Laurel Thornton was having some jet lag and was still awake so I asked her to write down her first impressions:

Meeting with Mary and Wallace (Directors of Mission of Hope) and hearing their stories today was incredible. I have truly never seen such faith. It is so obvious that God is performing miracles through them daily. They as well as the staff of Mission of Hope radiate with the love they have for Jesus. I so wish we could get Mary to come to speak at Snyder. Touring the slums was overwhelming to say the least. It will take a long time to process. As we talked about it tonight though we were each struck by some things besides just the unimaginable living conditions. We were all overwhelmed by the children. Despite their circumstances they seem happy, loving, and they take care of each other. Also, by force of their living conditions, there is a bit of a sense of community within the slums.
There is so much to be done here. While 6000 children are now attending then schools, there are 90,000 more who need sponsors. Seeing the miracles that have already been performed here, there is still hope!  Laurel