Christmas in July

Yesterday the YW staff woke us up by singing Christmas carols! We celebrated christmas in July with cookies and carols and lots of red and green. Our days have been full: we've made friends at a community center, sorted clothes, cleaned out warehouses, served food. Our work has been hard, varied, and very rewarding. We've been consistently amazed at how grateful and joyful the people are here. At night on Tuesday we watched a movie about Joe's place, a homeless house for boys in STL. We were amazed by their stories, strength, and perseverance. We were reminded how much we take for granted. Last night we went to some botantical gardens. They were absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed walking while we listened to live music. Our group is bonding very well and we can hardly believe this is our last night. Thank you for your prayers; we're thinking of you!F