Today we started our bus trip by singing Happy Birthday to Diana Amerine.  We started our day off at Good Samaritan. Part of our group went to help at the basketball camp and others played with kids. Another small group was set off to add mulch to their playground, which was amazingly cool. We held an impromptu a capella concert for the kids. We were missing Rebecca and the soloists for some of the songs, but the kids still loved us. The kids at Good Samaritan were kids that lived around the neighborhood who didn’t have very much at home. Good Samaritan has a kindergarten and tutors for the summer. It also has camps for all ages, including the elderly, who supposedly have the most fun. After a great morning there we shipped off to Schlitterbahn. It was rather crowded but what did you expect?  It was still really fun and I suggest you all go sometime.  We all arrived home exhausted and are ready for bed.

Today we returned to mission road ministries to continue working with the kids from the day before. The kids were very excited to see us come back for another day and so were we. It was a very enlightening experience to be able to grow closer to them for another day. At the end of our work day we had an impromptu concert for some of the other volunteers.  We then made the three hour drive to Baylor in Waco, TX. After a final rehearsal, we presented our show to music directors from across the country. The concert was by far the best performed and most rewarding thus far on this trip. Following the concert, we loaded up on the bus and went to Rudy’s BBQ, a lot like Oklahoma Joe’s in Overland Park. Then we settled in for the three hour bus drive back to our temporary home at First Presbyterian in San Antonio.  

Today we began our first real day of mission work at Mission Road Ministries. This facility provides support and care for children and adults with mental disabilities. We split off into several groups to assist these individuals and provide a mentally stimulating environment. Activities included solving puzzles, coloring, and solving math problems. Other groups helped the ministry as a whole by picking rocks out of a field which would later be turned into a soccer field. We left this place with a new understanding of mental disabilities and a sense of awe in what those affected with them can accomplish.  After working at Mission Road we continued to Methodist Mission Home where we preformed a concert to an amazing audience.  A large portion at our Methodist Mission Home concert was deaf.  Despite their disability of hearing, they were by far the most interested and enthusiastic audience of all of our concerts to date.  Meeting many new people and sharing their experiences has broadened our understanding and has helped us grow in our faith.  Having woken up at six in the morning, it is time for bed for we have a busy schedule tomorrow singing at Baylor University.

On this lovely, steamy day in San Antonio, everyone was really mean to their vocal chords. J Just kidding. We sang at three different services at our host church in a beautiful sanctuary, accompanied by the church’s incredibly talented organist.   After the late service, the choir director came down to our kitchen and thanked us so much for the inspiring performance we gave.  One high school girl was so touched that she requested that we would make a CD of our songs and mail them to their church.  She wanted to motivate other youth to join the choir and make a difference. After, we were wined and dined by the church’s choir for lunch before heading to the Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center for two concerts for the young inmates. The groups of kids were divided up and called “Mods” and were determined by gang activity outside the Detention Center, behavior, and gender. Both audiences were pleased that they had the opportunity to listen to a choir and bell concert.  They seemed appreciative and polite, clapping after all our songs.  Afterwards, Officer Leon educated us on how the Center worked and gave us an idea of life inside. For example, the kids were closely monitored as they waited for court decisions regarding their crimes. The Center is not a treatment center, but more of a holding area for juveniles.  As we headed back to the host church, we saw a rainbow stretching across the sky; it seemed to touch both ends of the horizon! We had fajitas for dinner, practiced our choreography, and played some crazy games of four square.  After a busy, but rewarding day, we showered up and hit the hay!  

We arrived in San Antonio this morning at 10 AM, after a long, cold night on the bus.  After getting settled in, and meeting all the dead (and alive) crickets lying around our host church, we headed to Haven for Hope to tour the facility. This organization provides shelter, food, and job training or education for homeless people around San Antonio. After touring and learning about Haven for Hope, we rode the bus to the Alamo and Riverwalk area, where we had four hours of free time to roam around and relax after an exhausting night. It’s now 9:00 and we are sitting down to our evening tea and biscuits. We’re hoping to get a splendid night of sleep for our hectic day tomorrow. You stay classy, GCPC. 

[Miles additions – actually our host church is BEAUTIFUL and very accommodating (yes we found a couple crickets).  The blooming flowers and giant Cyprus trees and magnolias are certainly a reminder of God’s creativity!  Our hosts are wonderful and we have been greeted with love even by convenience store employees.  After a very nice vespers service by one of our small groups our tired group is quieter than normal.]