After the downpour it took awhile for everyone to make it back to the buses. Once we knew we had everyone we boarded and drove to Jardines de Celeste for our afternoon "coffee break" and dessert.
The restaurant is an amazing place with fresh flowers and gardens. It's very large--remember that there were 90 of us! Their desserts are beyond amazing: coconut pie (my choice), cheesecake, tiramisu, strawberry mouse, apple pie (pictured below) and chocolate cake.
Friday night we had a "farewell" dinner for our IDEM group leaders, Ryan and Keeley Blackstock. While they're not leaving the country, they are changing churches. Ryan accepted an assistant pastor position with Iglesia Bautista Nueva Esperanza (New Hope Baptist Church.)
Stephen's had a really bad cold so he didn't go. Of course, I went so I could take the dessert! It was at Salvador and Roxana's house in Santa Techla, not far from where we used to live, so I knew the way. Dinner was great--grilled steak, rice, beans, salad, fruit and cheesecake for dessert.
We all agreed that we will work hard to maintain our friendship with the Blackstock family so I expect we'll be having more dinners together in the future. To end the evening each of us shared how we felt about them and then had a group prayer. We know that they are following God's will for their lives, but will miss seeing them on a weekly basis.
