What to do with 230 children...EAT PIZZA!!

From Lynn Parrish

Not your typical Monday today. Today we traveled to an orphanage about an hour and a half outside of Tegucigalpa---Good Shepherd. We dropped the house crew off and then drove out into the country. About 230 children live at this orphanage and all of them have a story to tell. They all gathered at the fence as we arrived and we could see the excitement in their eyes. We got off the bus and began to play. There was a nice, big open space surrounded by about ten cottages with big porches. The variety of things to do was amazing: on one porch they were coloring, painting nails, and playing a game of Old Maid (works in any language!); in the yard there were bubbles, jump rope, a soccer game, playing with those great big balls, playing Purple Stew (awesome!) and Pato Pato Ganzo (Duck Duck Goose!) and a hand game, Follow the Leader, Monkey in the Middle, sack races, on the playground, as well as photographers trying to capture it all. Most of us had a following of several children that stayed with us all day. They were great to talk to because many of them knew some English. We could tell they were well-cared for and well-mannered. When lunchtime rolled around, Mark drove up in his truck with the back seat FULL of Little Caesars Pizza--- 100 of them I believe. What a thrill as they all lined up and came through getting cheese, sausage or pepperoni plus a juice box. There was enough for as much as they wanted, for us, and then a little left toward dinner tonight. The pizza party was sponsored by the 4th and 5th graders at Disciples’ Fellowship who raised the $600 for it by baking cookies, brownies, pies and other goodies and getting donations for them one Sunday morning. I want to say to Bailey, Jackson, Jenna, Lauren, Lexie, Abby, Miranda, Nathan, Hayden, Priscilla, Stephanie, and Will---IT WAS AWESOME AND I CAN’T WAIT TO SHOW YOU THE PICTURES! I hope you can see what a big part you have played in God’s work here today; I pray that each of you will have the opportunity to come and join us in the next few years. After lunch we played more, braided hair, and just chilled. The hard part of the day was saying “good bye” as they clung to us and gave us the biggest hugs you ever had; we told them “Jesus loves you” and “I love you” and then tore ourselves away. Who was blessed more today? I guess it’s a toss-up…