My team just arrived back from our second full day of work. Today we headed to the largest casa hogar, Casa Hogar Douglas, which is a .5 mile walk down the road from the Back2Back "compound" where we stay. Our day was filled with scrubbing down walls, windows, tables and chairs in the kitchen's eating area, building picnic tables, bleaching mattresses in the little boys room and putting clean plastic covers on them, digging trenches, wheelbarrowing dirt up a hill, and all sorts of hard work in the intense heat of this afternoon. Although exhasusting, the work was followed by a few hours of intense loving and playing with the children, from soccer, to rounds of Bingo, to making necklaces in the girl's room, and simply holding one another and communicating love through our actions that words couldn't translate. It was altogether beautiful. I just sit in awe of our team daily and how God is uniquely working in each individual's life. Our theme this week is "one another" and all the ways the Bible tells us to treat one another.. be it loving, serving, encouraging, submitting to... etc. Moment to moment of every day I see our group living this out. Last night God surprised us with a beautiful rainbow during our worship time (which meant it was raining SOMEWHERE in Monterrey - praise God for that!). Then last night a few gathered for an impromptu worship time under the stars. Today we saw a shadow cast in the shape of a heart on the side of the mountain as we left Casa Hogar Douglas.. and overall I just feel God celebrating and smiling down on us in various ways. I'm impressed with the positive attitudes of everyone here. I'm encouraged by the vulnerability and conversations being had each night. These students are filled with JOY and enthusiasm and dreaming big for their lives, after only two days outside their comfort zones. But what a beautiful place it is to be. Parents, you should be proud!! Thanks for your prayers and rest assured that God is doing an amazing work here in Mexico and in the hearts of each student and leader!
Leslie Savage

When we woke up in the morning and we stepped outside, we realized where we were. We were in a place that was less fortunate than what we are used to. We realized that we really do have an impact on these kids and what we do and what we say really means alot to them. We had the privelege of going to Rio 3 and we were digging in a six foot hole to make the foundation for the doctors office, dentist office, and pharmacy. And also, at the same time, another group of Southbrookers working on the giant water tank (and when we say giant, we are talking HUGE!!!) on top of a six foot concrete table. After we ripped off all the metal bands holding the water tank in place, we all pulled together as one to shove the enormous water tank off the cement ledge and into the dark abyss. After the water tank was on the ground, we rolled it all over campus to try and find an appropriate place to store it. We were unsuccessful so we put it on the roof!!! Then some of us decided to jump in on the kids craft making fun. We made a lot of bracelets and gave them piggyback rides. It was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives.

Nick Crockett, Becca Nunery, and Brooke Collins