Andy Shermer : Needless to say I am a fan of the television show Heroes, but this week I got to spend a week with 37 real Heroes. None of them can read minds, have super healing ability or can fly.  However everyone put their talents to work or learned new skills this week. Some painted, some mixed cement, some built roofs, some ran children’s activities, some ran cabling, some installed electrical circuits and even one went shopping (Dave).

What really matters is that we all took our time to spend time with the kids of Emmanuel Ministries.  I would like to point out my three biggest Heroes this week. First is Tyler Hills, he is a man of very few words. His deeds speak much louder.  Tyler volunteered every night to help put the 3-7 year old boys to bed, a task truly reserved for the saints. My second Hero is Megan Spradley, who was able to instantly befriend any of the Emmanuel kids she met. My third Hero is Josh Simonson who after a long  day of hard work, spent a long night of playing soccer with the kids. Maybe I was wrong maybe we do all have Superhero abilities.

Emily: With a little bit of pressure from various people I have, yes, given in and decided to post something.. although I don’t even know where to start. This week has truly been some of the most fun and meaningful moments for me this year. As I slapped more of the beloved yellow paint[ish] ‘goop’ onto the new laundry room wall with dried out hands from days of constantly being coated in chemicals, I thought about how there is absolutely no other place I’d rather be.  I’m always excited to do some hard work, but while showing the kids God’s incredible love, I feel like I am getting just as much in return. Getting to know a few of the kids and their unique personalities has been one of my favorite experiences. So much so, that as we rested our hands on the kid’s shoulders at the end of the church service tonight and prayed for them, I’ll admit I was brought to tears. The thought that we have made an impact on these kids in such a short time combined with the knowledge that we have less than a day left to spend with many of them is hard for me to handle.
Alright, well its time for bed, but a couple things: 1) we sang some Hillsong songs [yes in spanish ha] in church and I hear them being played through the speakers around Emmanuel and its just so cool to see all the kids praising God and it helps me see that through all our differences, there is still so much in common. 2) I broke down and played a little soccer one night with some of the younger kids and they basically creamed me hah. 3) For those of you who know my dad, some of the kids asked him if he knew Scooby-Doo, and after he responded with an enthusiastic ‘yes,’ they pointed at him and shouted ‘Shaggy!’ My dad concluded that they definitely know their cartoons haha. 4) Thank you so much everyone for your prayers! I know it means a lot to me, and im sure it’s the same for the entire group.

Ellen's Paint Accident, Tripping up the Stairs

This morning we took a quick hike up to a large cross overlooking the city.  At the top we stopped and prayed for the city of Juarez.  If you have been watching the news, you know that Juarez needs God; army troops are patrolling the streets.  In at least one place, however, the smiles of the kids and the dedication of the staff have helped to make a small, peaceful oasis of God’s love.