Woke up this morning and realized that it was Groundhog’s Day. Looked up the news on my iPad and checked the weather and heard Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow so I guess that means six more weeks of winter. Then I realized where I was. Who cares? I’m in Cozumel, Mexico and will be for at least one of those six weeks. With that said, today started off great. Coffee at Karen and Larry’s house with morning devotions and sharing about what our special talents were. I believe bacon was brought up. I guess eating bacon could be a talent. A very good one at that. Great, now I want bacon.

Renovation of a therapy center was first on the agenda. It was so great when Carlos (a child with disabilities) greeted us at the door. Right away paint brushes, rollers and scrapping of the roof began. In record time first coat was on ceilings and walls. The roof posed a bit of a greater challenge but good progress was made.

Tar was scraped off a leaking roof on an abandoned property that will be turned into a therapy center for children with disabilities.

April served us an amazing lunch and we all got fueled up for the big bazar where we sold clothing to raise money for our projects. Wow, I didn’t know quite what to expect but it was nothing less than amazing. Karen has this organized down to a T. It seems like hundreds of people came through the gates. It was great to see so many people buying stuff by the arm full. The children were entertained with silly bands and stickers while the parents shopped.

The Gran Bazar helps raise money for Friends of Cozumel projects--and provide a lot of affordable clothing to families.

After a quick shower and power outage, everyone gathered for dinner sharing stories about the success and progress of projects of the day. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. I think it’s going to be tough to top today.

—Tammy, a first-time volunteer from North Carolina

Kristin and Tammy (top center) helped entertain children at the Gran Bazar while their parents shopped.