This week was very busy with classes and other events. Our teacher wanted as much time with us as possible, so we had morning, afternoon, and evening class time. It was great, but we’re all exhausted this weekend! Another contributing factor to our weariness is the team of 36 people (mostly high schoolers) staying on base. They arrived on Tuesday from Wisconsin, and are here for around ten days. During the day, they have outreach trips, but at every meal, there are about 65 people at our house, lined up for food. And I thought it was chaotic before… It’s fun though, and it’s interesting to see their reactions to their new/temporary surroundings. (Like when one of them was amazed that we can’t flush any paper down the toilet, or when they stare confusedly at the food, wondering what is in it- okay I admit, I still do that sometimes.) Teams come in quite often to stay here, although this group is larger than normal.

On Thursday, half of our class went to Las Tablas again, for outreach. They did the same as last week, digging more sand to help build a dam for the church. Those of us who stayed back worked at the base house, in the backyard. There were a few projects to work on, like putting up a wall in one of the storage areas, and taking down a tree that was weighing down the patio covering. Here are a few pictures from Thursday:

Annabelle and Ashley working on the wall

Alex using the machete to chop up the branches of the tree

Me, measuring wood for the door of the laundry area

Will, working on the door for the laundry area

The YWAM base here in San Jose is only a few years old, and so there are always projects going on as it continues to grow. It’s amazing to me that all the staff here are volunteers and such hard workers. It’s evident that each staff member and student care deeply about the community here and are happy to contribute all they can.