One last day of oatmeal for breakfast and even if I have it soon at home it won't have bananas fresh off the tree! I think that I am just beginning to adjust to the slower pace here and now I'll have adjusting to do when I return home. After each meal we have enjoyed some relaxed time of visiting, sometimes just as a team and other times with staff that is at the table. It is so interesting to hear their stories whether it is the college student here from Alaska or the new nurse who just arrived from Uganda...hearing how the Lord has led them to this place is a great topic of conversation.
Today was just a "random" kind of day with my only set commitment being time with Stephen after lunch. Other than that I spent time taking pictures and sharing pictures with the children I would come across. The ipad and my camera are magnets for little faces, they love seeing themselves and their friends as you flip through the photos.
Our team of Texans was pretty thrilled when we discovered we would have TACOS for lunch! The sweet cooks made fresh tortillas as they had been taught to do by a team here from Mexico. The avacadoes here are amazing and their salsa would rival any at Central Market. So what that we didn't have any meat, they were still a treat. Now we just have to convince them to serve Tacos on Tuesday instead of Friday. 
After lunch Laura (pictured above) taught the cooks to make pie crust which they picked up quickly since they already make fresh tortillas. Given that she had to modify and use margarine instead of butter and an oven with no temperature settings the little popovers turned out well. The girls were excited about the chance to learn something new and when they tasted the results they made a plan to cook them again on Tuesday! Personally it made me all the more anxious for my mother's chocolate meringue pie at Thanksgiving.
Our plans to go into the village were once again ruined with an afternoon rainstorm. It cooled things off which no one minded at all. The rainy season should be over by now but El Nino is being blamed for continued rain. I'm just hoping that the runway here won't be too muddy when we take off tomorrow.
Each afternoon we've enjoyed sitting out under a large tree with whatever little ones might gather there. We've colored, played with bubbles, listened to and sung songs with them and the ladies with longer hair have gotten some lovely hairstyles. This spontaneous time has been a highlight for each of us. The picture below is just one of many that will be making its way back to the U.S. 
Tonight was movie night for the kids so we braved the mud and walked over to see them. They were all settled on their benches just as if they were ready for chapel. I'm not sure how the movie choosing delegates themselves are chosen but there was some intense deliberation going on as we arrived. Animated "Spiderman" was vetoed in favor of "Pocahontas" though I'm not sure it mattered since the kids never stopped talking! Jana and I stayed for about 15 minutes then headed back to our dorm to start packing.
Just as we have done every evening this week, our team met in the pyatt (our dining hall/pavillion) for debriefing and time of encouragement. Tonight we were joined by Jay McFarland who is also from our church but he has recently been named to an adminstrative role with Harvesters. He is visiting South Sudan for the month of November. His career as a hospital administrator has been crucial to the planning and implementation of the House of Hope Hospital.
Pictured L to R: Jay McFarland, Brian and Laura Newby, Dianne Etheredge and Jana Johns.
We are looking forward to our pancake breakfast in the morning and will then say our goodbyes before leaving at 9:00 a.m. Please pray for our travel which will be close to 40 hours due to two long layovers. I am so grateful to each of you for your interest, your prayers and your support.
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