Christmas in Sumpango

Hola from Sumpango. Actually, right now we are in the home of Armando C., getting ready for a little dinner of pizza and soda. It's been another long, sunny, warm, great day. Breakfast at 7, with Pablo's (our hotelier host) specialty, boiled plantains, frijoles negros (black bean paste), huevos batidos (scrambled eggs), pan y queso (bread and cheese), cafe (coffe), y jugo de fruta (and fruit juice). We spent the next half hour in worship.
The VBS group (Vacation Bible School) group received 220 local children. They played games and heard a message about the death and resurrection of Christ. They also did a puppet show and sang songs. The children made bracelets. The teachers and elders from the church thanked and prayed for the VBS group.
The women's group began decorating El Rajon (the church) for Christmas (they do it early down here!). The women from El Rajon gave a gift to each of the women from our group. The local women led the group in a game that involved passing a small ball from one person to another, through a spoon that each person had in her mouth. They played other games as well. It was great to be able to spend more time with the people everyone had met the day before. The women from the church also served their traditional Christmas dinner of tamales, bread and punch (apple cider with fruit). Both groups exchanged stories of Christmas traditions.
After another hair-raising flat-bed ride through the city, the construction crew once again played in the dirt. We cleaned up the site in preparation for the school dedication tomorrow. It was a long but very rewarding work day. Will report again tomorrow..