Elgin - 1:23 on Thursday
Wednesday, Ed and I stayed back to get some supplies for the Men's Retreat. That meant we missed the morning class and the three hours of bus ride getting there and back. We were ready for a break. I had visions of a long nap, working on the blog, and leisure dining. Didn't happen.
We left the hotel and walked to the main street. We were looking for the shopping mall that everyone was talking about because it had everything we would ever need. So we were supposed to go left on this main street and run right into the mall. We did only there was no mall, just ocean at the end of the street. We were about to go hunting for the mall on the left and right when Ed asked a bell hop at the Marriott we were in front of where the mall was. He pointed across the street. Only across the street was a park and then a cliff, and then the ocean. Turned out the mall was built into the cliff and there were no signs telling you that the mall was below. The mall was beautiful overlooking the water with Galleria type stores.
Anyway, we found the mall and started looking for the items on our list. Most of them were paper products so we were looking for a office supply store. There were three floors on the mall and we walked all three floor looking for anything close to an office supply store. Nothing. So we walked them again. Nothing. If you were looking for women's clothing, shoes, or makeup you had plenty of choice... office supply, none.
We stopped for a cup of coffee. I'm trying to get on the internet to look up office supplies in Spanish, getting on the internet was not working when Ed thought there was a guy there who knew Spanish. He did, was an American from South Dakota, and told us how to get to an office supply store. So we followed his directions, which included a 10 block walk, and got our stuff. It was interesting to me that this small store had about 20 clerks, six to take money, eight to help the few customers there, and six to stock the shelves that were already full. Help must be cheap.
We went back to the hotel, had lunch with the others from the school, and then went back and did our afternoon class. Jeff had a fun game; he's in charge of recess. It was a big, colorful parachute like circle and you would put a ball in the middle and get it to stop in the center. All the kids are around holding the chute and it is waving and bouncing around. Our seven year old kids thought it was the best.
After class, the men walked to Sylvia's house. Sylvia is the mother of a family that Susie and Gene have sponsored for years. They love Susie. There were ten of us and we had dinner there. After dinner about twenty other men joined us for the Men's Bible study. Lot's of testimonies and they were very serious about their faith. Not much joking around. I am impressed with these men and how David has cultivated a faithful group. Small but growing. It will be these men and their friends who will be on the retreat.
We left the bible study around nine and got home after ten. Even though Ed and I cheated and took the morning off we were still dead tired. It was a long day.
Sally went out to dinner with the ladies and had a great time... I think it was aided by the Pisco Sours.
Josh stayed at the San Juan House, where 12 boys live. He loved it and I will try to get him to write about his time there.
We are all doing well, loving the people here, appreciating the ministry, and learning again how Christ works in the world.
Gracias
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