Today the whole team started off the morning with the opportunity for a sleep in! Our day started at 9 with a feeding at Tent City. Some of the boys from journey for hope such as Lester, Gelo, Nano, Erikson and Noriel came to join us. The journey to Tent City was about an hour a half but it gave us all a chance to get to know each other a little better and to spend a little extra time with the Journey for Hope boys.

We arrived at Tent City where we served lugaw, gave out balloons and bracelets that we had made out of pipe cleaners. Most of us walked around Tent city with the kids and saw the poor living conditions which were an eye opener. Not one of them complained, but instead had the biggest smiles on their faces, in a way they accepted it, while we complain about the small things. Some of us also got the chance to see Mary Jane – the little girl with a cleft pallet – whom Kids International Ministries have been trying to help recently. It was really quite interesting to be able to see -in person this beautiful little girl that we had already heard stories about back at home from last years’ team.

After finishing up in Tent City we hopped back on the road for another hour or so, off to Daranak Falls. The waterfall was beautiful, and everyone had a tonne of fun climbing and jumping off various rocks and taking in the view. While the more adventurous of us explored the various outcrops, others sat in the shallows, enjoying cooling off from the heat. After a couple of hours of bliss, we hopped back onto the bus and headed back to the Ministry Centre.

Once we arrived back, Green and Blue teams headed up to the Children’s Home to give a devotion, while the other two teams had a short rest. The eight leader team members (Cassia, Tyler, Joslin, Jayden, Enoch, Kirsten and Rachel) were taken out by Miss Smoker for a quick Starbucks trip to thank them for their help throughout the planning and organizing of the trip. They also bought three surprise cakes for Sonia’s birthday, and each person was able to choose between mocha, rocky road or mango slices. Tonight we were also visited by the Jazz girls, who were once again able to bring such excitement and energy to the group.

Many of the team have really begun to realise that the end of our trip is fast approaching, and although we miss home terribly, the thought of leaving all of the people we have met and created such a connection with is getting increasingly more difficult. The joy of every single person we come into contact to over here never ceases to amaze us, and each day has brought new names and faces that have impacted our lives, and hopefully have been impacted in turn.

From the Yellow Team

Shout-outs:

Josiah – Hey mum, Jamaica and Natalia, missing you guys heaps; like my sleep-ins and coffee