Sunday, September 3, 2017
Our journey today began with a lovely breakfast prepared by Virginia and Albita which we were all grateful for after a good night's rest at the Alfredo House. Knowing we had a full week ahead of us, we began the morning refreshing our minds and souls at the Bioparque Paradise, a local botanical garden with indigenous animals and a breathtaking landscape. At the garden we went on an enjoyable and challenging two mile hike with Walter and Billy, the ever present dog.
On our return trip to the Alfredo House we were privileged to see local commerce in action, families attending church services and soccer games full of excitement. We were all truly humbled by our surroundings.
After a delightful lunch we finished preparing activities for the upcoming week and received careful instructions on what to expect. As we discovered, Rev. Linwood Cook his favorite phrase was "blessed are the flexible" which we plan to adopt as our mantra for the next part of our journey.
The afternoon consisted of a chocolate tour at Santa Marta where we discovered the many uses of chocolate including medicinal, facial scrubs and as a yummy treat.
We finished up our evening with a devotional led by Reuben focusing on Jesus' journey into Jerusalem from the donkey's point of view. Reuben began by asking "Would you ride a Donkey for Jesus?" Reuben highlighted how each of us are spiritually marked, that the Master has a need for each of us and it only takes one donkey to change the world. As we anticipate tomorrow activities we are mindful of this timely message and our amazing opportunity to spread's God love.
