Working In San Antonio

[singlepic id=123 w=320 h=240 float=none]One of the items on my 2010 Action Plan was to head to San Antonio during Spring Break with the Cats for Christ ministry. My wife and I did exactly that, and spent a wonderful week working with Urban Connection.

Our trip started off on a less-than-ideal footing, when our ride to the airport didn’t show up. Fortunately, we were able to drive ourselves and make it on time with little inconvenience. We arrived safely in San Antonio and settled into our hotel rooms.

Sunday after church, we headed to Sea World for a fun-filled afternoon. This was my first visit to Sea World, and I had a fabulous time! The shows were great, and it’s always interesting to see exotic animals. We even got to ride some rides, and managed to stay dry the whole time!

[singlepic id=122 w=320 h=240 float=none]Monday through Friday, we got up early and headed over to Urban Connection. We were waiting when the kids arrived, and helped serve them breakfast. After breakfast was craft time, with a new project every day. Then they wore us out in the gym, so that we thoroughly enjoyed our break when it was time for lunch*. After lunch, we were in charge of the activities, and planned different games or crafts each day**. The childrens’ parents came and picked them up about 3. After they left, we headed back to the Urban Connection offices and rolled up our sleeves for some painting and construction projects.

[singlepic id=124 w=320 h=240 float=none]In the evenings, we generally stayed in the hotel, worn out from a day of playing and work. One night we headed downtown to the riverwalk and to see the Alamo. (Everyone was right, don’t make the Alamo the highlight of a trip.) We had some great mexican food that evening, and after dinner I flat out hurt from laughing so hard. We all had a great time, sharing stories over wonderful food.

Friday afternoon saw a few tears being shed, as we parted ways with our new-found friends. Though lots of pictures were taken, they don’t do those little guys justice! I know I’m missing my little buddy, Josh. He’s a great guy, and I can’t wait to seem him next year!

* Food

Robbie came with us and provided some meals. And boy did he do a good job! I’ve still got a couple of extra pounds that I need to get rid of! We ate breakfast at the hotel, then far too much delicious food for lunch, and then even more for supper. Whew!

The kids were on spring break, so Urban Connection provided lunch for them. We parted ways during lunch, which provided us with a much-needed break in the middle of the day. Robbie was fixing supper for us as we worked on the projects around the offices, so our work ended just as the food began.

** Crafts

Our group organized into smaller groups, with each small group in charge of the afternoon activities for a day. On our day, my group decided to go with a dodge-ball game and making sock puppets! We had a bit of trouble getting the glue to work (something about “let sit for at least 30 minutes” and excited 7 year olds just don’t go well together). In the end, though, everything worked out wonderfully, and the kids loved their puppets.

Coming home

Saturday morning we got to sleep in a bit later than normal before having a leisurely breakfast and heading to the airport. A couple of short flights later, and we were safely home again!

Though it was annoying at the time, having the car waiting for us at the airport worked out well; we were able to give a couple of friends a ride home, saving all of us the trouble of having to arrange rides home.

It was a wonderful week: full of friends, great food, and lots of fun. The children left an imprint on us, and we look forward to returning whenever possible.

One thought on “Working In San Antonio

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *