view where we were working and Don Evaristo's house

The team with Pastor Gilbert

Awww...how cute

Don Evaristo -- in his new house



On Tuesday, a couple of the team members went back to finish Don Evaristo's house and the rest came to the Project to work the rest of the week.

Don Evaristo was so thankful for the work Sam did on the electrical!


Working in the classrooms doing activities

This was actually a butterfly body but it made a good mustache!
3-4 year olds

5th and 6th graders
The one day, the team did the Good Samaritan story.  They bandaged the kids up with toilet paper to help them, like the Good Samaritan!

All bandaged up!

Our friend's son, Sebastian
Another cutie, Joshua.



Our new cook Jenny and her husband, Nix, outside cooking--Olla de Carne!
Sarah had a nice time working the wood upstairs in the hallway in the daycare.  Last year the team cut the wood and sanded it for about 2-3 days.  This year, now that the hallway has been painted, the team put up the wood and finished the project!


Becky and her daughter helped cut the fire brick.

On Tuesday night, we had dessert at the Thomas' house.  Bruce made another cheesecake.  This one was a cinnamon roll cheesecake!

Some were plain, some had peanut butter nut topping (like Georgiana's cinnamon rolls) and some had a Cinnabon icing!

Not sure but I think Bruce was planing wood!

Randall started working on the water valves--to put in pressure reducing valves to each of the houses


Sarah was a master with the wood planer
So much so, that she had a good competition with Bruce!


Sam was trying to hide from us--put in a new plug for us in the bodega

Of course we had newsletters to fold and stuff

And yard work--as always!

The basically finished hallway--a few more touches, and done!
For the team's fun day, they went ziplining and went to the Hot Springs in Arenal!

Fun day up in the cloud forest!











Tuesday, April 11, 2017

March Fun!!



Follow our "normal" everyday lives through pictures....

Enjoy March!




Emme had her first Friday Shared snack at school! Her teacher sent this picture.

Bruce and Alfredo (our painter) in front of the new deer

 We welcomed


Joshua Expeditions- Prestonwood Christian Academy, TX


Fellowship Bible Church, KS

Joshua Expeditions- Foundations Academy, FL
Bruce also worked with 4 guys from Tennessee that worked on redoing all 4 bathrooms in the children's homes that leaked--they worked--not a single picture taken....

but the bathrooms look amazing--no picture of that either....ugh!

We also had a team from World Missions- Dr. Jason Sala and his wife Lynsey


And our kids got to hang out with their kids! 





 While we were gone so much with teams in March, Cooper decided to let me know how mad he was...

He found toilet paper and shredded it ONLY on my pajamas!

We had a dinner night with our friends David and Natalia.  Their son, Sebastian, LOVED Leyton's new gun--don't worry it is a NERF gun.

Look at the smile on his face!


Emme got super creative and decided to make all the Harry Potter characters she could.  Harry is the only actual LEGO Harry Potter--the rest were made from what they had!  Pretty cool!
Draco, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Hagrid, Prof McGonagall, A Dementor and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and the quidditch boxes and balls.
 While Bruce and I were in La Carpio with a team, Doña Marielos took us to another part of Las Gradas that she hopes to use as a ministry outreach. 
These were the stairs we took down, we basically had to walk down like horses because it was so steep and uneven.
 This is the area where she wants to put another ministry area.  A concrete slab to play soccer and to do activities with the children.

This is the other side--where all the grass is, we would put the plaza to use.



The stairs on the way up

I, Angie, had to play "doctor" with Jordan.  He was jumping on the bed and hit the metal top of the bunk bed.  Sliced his head open and his mom, Maria, didn't know what to do.  Thankfully, I had experience with Leyton--twice, so I compared the scars and called our friend who is a Dr. for advice.  Decided to just take care of it ourselves.  Healed nicely!



Bruce has also became the local barber--after doing my hair, he did our friend, Jenny's hair as well!
 
Nice undercut!
 On Saturday, March 25, Emme had her first Open Swim training at Herradura beach.

The families getting everything set up

The swim team from 2 different locations



Emme and her coach, Amaury

Ready to go!

Leyton was a supportive little brother and played while his sister worked!

Coming out of the water.

Cooper got to go with us to the beach, but the sand was too hot!  I FINALLY got to put him in a bag and carry him--He LOVED it and Bruce HATED it!







Emme also got to be a part of the birthday celebrations with kids from her swim team for birthdays in January, February and March.



Bruce finished our new work station--this makes my heart happy!  ORGANIZE AWAY!!!

So lots of people ask what we do when we don't have teams...basically, we live life and we have meetings--here is what Steve does during our meetings!

I think Cooper looks smarter than Steve with those glasses!

We are so thankful for everyone who has invested in us and our family!  Thank you!!

the crawfords