friday. saturday.

Well. as you know, we are home. But I never went into any detail about the last 24 hours of our trip.
Friday was the last work day. Groups went out to their sites, hoping to finish their projects, celebrate, play with kids, eat cake, swim in pools...or all of the above. The last work day is always a mix of emotions. Excited to finish big projects, sad to say goodbye to new friends at the site, exhausted...it's a long week, hungry for In-n-Out, tired of working and being emotionally stretched...Each group ended in it's own way which is fitting seeing that each work site is unique.

At Rosewood, some work had just begun. I got the opportunity to serve Rosewood by leading a group to paint stands they use at their Halloween Event, a family friendly alternative to Halloween. A group had finished at their site on Wednesday so they joined me in painting. It was tough, hot work but felt great to give back to the church who so graciously served us all week.

Friday evening was super exciting! Rosewood hosted a fiesta to celebrate all the work that had been done and all of the work sites were invited! Over 300 people were going to break bread (or tortillas in this case) together. It was awesome to see the meal hall filled with people from the sites...babies, old ladies, all races, all ages joining together in a new friendship! After the dinner, we gathered to worship. Oh there are no words to describe this. Youth raising their hands in praise to Jesus, new believers, long time believers, people who are not sure about their faith...all gathered in praise. Breathtaking. After a few high energy, emotional songs we entered into a time of testimony. A few people we had helped at the work sites shared their stories, their journey of faith and disbelief, and of their struggles. Wow. It was so eye-opening to hear the journeys that everyone has gone through. It solidified the reason of why we do trips like this. To hear these stories, to be the hands and heart of Jesus to these people, to love them, to serve them, to be their friend. Amen.

Friday night continued with small groups meeting for the last time, a talent show, signing t-shirts, saying goodbyes (some groups left before dawn!), wrestling, and finally sleep.

Saturday we gathered for breakfast, more goodbyes, packing and helping cleaning the Rosewood campus. We finally headed to the airport around 12. We were tired, worn out, dirty, a bit smelly but filled with hope and love for those around us. A good, good way to be.

Thank you again for all your prayers and support. Please chat with some of the HSers who went on the trip...while they wrote their stories here, there is definitely more for them to tell. So ask and see what God has been doing in their lives :)