June 21

This morning we got up and prepared for our first work day. We arrived at Cipi around 8:30 am and began working right away. The object of today was to get the garden done, which we able to accomplish. The main trouble with the garden was the many ant hills that we stumbled upon. We all got our fair share of being bit; needless to say it hurt very badly. Before going to lunch we were able to get the ground prepared for the handmade in El Salvador (by us) boxes to place the flowers, and fruit and vegetables seeds in. Finally Dave must have been able to hear some of our stomachs growling and decided it was time to head towards Wendy’s, where even the smallest members of our team was able to eat as much as Rachel (who needless to say can eat and eat and eat.) We finished lunch with a nice, cold, smooth and creamy, frosty of our choice (chocolate or vanilla) which was a special treat for us from David. Having a full stomach we had to head back to Cipi and finish the project that we started. At this point we knew exactly what had to be done, and got to work as a team. Even though we smelled like a mixture of dirt and sweat, and looked like we haven’t showered in weeks, we went to the girl’s part of the orphanage and performed a skit for them in Spanish and passed out candy and bracelets. We came back to the house to have a delicious homemade dinner and quickly returned back to Cipi for the last time to watch a movie with popcorn. During the movie we were able to spend some special moments with the girls that we got extremely close with. Two in particular were named Veronica and Katherine. Rachel, who on the first day of meeting Veronica gave her scarf to her which quickly started a bond that will last forever. Near the end of the movie both Rachel and Veronica were drenched in tears. Katherine, who on the first day of meeting Brandi gave her volleyball flag to her. During the two days Brandi and Katherine spent with each other they grew a strong friendship that will never end. These are just two prime examples of the difference you can make while working through God.
Rachel, and Brandi <3