Wednesday morning's relays and basketball drills were accompanied by the percussion ensemble from the high school where we were visiting. Enthusiastic drummers surrounded by hard surfaced walls made for a little more pounding than we were accumstomed to...but all adjusted well, thanks to a little extra Tylenol. The heat (have we mentioned that it is HOT in Venezuela) and the pulse of the bass drum did not deter everyone from having a great day. Laura, Destri, Brittany, and Brooke joined the percussion session for a while... the consensus is that the pep band at Belmont has nothing to worry about. The afternoon at Christo Rey School was spent with the high school students. They were not quite sure about the tall Americans, but warmed up quickly to their smiles and the activities planned. The Belmont team connected solidly with these students and it was tough to say good-bye to new friends at the end of the day.

The busy afternoon at the high school turned into a busier evening at a park close to a Baptist mission church. The older young men playing a fast paced game of soccer when we arrived were a little intimidating...Venezuelan's take their soccer (futbol) very seriously. Darkness closed in on the basketball game. A twighlight game of soccer followed. Under the single light from mid-court there was a great time of sharing and all were amazingly attentive. There is another Betty Wiseman through the chainlink fence story to be told, you'll just have to wait and hear that from her. Around 8:00PM, the team finished playing a round of kickball and walked to a nearby home for a meal of traditional Venezuelan foods.

Long days like Wednesday will slow the number of posts coming on the journal...but believe me, there is much to tell. Your comments have been wonderful!!!! I cannot wait to share them with the rest of the team.

On the run in Venezuela,
Paul