Saturday, January 19th

Today was full of traveling! Our entire team met at the Newark airport around 9:30 this morning and slowly made it through check-in and security. Fortunately, we had smooth flights! We expected to be fed on our three hour flight, however, so we came off of the plane starving! Getting the keys to our rental vans was easy. We drove to the church and were all pleasantly surprised with our living conditions. The church/school we are staying is is amazing! Not to mention how sweet Matthew, the volunteer coordinator, is! The school/church has everything: basketball courts, volleyball court, kitchens, couches, and showers.

After we toured where we are staying, we went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. We had to wait for a table for a long time, but it gave us the chance to bond and get to know everyone a little better. The food and people were great! After dinner we headed back to where we are staying ( St. Paul’s), reflected, and went to bed. We were all exhausted!

Everyone in the McAllen/ San Juan area is so sweet! We definitely stand out that we aren’t from Texas, though. We got asked many times where we are from. It looks like we are driving through Mexico when we pass all of the signs in Spanish. It’s a good thing we have a few people who know Spanish well! It is very warm and dry. It was surprising to see some grass and many palm trees in such a desert-like area! I’m sure our week will be full of many more surprises!

anxious!

We leave for the trip in four days! I’m getting very anxious. I think we all will have a wonderful time and make a real difference in Texas. I’m excited to understand how the immigrants feel when they first enter America and how they learn to assimilate into our culture. My favorite thing will be seeing children! I’m looking forward to seeing my team again, but i’m dreading packing. It will all be completely worth it in the end, though! See you all in a few days! :)

Aubrey