Whew! Today was a busy day, and God blessed us in many ways. My day went unexpectedly today, and I was reminded of this verse, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8 Today we spent our day separated into two groups, one that went to the village to build homes and one to head to Love the Child (orphanage). As we are able to choose where we would like to serve, I decided this morning that I wanted to head the village to help with home construction. I seated myself in a van and waited. Shortly after, it became apparent that one more person really wanted to go to the village and I gave up my seat in the bus for her. It was not what I planned, but I was HAPPY to go cuddle babies at the orphanage too. When we arrived there, Steve Osborn who is the director, mentioned that an optometrist serving at a nearby orphanage needed extra help with his clinic because his son (who helped him at the clinic) was sick. I just happen to be an optometrist by occupation. I had just happened to have MY plans changed for the morning and was able to join in HIS plans to serve HIM. I jumped in the van with two other members from our team and headed to Casa Hallelujah to help examine the children who lived there. It was a great experience , and I was able to jump in and help. Meanwhile, the construction team was able to complete construction on all 15 homes! Tomorrow we will head out to the village to dedicate the homes and give each family a house-warming gift of many practical household items. Thank you to all of you who sacrificially donated your funds and prayers to make this happen. Later in the day, we were able to distribute food, blankets, hygiene items, and toys to 150 families in a nearby village with many people in need. It was one of the poorest areas I have seen while in Guatemala. We served the people in a local church, and after all the goods were distributed the local pastor asked us to sit down in the church. He and fellow church members then thanked us for serving them and presented us with drinks and snacks to enjoy. It was hard to accept their gift because we knew how much purchasing this had cost them, but we gladly enjoyed their snack and enjoyed fellowship with them. I’m looking forward to serving God tomorrow and looking forward to heading home on Thursday! Laura Kenyon