Ok, I think this will probably be the last post from Portugal…
A few more pictures, a video and a slide show 🙂
So the last night we were there we threw a festa (pronounced feshta) also known as a fiesta! We had brought ingredients for s’mores, we had glow sticks and music and we quickly made some paper decorations. It was not the best party, but throwing it together while we were there (and not knowing we’d do one in the first place) it wasn’t too bad. The s’mores were a hit!! None of them had even had marshmallows before so that was a treat. Also, no one knew how to eat them, and a few of them even asked if there was cheese in it!
That night was Armando’s last night (one of the camp directors). He took a group photo with us and told us that it was a blessing that we came. I guess last year a bunch of the kids got salmonella from eggs (most everything is donated to this camp so it was probably that the eggs were donated and probably not the highest of quality) and ended up in the hospital. The government wanted to shut them down and not allow the camp but ended up allowing it in the end. Then Armando and Vera didn’t want to even deal with it because of all the drama but since we were coming, they decided to make it work. They figured with our help they could make it happen this year. That was definitely a great thing to hear on our last night, feeling like we were useful during these two weeks.
The last day we pulled out a bunch of crafts and just hung out with the kids all morning. Paula brought her jewelry drill and drilled holes in a bunch of the shells we picked up over our time. Jackie and Paula made a bunch of necklaces and gave them all to the kids. The idea is that we are all unique, all different shapes and sizes but all in all, we are the same, we’re all shells together.
As we were about to leave, the kids gave us some paintings they had made for us and said that they would miss us.
We took a group picture and were off! We thought the goodbyes would be really sad and we would all cry but it seemed like the kids were ok with hugs and kisses and they didn’t get emotional at all. That made me sad later because I realized they are probably used to people leaving them in their lives. They also tease anyone who is emotional so no one wanted to cry for self-preservation! Poor kids!! I truly will miss them and pray for them as often as I can remember. Now I have faces and people I know that I can pray for and remember forever!
Here’s our slide show we put together. You will probably recognize photos I posted earlier but there are a bunch on here.
And here’s the video. I apologize for the weird layout, let me know if you want to see a full-quality video, come on over! Also, we’re doing a recap at the church on Sept. 14th at 12:30 under the chapel if you want to come.
p.s. totally unrelated but did anyone see the Sarah Palin speech tonight?? She’s pretty awesome I’ve decided.
