Thursday: Key Ceremony Day

It's all come down to this moment: the final build day. The opportunity to bless a family with a house - now a home. The morning brought grey skies, however the rain stayed at bay until the final moment once the keys had been handed over, the families had their new home, and we were all returning back to the base knowing that God had opened hearts and blessed us all.

Much of the day consisted of finishing shingling the roof, adding baseboards, touching up paint, cleaning up the site, building furniture, shopping, setting up the house and tying up any loose ends. The day ended with the teams in a circle, passing the key from person to person and offering a blessing before the final moment when the key was placed in the family's hands.

The teams also presented gifts, homemade quilts, an adult and children's bible, and a plaque with the team picture on it. There were tears of joy, and full hearts by the end of the day.

We returned to heavy rain, but with light hearts. We are now in our final chapel, debriefing over the experiences we had over the week. It will be an early morning tomorrow, heading to cross two borders. Please pray for safe and speedy crossings, for a timely flight, and good health for all of our students and staff. We cannot wait to share our adventures with you all.