Days 1 and 2

I wrote this for the NBI blog a few days ago and am just now getting the chance to post it here...

It’s hard to believe that we have only been working at the orphanage for 2 days. So much has been accomplished!
The orphanage consists of an extremely nice building with drab décor and a long list of needed repairs. Our team jumped right in with both feet. A group of men headed out to find the needed materials (quite a feat in a country that appears to be stuck in the 70s) while the ladies did what we do best…take over! =)
We began cleaning, painting and loving on the 5 beautiful children that are currently living at the home. In the two days we have been here, we have almost completely finished all of the background painting for 5 rooms. We have even started on the next step…the murals! The kids’ school room now has ABC, 123, colors, and a chalkboard painted on the fun blue walls. Talk about an improvement from the dirty, dingy grey we started with!
The guys have had many unexpected obstacles. Paint is not readily available…and what we found is more of a plaster consistency that is mixed with water to form a white wash. The power goes off right in the middle of the day. Yesterday, that meant they were unable to sand, saw, or even fill the new water tank we purchased with water! These obstacles have really us pull our knowledge and resources together to think outside the box. Sure, we can cut the tops off of water bottles and use them as paint cups. Yes, sticks from the yard work perfectly for stirring paint. Of course, we can build our own scaffolding out of lumber.
These first days have been enlightening, to say the least. Our eyes have been opened to a culture very different than our own. Never will we walk in Lowes or Home Depot with the same mindset! Once again, through seeing poverty first hand, God has reminded us of His blessings in our lives and how He intends for us to use them…to be a blessing to others.