Happy Father`s Day

I want to start by wishing all you dads a happy Father`s Day.  I know that it is hard to be away from  your children on Fathers Day, as today I am really missing my children, especially since this is my first Fathers day since Carson was born.  Shannon, Korinne, and Carson I love you all so much and am excited to see you at the end of this week.

Today we have had a much needed break from all the hard work.  We started the morning with a wonderful breakfast followed by a few minute of worship and quite time, before jumping on a boat that took us across Lake Atitlan to Pana.  As we left San Lucas behind us, it was bitter sweet.  Very quickly we fell in love with the people and community of San Lucas, San Gabriel, and Tzan Petey, and we all made many new friends.  Yet these past 5 days have been hard for the team.  Many members worked harder in these last few days than they ever have in their lives, and on top of that we have had two sicknesses having their way with part of the team.  So I got off easy in the work load toward the end of the week as I was running between work sites and the hotel to make sure everyone was staying hydrated, and feeling good.  Friday and Saturday were the worst, with an average of 4 people sick at pretty much all times.  Yet, God is good, and today people are
feeling much better.

I have been so impressed with the positive attitude and flexibility of this team.  At dinner tonight I was talking with Mark, Kim, and Terri about how great our group was, and I am just echoing their appreciation for a group that works so hard and is so happy. 

This afternoon we got to do a little bit of the ¨touristy¨stuff.  We went to downtown Pana to do a little shopping for gifts to bring home.  It was a much needed break, to recharge our batteries and get us ready to work hard again starting Tuesday.  Tomorrow we are traveling back to the city, where we will work with the women`s shelter, the Christian Academy, a squatters village, and an orphanage, before leaving for home on Friday.

Please pray for a safe trip on the roads tomorrow, for safety on the ziplines through the nature reserve, and for all the sickness to leave our group for good.  Thanks Kara for all the first aid supplies, we are using much of the medicine to keep ourselves well and get our team better.

Once again, the team wants to wish all of you dads a Happy Fathers Day, and tell you that they  love you.

In Christ,

Doug