ELIAS PINA DAY 5

David looking for Easter eggs with a little girl



Rachel helping with the egg hunt

Emily helping a little girl on the Easter egg hunt
 

Matt used his height advantage to help this little one
get an egg out of a tree
 

We are loving Elias Pina
 

Handing out treat bags at the end of the party
 



Reed helping with the Easter egg hunt

Millaine and a new friend she made


 

A belated Happy Easter to everyone.  Sorry we did not get a chance to update the blog yesterday - it was a full day with lots happening since our last update.  On Saturday afternoon we had so much fun playing on the playground with the kids and a group of us went to the home of Ali, Reed & Grace to play with the children in their neighborhood.  They live too far from the church playground to walk there to play with us so we went to them.  Then we got all dressed up and participated in the Easter Vigil.  The Mass began around 9:00 outside with the bonfire and lighting of the Easter candle and concluded at about 11:00 with all of us handing out glow sticks to the children as they left Mass.  More of the adults wanted the glow sticks because many of them have never seen anything like them.  Next year we definitely have to bring more than we did this year.  Easter Sunday was a chance for us to sleep in a little and boy did it feel good after the full day we had on Saturday.  Everyone (not just Ms Simon & Betty) were a little sore from the mountain walk the day before.  We got a chance to get ice cream at the ice cream store and boy did that hit the spot - it was a great Easter treat.  Then we went to the Montero home and helped with a special Easter party for many children (there were over 150 kids there).  Cris Montero died in a car accident in 2007 when she was pregnant with her first child.  She always loved children and each Easter she organized a party for the children - her memory lived on today through our students and it made her family so happy to hear the children singing and laughing and having a wonderful time.  The Easter egg hunt was a blast and then each child was given a treat bag with a pencil, stickers, toothbrush & toothpaste and a few little toys.  It was so much fun!!  After the party we had a chance to share with each other about our experience so far.  It amazes all of us that people here can be so happy when they have so little.  That they are so content with their life when to most of us it looks like their life is so difficult.  It has really opened our eyes to the fact that we are so blessed and we take so much for granted.  All of the students admit that they do not miss their phones, their computers, etc.  It is so nice to just simply live and enjoy the moment we are in and enjoying the people we are with rather than constantly texting others and not fully enjoying the moment.  It is a different feeling and hopefully will be something we will always remember.  We had a great Easter feast prepared by the Montero family - we all got a chance to try goat - it didn't taste bad it was just hard to eat knowing that was a goat.  Today we plan to go to the market and then to the English school to converse with the students there so they can hear a native speaker speak English.  Tonight is a dance at Rachel, Emily & Millaine's house.  It is so hard to believe we only have 4 days left here - it has gone so fast.  Enjoy the pictures.