It was getting harder and harder to wake up in the morning. Linda and I had the first showers of our room and went back to sleep when Steph and Rach when in :) We met out in the lobby to pray (with a promise and a hope in a Starbucks run) and after praying over the day and our travels, we loaded up and headed out. Today's location was Shoes for Orphan Souls. This organization that is set to put shoes on bare feet around the world. We were going to help them organize the shoe donations that they had. This includes, finding correct sizes, matching the pairs, and making sure everything is organized.
When earrived, we checked in and sat and watched a quick video about the program. Shoes for orphan souls was just the international ministry. Local ministry included sheltering orphans, keeping families together, and providing needed items like clothes and toiletries for local families in need. They even had a retirement facility. As far as international missions went, they also provided de-worming medicine as well as food to children around the world. Then it was time to get to work. We had three stations... box cutters (those who opened the pallets and the big boxes), the sorters (those who opened the shoe boxes and took the papers out of the shoes and put them together.) And the box crushers who...you guessed it broke the boxes. (The best job ever!) 
While pretending we were ninjas/super saians/mortal kombat fighters, Chris accidentally hit himself in the eye. At first, we laughed at him, but iit was serious. He was down and out for the rest of the morning. He was a trooper though and tried to laugh at our jokes though I could tell he was in pain. We went to eat lunch at CiCi's and he ate some. It became too much though, so we had to split up. David took him to the Urgent Care with a few others and we went off to Buckner's children. 
We found the place with ease and got super excited when we met the kids...mostly girls. We would have to add Addoni to the set. We toured the building with Spencer and heard the history. I can'tbeleive how active thed community was...everyhting in the building was donated...from the the brightly colored beanbag chairs to the bicycles that the kids were riding 
around. The walls were painted by corporate presidents, the computers were set up by a computer group in Cali, and the internet bill was paid for by a lady donor. It was awesome to see the commitment.. Spencer himself had been there for sixteen years. After the tour, we were informed that the mimes needed stand-ins for practice... oh Michael. It was hilarious to watch his facial expressions.
The mimes WOULDN'T smile. Just Rach and Steph. We all begged for them to show some teeth, but it eventually got to the part where it would be better for the two not to smile just so it looked synchronized. The team continued and discussed people taking Chris' place and how to move in the small place. In no time, David brought in Chris, who was looking like Cyclops (as we now lovingly call him) in his glasses. He apparently had a big scratch on his eye from the bottom left to the top right. He sat this one out as we went to talk with the kids. SO funny. I couldn't believe the innocence of those kids, especially with the background they had. When we 
started, it was awesome to see the change. The kids were so entranced and into it that the mimes couldn't help but to smile. The kids were beaming and even the mimes who never smile were beaming. Afterward, the kids were intrigued by the camera and begged to take turns. The next pictures were taken by the kids. (Faces are blurred to protect the children)
Once we said our goodbyes, we loaded up in the 107 degree heat and went to find some relief. Nothing like 1/2 priced strawberry limeades and slushes to cool you down on such a hot day. The car ride to Walmart was such an easier drive. As Lynette put in Chris' prescription, the mimes got random snacks and the crew got shirts to be labeled "Roadie" (yes, we felt left out) The run was quick and we headed off to 6Stones - an apartment ministry. Instead of bringing the kids to the center or the church, the church came to them. They would minister to the inhabitants, bring Christmas presents and do backyard bible studies. After a quick gas stop and a few u-turns, we made it to 6Stones. Its a ministry that reaches out to 2000 apartments in the immediately area. They have lots of support from the local businesses, government and community. It's amazing that they get so much support with people who one would think would never stand
behind the Cross. The government appreciates them, the local police and apartment managers appreciate them...they were even able to reach out to Muslims. After they talked to us about their ministry and the nearby apartment we were going to (Bellaire) they fed us a fantastic Texas-style the dinner complete with brisket, chicken, sausage cole slaw, and potato salad. So delicious. We thought about checking Chris' head as well: near the end of dinner, he started a conversation with his llama. Apparently, his llama requires his own room and five pillows. (Perhaps the drugs started to kick in.) We picked up and it was time to set up for the night. This set would be outside. It presented a lot of challenges – power, the sound spreading...the heat. The
space was huge; and as it got darker, several kids showed up. Patty instantly made new friends (who's surprised?) and we set up very quickly. The kids were certainly interested and SUPER excited when they saw the symbols on the mime's faces. (“Can I have one?”) I think we ran out of the eye-liner as much as we used. A young family came to watch (a real young couple – Daddy was only 14) and were 
unexpectedly open about telling their story. Another girl wanted to be a Christian and go to church, but Father was a devout Catholic, and had forbidden her. There were Sudanese kids, El Salvadorian kids...it was so diverse. Of course, the convert fell together; we had a generator, the speakers were loud and clear and clouds covered the sky making it at least bearable. And aside from a few sound difficulties, everything was great. Outside, I wasn't sure what to expect. Outside there are many distractions (squirrel!), and no one is really obligated to stay and sit, even out of politeness. But several kids sat and stayed (except for those who had curfew) and ever a few of the super tall basketball players paused to watch between plays. God's word draws and holds... the attention was held.
Again, “Not Guilty” got a lot of attention. A couple of girls came to ask what the song was for them to get later. A lot of the kids were interested in which church we went to and were shocked when we said we were from Colorado. “you came all this way to hang with us? Why?” We then turned them to Kenny, who was the leader of 6Stones. It's an awesome ministry that they do – almost like a backdoor kind of outreach. They can reach at the park kids who would never be allowed to step foot in a church. It was simply amazing.
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