Pan de Vida rounded off February with ministry of a combined team from Waterloo Mennonite Brethren (Waterloo) and Bethel Bible Church (Seaforth), both in Ontario Canada. As always they brought fresh energy and achieved a lot in their time here. Many of the members were here for the 1st time. We also had several that were using their reading week from University to come and serve. It is always humbling when you have people use their personal time from work and studies to invest in the lives of the children and volunteers at Pan de Vida.
The team had a big concrete pour behind the kitchen. A couple of years ago it was decided to install paving blocks but the juices from the fruits and vegetables that are cleaned and processed in this area started to seep into and around the blocks. Unable to deep clean it caused the spot to become a gathering place for flies and with the extreme heat developed a foul odor. So for hygiene purposes, the blocks were replaced. Often this happens here, we learn as we grow!
In addition to that project, the team painted the room where fruits and vegetables are stored and the classrooms on the 2nd floor of the school. They started repairs on water clean out tanks, made some concrete posts and put more paving blocks along the entrance. In between all this hard work, they spent every recess building relationships with the children. They joined them for prayer meeting and the Pastor on the team delivered the Sunday service message. Then the team ministered with some praise and worship through song. They also did an outreach to the indigenous Otomi people in Amealco providing them a breakfast program and an afternoon of games.
The team also visited Children of Hope Orphanage, Esperanza Parati. It gave them a better idea of the ministry and work to be done there. The orphanage has already started small business work in order to be self sustainable for food. Some even had the opportunity to milk a cow for the 1st time. The team also learned that there was a new ice skating rink in the city. And what do Canadians do when they know this? They take the kids ice skating. It was a morning that they could interact and teach the kids skating skills. One guy on the team even had a morph suit that kept everyone in stitches from laughing.
It was 10 days of hard work, fun, fellowship and devotions around serving in Jesus' name!
