March 2026- Day 4

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Hey there, it's Owen,

    It is the fourth day of our D.R. trip, and today I am writing the blog for one of my favorite days so far. Today was not quite as early as some other days, with most of us getting up around 8 for some incredible pancakes made by Kaityand Leah. After that, we got busy cleaning up the church (as it is Friday, the designated church cleanup day). Me, Titus, Nikkos, as well as Mr. Z, worked on sweeping and washing the floor of the parking bay. Pastor Tito and Slater also helped us out, and after about an hour or two the whole church was clean. We finished a bit early and some of us were able to catch up on some much-needed rest before lunch was ready. We had hamburgers for lunch (which I thought were very good), and then we had siesta time, where I and pretty much everyone else took naps. After that, our plan was to go to Las Brisas, and Pastor Tito arranged for some of us to take a short ride on the motos (the motorcycles that are very common in the area) to get there. While some of us opted for the van ride, some others and I were taken on the motos with some good friends of Tito's and had a great ride to Las Brisas. We got to really experience the city and neighborhoods along the way. At Las Braisas, almost 50 kids came, and we had a great time interacting and sharing time with them. I found myself getting my hair put into a ponytail (somehow), Titus arranged a rock-paper-scissors tournament, and everyone else had a great time singing songs and learning dances with the children there. Afterwards, we all hopped into Cheo's van and went to Freddy's Grill, which had some incredible chicken and some even better passionfruit juice (in my opinion, anyway, it seemed many others agreed as well). From there, Pastor Tito treated us to ice cream across the street before we headed home. After saying goodbye to our friends for the night, Mr. Zaleski called us all in for debriefing, where we discussed the day, received our letters from parents, and had a time of prayer. And now I sit, writing this blog for you to read. Before I go, I have a couple of prayer requests for the trip going forward:

1. That we would all get rest and a renewed energy for the second half of the week

2. That we would be a blessing to Las Braisas as we return there tomorrow












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