Lori made tie dye shirts with all the kids. She is such an amazing host! We all felt at home there, and really appreciated all the fun things she had planned, the yummy food she prepared, and that she and Matt opened up their home to all of us...at the same time. :)
On Monday we went to brunch at The Henhouse. They have huge, yummy pancakes that were more than enough to feed us all. It was pretty crowded inside, but luckily the weather was pleasant and so we were able to eat outside.
After brunch, we headed over to Feed My Starving Children.
We got to put together meal packets to be sent to communities where children are under-nourished. It was such a cool atmosphere, working alongside people who are all there giving their time to help people around the world.
After learning about their mission and how to assemble the meals, we all got to work. They turn on music, and everyone has a job. It was a really fun and fulfilling way to spend the afternoon!
Everyone would yell out their count whenever they would complete a whole box of meals. The teenagers filled 22 boxes (with 36 bags in each box)!! They had an awesome rhythm going, and were quite proud to be the team that filled the most boxes. :)
After cleaning up our stations, we all gathered to say a prayer over the boxes before they are shipped out. They have a very high rate of success for their shipments actually getting to where they're supposed to, and they believe that God has a part in that as a result of the prayers that are said over every box.
Tuesday was Al's birthday, and I tried to help her have a nice day by staying outside with the kids so she didn't have to be out in the heat. :) They swam all day, and it was fun to be out there with them.
The adults went out to dinner at Freddy's to celebrate Al's birthday, which was a lot of fun. I love to visit and laugh with my siblings!
We had such a great time in Arizona. We watched movies (some of them I stayed awake through and some I didn't :), Matt took us for a ride in their Tesla (the kids want us to get one now:), and enjoyed each other's company all week. Thank you so much Matt, Lori, Elena, and Cody for letting us take over your house and for all the fun we had!
I love the pictures, especially of Damon and his adorable smile! Allison has told me a little about feed my starving children but I was very interested in the insights you gave concerning it. It sounds like a great service to give and I'm proud of the teenagers for getting into it so much! You were nice to keep the kids outside so Allison didn't have to go out in the heat on her birthday!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for making my birthday so relaxing, that was so thoughtful of you. You always make me feel so loved and important with your thoughtfulness!
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