Day 2 - Church and Horseback riding

Wow, what a great day!  Although we were disappointed to arrive at church and find that Pastor Betson was in Corozal, we pulled together an impromptu worship service right there at Dorothy Menzies Child Care Center with the kids.  Laura led an opening prayer, several children chose and led a set of praise & worship music, and Bev and Natalie read scripture and did a short message.  It was the perfect way to begin our day, and prepare us for our field trip.  

After lunch we took the age 11 & older kids on a 2+ hour bus ride to Cayo district, near the Guatemala border, for an afternoon of horseback riding.  Santiago Juan, owner of Hanna Stables near San Ignacio, was wonderful with the kids.  All of the kids except two were brave enough to ride, along with several of our team members. Since we can't take photos of the kids, here are a few of us as well as the grounds!  

Many of the kids had never been up close to farm animals before.  The smiles on their faces were priceless! Two girls had us laughing on our nature hike when we encountered a bull, and since they were wearing red, they were too afraid to walk past him.  Thank you Beth for seeing them back to the farmhouse safely. There were games of futbol and football in the large open fields (a luxury for these kids) while they patiently waited their turn to ride. We were treated to fresh watermelon, mangos and freshly squeezed lime juice on a beautiful veranda lined with plush flowers and greens, as well as a cat who was somewhat patient as he was showered with a lot of love.  

On our way home we stopped at Cheers Restaurant near Belmopan, where we enjoyed fabulous burritos and home made cookies.  The kids got a chance to play in their beautiful grounds before climbing back on the bus for the rest of the ride home.  The last hour of the bus ride was filled with joyful Christian singing, with a lot of animation, led by two of the older girls.  What fun!