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Arapaho United Methodist Church

Serving In Puerto Rico
July 5, 2014
Community: Cidra
Staff: Kevin Gamradt

We're Here!

by Cassidy Beam | July 5, 2014 2:51 PM

The gangs all here and getting their first taste of crazy Puerto Rico weather. When they landed at the airport, the sun was shining, and it was pushing 95 and 80% humidity. We squeezed everything and everyone (barely!) onto a school bus and headed south into the mountains to get to our church in Cidra. During the bus ride, we had some downpours of rain, with sun in between. The air is a little cooler up here, and we're excited to get unpacked and hear more about how we'll be serving The Lord in Cidra. Don't forget to leave comments so we can read them to the team!
We're Here!
Good Morning From El Redentor

by Morgan Ferch | July 6, 2014 8:00 AM

Our first full day here in Cidra is well on its way, and the team would like to say hello from Puerto Rico and thank everyone who helped them get here! We're starting this morning with Sunday School and service here at the host church Iglesia Metodista de Puerto Rico "El Redentor". Following the services we will be making our presence in the community by prayer walking and handing out invitations to the children's ministry starting tomorrow. We're excited to see what God has planned for the day, what doors He will open, and what opportunities He has already planned for us to encounter today and throughout the rest of the week! Let the fun begin!
Good Morning From El Redentor
United through Christ

by Kevin Gamradt | July 6, 2014 10:02 AM

The team leading a time of worship.
United through Christ
Spreading the Word

by Geralyn Palmer | July 6, 2014 2:29 PM

This afternoon the team split up into two groups to prayer walk through the streets of Cidras. We had the opportunity to pray for different members of the community and hand out pamphlets for the upcoming week of Vacation Bible School!
Spreading the Word
Game on!!!

by Kevin Gamradt | July 7, 2014 9:27 AM

The team was up by 7 am to prepare for the 30 kids that are attending vbs. It is the biggest vbs in the 50 year history of the church. The church is super excited as we work together sharing Christ love with the kids. The team has split up in to two groups. Some are helping with games while others are starting to paint the church. Things are full swing now.
Game on!!!
Painting the Sanctuary

by Geralyn Palmer | July 7, 2014 10:07 AM

Today part of the team got started on painting the inside of the sanctuary of the church! They started by scraping the walls, painting the ceiling, and also fixing up some electrical. The transformation is already apparent! Outside, some of the team worked on power washing the sidewalk leading up to the church so that it can be painted later. Truly working as God's hands and feet!
Painting the Sanctuary
Men at work

by Kevin Gamradt | July 7, 2014 9:49 PM

Austin and Dewey working with the tools at hand to make a drainage groove in the church sidewalk. Several of the church members took turns to accomplish the project. It was a great day of ministry through teamwork.
Men at work
Shootin Hoops

by Morgan Ferch | July 8, 2014 7:55 AM

Due to some technical difficulties yesterday we couldn't get this post up, but yesterday afternoon some of the team spent their time at the basketball court across the street from the church. Over the course of several hours nearly 10 kids from the local community joined us for some games! The team had a great time building some relationships with kids their own age and we can't wait to get back to the court today for some more fun!
Shootin Hoops
Lining Up

by Geralyn Palmer | July 8, 2014 8:02 AM

More painting today! This morning part of the team is working on painting the sidewalk leading up to the church as well as painting the parking lot lines.
Lining Up
Operation Lumberjack

by Geralyn Palmer | July 8, 2014 8:58 AM

Another project the work team got to do this morning involved digging up the stump of a tree that had been cut down. Twenty minute and lots of swinging and hacking later we were finally able to get it out! We are now working on clearing out the roots so that we can plant a new tree.
Operation Lumberjack
No Such Thing As Too Much Fun

by 26817040.6665 | July 8, 2014 9:26 AM

Games, games, and more games. The kids, the team, and all of the adults are participating and joining in on the fun!
No Such Thing As Too Much Fun
Parachute Fun

by 58004749.8803 | July 8, 2014 9:54 AM

Parachutes are always fun! No matter the age, no matter the country, everyone always has a smile on their face. The kids are loving having the team to play with them, and in return the team is doing a great job pouring into the kids and building quality relationships with them.
Parachute Fun
Refreshing through prayer

by 29417147.1669 | July 8, 2014 7:34 PM

The team is recovering from the busy week through participating in the churches weekly prayer service.
Refreshing through prayer
No Fear Of Heights

by Morgan Ferch | July 9, 2014 7:50 AM

The team is back at it already this morning! VBS, painting, and sealing the church roof are all in progress! Part of the team is spending the morning up on the roof trying to finish up painting. This hopefully will help to seal it better preventing water damage to the ceiling. They are working super hard and getting lots done!
No Fear Of Heights
Found in Translation

by Geralyn Palmer | July 9, 2014 10:48 AM

As part of VBS some of the team got the opportunity to teach the kids a song in English. Then, with the help of the VBS kids, they were able to translate the song to Spanish! The team is always finding creative ways to overcome and break down the language barrier in order to spread God's word.
Found in Translation
Following Along

by Geralyn Palmer | July 9, 2014 11:06 AM

To wrap up VBS at the end of each day the team and kids all meet in the sanctuary to sing a few songs together. Although the songs are generally in Spanish, the team does their best to sing along. Sometimes the kids even try to help them follow along in the music packets :)
Following Along
Between the Lines

by Geralyn Palmer | July 9, 2014 1:58 PM

The last wall of the sanctuary might be the toughest, but the team is up for the challenge! Progress is constantly being made and we cannot wait to see the finished product!
Between the Lines
Hello to all!!

by Angela Burrow | July 10, 2014 7:52 AM

Hello everybody!!! The trip is going great and all youth are sad the trip has gone by so fast! Today is the last day of VBS which has been my favorite part of the trip so far!!! The church will be finished today and the congregation has been so involved with the painting and everything else we have fixed. The church we have been with all week reminds me a lot of a mini AUMC! I hope all is well in Richardson and we will see you all Saturday!!
Hello to all!!
It is rec day

by Kevin Gamradt | July 11, 2014 4:35 PM

The team has had a blast on the catamaran, snorkeling, and is now heading to get some food. It has been good to relax after a full week in Puerto Rico.

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Comments

Robin Browning

July 10, 2014 7:48 PM

What a wonderful example of God's love! It is clear there is joy for both those serving and being served. God Bless!

Kate Browning

July 10, 2014 2:06 PM

This is awesome! Thanks for all the great pictures and you are doing a great job over there!

Patricia Allbee

July 9, 2014 9:52 AM

These updates and photos have been wonderful, thank you so much for doing this!

Cousin Mike, Dasha, Campbell and Avery

July 9, 2014 8:33 AM

Thank you very much for the updates, we enjoy about the progress every day! We are praying for Chris, Cooper and the team daily, and can see God at work in everything the team is doing! We love you and are very proud of everyone!

Emmy and Bill Browning

July 9, 2014 8:27 AM

Wow you are busy busy. Can't believe how much you have accomplished for that church. Keep up the good work. Love reading the updates.

Beth Walker

July 8, 2014 12:52 PM

Thank you for all of the updates; we enjoy reading about their activities. We can tell from the big smiles on everyone's faces that they are enjoying their work and having a wonderful time.

Cathy Sweeney

July 8, 2014 8:37 AM

The updates are great, and I'm glad everyone is making an impact on the community, including the people AND the buildings!

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