From Bella Fried:

We spent the morning and afternoon at the daycare painting walls outside. Despite the heat, I felt very good while doing it! José and the other women set up a cooler of water so we stayed very hydrated. I felt proud of the work we did and was really happy that we were able to help out in this way. It was pretty funny, and I’m glad I didn’t wear a nice shirt, because we got paint freckles all over us. I went through a water bottle every hour, and we played some fun Spanish music while we worked to keep us motivated.

The court looked very nice after we were finished. Some of our group members also helped build and repair a roof as well. We got a lot of good work done today!

We ended the day by eating dinner with the entire mission team. It was nice spending time with everyone we had gotten to know there. We talked with each other and learned a lot about one another, our music tastes, our dreams, and our jobs. The venue was right next door to Casa Blanca, and was covered in fairy lights and plants. After dinner, one of the ladies got up and danced a little with Emily, and in minutes we all had formed a dance circle. We even got José to dance with us (after some convincing). I felt so comfortable and united with everyone, it was a perfect way to end the trip. I am excited to come home and see my family and friends (and not be sweaty every day) but I know I am going to miss Mérida, José and Azucena a lot. I feel like I am going to miss all of the people here. They have done so much for us and I have loved getting to know them despite our language barriers. I would certainly come to Mérida again if I ever get the chance. Over these past few days, I have gotten a lot closer with everyone and it has been a blast making jokes and spending time with them.