Saying Goodbye

     Saturday and Sunday we spent with our girls hanging out before we had to leave. On Saturday went to a little market together and we all got bracelets with our names on them. Sunday we went to church and then went sight seeing in the afternoon. We walked up to a place where we could see the volcanos and it was an incredible view. On our way home we decided to have a fiesta. We cooked our favorite foods here for dinner and got a big bottle of Orange Fanta from the store. Taylor had bought a cd so we popped it in and the girls gave us dance lessons. We had a great time together and will never forget it. We wanted our last day to be special and it definitely was. 

     It was very sad leaving Patricia, Tania, Crysthel, and Claudia at the airport this morning. However, I know we will see them again someday. Taylor and I have made such good memories with them. We will miss them a ton, but we can still all keep in contact on Facebook:) 

     This is the last post from our trip and I hope whoever has kept up with these have enjoyed them. 

     Adios! 

Last Week In Managua

     It has been a busy week here in Nicaragua. Tuesday was much the same as Monday, except we visited the school. We went in the afternoon when the high schoolers were there and went from class to class inviting them to the hot dog cookout Thursday at the church. We were only there for a short time, but we got the message out for the cookout. 

     On Wednesday I was sick so missed out on most of the day. From what I heard, though, it was a good day. The team spent a lot of the time playing with the kids at the field again. 

     Thursday was the last day we spent in Los Cedros village. We served hot dogs to the entire village and some students from the school. We had a thousand hot dogs and every single one was eaten. It was crazy getting all the hot dogs ready but everyone was fed by the end and that's all that mattered. 

     After saying goodbye to the people of Los Cedros we drove back to the mission house to get ready to go to dinner. The rest of the evening was fairly unevenful. We started Friday off with a visit to a volcano. It was an incredible view and an experience I will never forget. After the volcano we stopped by Mesiah market for a bit and then got lunch at a restaurant with a beautiful view of a lagoon. The food was delicious and we even had some entertainment:) 

     The last thing we did on the free day was the zip lines. Taylor and I passed this time since we have gone before, but the team had fun. It poured while they were still zip lining so they were all soaked head to toe. 

     Taylor and I had a great time working with this team. This was our last team before leaving for America. 

Hola Knoxvillians

     On Saturday the new team came to the mission house around dinner time. Taylor and I were happy to hear they are from Knoxville and we even knew a few of them. Almost immediately when they got here we all got on the bus and drove to El Cañón, the orphanage. We all hit it off and had a great time playing with the kids for a while. The guys all had a soccer game going with some of the older boys and the girls played with the little kids. We weren't there for too long, but we were glad we got to go. We ate a late dinner and the team got settled in for the night. 

     Sunday morning we drove forty or so minutes to the village we would be working in this week. The church we attended in the village was a small, one room concrete building. While the adults stayed inside Taylor, me, and our girls took the kids outside for Sunday school. There was no area for the kids so we climbed a small, muddy hill behind the church and set up chairs for them. We sung songs for a while before going back into the church to perform one. 

     After church we ate packed lunches and set up for a movie at two o'clock. While we waited everyone walked to a field in the village to play with the kids. The movie we showed was Fireproof and a lot of people showed up. It was a good day and we were excited to see what Monday would be like. 

     We arrived at the village at nine Moday morning. All the women were invited to a study group at the church and while two ladies from the team lead that, everyone else went to a court near the school. The guys played basketball and the girls painted nails. Macy and Paige, the only two girls on the team, brought a bag of nail polish and lots of bracelets to give away. We goofed off until it was time for us to head back and eat lunch. After we ate we lead our parade of children to the big field to play. The guys started another soccer game and we painted more nails. The kids ended up getting ahold of our phones and were taking countless photos and videos. Despite the heat and rain we all had a blast with the kids. There was no school so we got to spend the entire afternoon playing. Back at the church the men had a bible study going on. It lasted a couple hours and had a great turnout, which was awesome to hear. Overall, it was a great day and tomorrow we get to visit the school. 

The Promise Land

     Wednesday we went to a village called The Promise Land. In order to have water these people would have to walk 4 kilometers to get water and carry back two buckets full. The water wasn't even sanitary. To fix that, we would be putting in half a mile of water pipes so that every house can have access to water. The ditches were already dug when we got there, so we could tell the people were excited. Everyone pitched in to help and by the end of the day we were nearly finished. We served dinner to everyone in the village and Kory did a short message. It was a work-filled day but a good one. 

     The next morning we loaded up and headed back to the village. The guys finished laying the rest of the pipes and making sure every house had a spicket to access water. After checking for leaks they said to give it about an hour before using the water. It was awesome to know that now every house would have clean water right there and would not have to walk 4 kilometers anymore. They had been praying for water and God answered their prayers by working through this team. 

     Today is the last day at the school and it is going to be tear-filled. However, I know we will all see these kids again someday and we will never forget them. 

New Shoes

     The rest of Monday's plans changed a little bit. When we started work at the school after lunch it started raining. We couldn't do much with the rain so instead we took the time to hit the market. We went to a different market this time, but it had a lot of the same things as the other one. For an hour everyone shopped around and when we got back to the bus there was a flat tire. Luckily Mike, a team member, is a mechanic so he worked on fixing the tire. As he did that we hung out with some kids who were trying to sell us leaf sculptures. They are really talented kids. While we were waiting a girl came up to our group. Taylor and I noticed she didn't have any shoes on and was walking barefoot through the dirty parking lot. I grabbed Evert and asked him to ask the girl if we could buy her a pair of shoes. She said yes so we lead her back into to market. Her name was Diana and she was ten years old. We bought her a good pair of red sandals that would last her a long time for only 100 cordobas (equivalent to about $4). Then we walked over to a hot dog stand and bought her and one other young boy a hot dog. She was very grateful and nothing made me happier than seeing her walk away with a new pair of shoes and a full stomach. I do not know her story, but God does. He used Taylor and I in that moment to provide her with something maybe she never would have gotten otherwise. 

     When the bus was repaired we headed to the big mall again to grab some dinner. We got about 40 pizzas to share between us all. We didn't stay long at the mall because it was getting late. 

     Tuesday while the team went to the school Taylor and I went back to our house to pack. Yes, we are now staying at the mission house (just for this week) because it's easier. We ended up missing recess by the time we got to the school. :( It was okay, though, because we still got to see our little friends. It was lunch time then so we ate and got to work after. On one side of the school some of the team kept digging. On the other most of the girls helped clear out a small building that was full of junk. It took a while, but it looked so much better when we finished. That building will be part of the kitchen being built next to it. The rest of the day we spent resting for tomorrow. 

     

Hardin Team Two

     The second team has arrived and we are busy yet again. Saturday me, Taylor, Patricia, and Claudia rode the bus to the mission house to help clean. We were there for part of the day and then went back home to rest. The team came in around 9:30 that night, but we didn't see them until Sunday. 

     On Sunday morning we went to Belén church again. After the service we split up again and went to Sunday school. It was much the same as last Sunday (aka couldn't understand the message:). It was Father's Day here in Nicaragua yesterday so the church had an evening service. After lunch and a good nap the team headed back to Belén. The service was somewhat long and everybody was hungry by then. It was nice, though, because they recognized all the fathers and some of the kids had poems or songs they performed. The pastor that spoke was apparently quite popular even in the States. I'm sure his message was great. They had a piñata as well, but we didn't get around to it. Once they started the diaper changing contest between dads that's when we left. We had dinner and then hung out for a while. The girls and us headed back home to get some rest before the next morning. Unfortunately, the girls have university this week so it's just Taylor and I with the team. 

     This morning we visited La Panamá again and I was so happy to see our girls:) They all hugged us and Taylor and I got more little gifts. One girl, Angie, gave us a gift with a note that melted our hearts. She told us we were her best friends and that she loved us. I don't know how we are going to say goodbye to them on Thursday. 

     We only got in three buildings today for lesson four because this morning we were stuck in a traffic jam on the way to the school. In a little bit we will head back to the school to work. This week we will be working on the kitchen. 

Adios for now! 

First Beach Trip

     Today is the last day for the team. We drove a couple hours to Pochomil Beach where the team would have a fiesta for anyone who wanted to come. When we got here we walked around and invited people to come at noon. We had free hot dogs, rice, beans, crafts, and music. There was a great turn out and all the food was gone by the end. While the team fed and entertained the people Taylor and I got to do something really special. Lisbet and Celeste have never been to the beach, so during the fiesta we took them down to the water and played. The girls had a blast jumping over waves and looking for shells in the water. I've never seen two kids more excited to be at the beach. Taylor and I are so happy we got to share the experience with them. 

     Another experience the four of us shared was horseback riding on the beach. However, that was definitely nothing compared to playing in the water. Taylor and Lisbet rode together and me and Celeste rode together. The poor horses were so skinny and didn't look like they could hold anyone, much less two people. Sitting on the horse was uncomfortable and the whole time I felt it was just going to fall over. We rode for maybe five minutes and I was fine with that. It was nothing I would do again, but I am glad Celeste and Lisbet got to do it. The two of them went back to the water with Bethany and Amber from the team. I would have gone too, but I got sunburned and didn't want it to get worse:/ As for now we are just hanging our here at the beach and will be heading back to the mission house soon for dinner.  

     

Last Day At La Panamá

     Wednesday was spent doing lesson two with the kids. We got to two buildings before recess started. There were so many kids, but we had a blast playing with them. There is a group of girls who drag Taylor and I around everywhere and are always the first ones to find us. We absolutely adore them:) After recess we did the lesson for two more buildings. There are five buildings and about four or five classrooms for each building. The oldest kids are on one side of the schoo and the preschoolers are in the last building on the other side. 

     We can back to the mission house for a quick lunch before going back to the school to work. Taylor and I were completely exhausted from lack of sleep so while she stayed at the mission house I went to the market with Kegan and Miriam. The three of us came back to the mission house to get Taylor. They dropped us of at our house around three and the two of us crashed until almost 6:30. We got to eat dinner with the girls and took our nightly walk. I have definitely missed hanging out with them, but working with the team is fun too. 

     Thursday was the last day for the team to be at the school. We did lesson three and got to take the preschoolers behind their building to play on the new playground the team put up on Wednesday. There was a slide, swings, and a see-saw. They loved it and had so much fun playing. Now they have their own place to play without all the big kids. 

     We came back to the house again for lunch and then went back to the school. While the guys worked on getting the desks and computers put together the girls set up something special for the women teachers. Diana is a hairstylist and cut their hair. Me, Taylor, and a couple other girls from the team gave them manicures and pedicures. They looked great afterwards and had fun being pampered:) 

     Taylor and I left early to go to the store again with Kegan and Miriam. Before we left we heard some girls yelling through the gate of the school. It ended up being some of our friends wanting to say hi. We got to talk to them for a few minutes and told them we would be back on Monday. I couldn't imagine leaving them after four days and am grateful we get another week. 

     The rest of the day was pretty unevenful. We ate dinner and two little girls, Lisbet and Celeste, from the school got to come back with us. They even got to spend the night at the mission house and are going to the beach with us this morning. :) 

Adios for now! 

Work Hard Play Hard

     Day two with the team was the first day spent at La Panamá. The last post ended with us leaving the school and going to the mission house for lunch. The plan after that was supposed to be going back to the school for work. Instead the while group took the afternoon to go to the Mesiah market. It was the same one I went to last year. We had about an hour to shop around because we were going to see a movie. There was a big mall near the market that had a theater. That was also the same mall we went to last year where we walked around and ate crepes. We ended up seeing Superman and everyone pretty much agreed it wasn't a great movie. It was nice, though, because we got a break from all the heat due to the fact it felt like Antartica in the theater. The movie didn't end until 7:30 so we had a late dinner. Taylor and I got back home at a reasonable time and went to sleep because we had to wake up at 5:30 this morning.
     We visited La Panamá again today to do something fun with the kids and get to work. When we got to the school there were a few kids running around and another guy, Pero (Peter in English), was there. He was my age and spoke English so Taylor and I talked to him for a bit. Unfortunately, he couldn't stay to help us. After he left we started cleaning up the concrete bleachers and upper court. The lower court was once buried in dirt and they had already cleaned that off a long time ago. The one up top was starte to get covered on the edges so we shoveled and swept off the dirt.
     We got to spend recess with them and Taylor and I had quite the fan club. Little girls surrounded us and were braiding Taylor's hair while I drew with them in their notebooks. We had a few kids ask us to write our names in their notebooks and had to tell them we would another day. Really what they wanted was to remember our names by having us write them down. How do you say no to that? It's hard, but what's harder is not being able to understand them. I can sometimes figure out bits and pieces, but when you have ten little kids speaking at once and speaking fast it tends to be difficult. When recess was over we had to say goodbye:( The best feeling is having a bunch of kids loving on you and getting to love on them right back. Even though we can't communicate well with them or we forget their names they still come up and hug us. It's easier for them to remember us when we walk into the school but that doesn't change anything. I usually ask the same kid three times what their name is and I still don't remember it afterwards.
     After the kids went back to class we headed to the preschool building. We didn't get to visit them the first day so today we went into their classes. We had piñatas and the kids absolutely loved that. Then we went behind the building and had bubble machines going for the kids to play with. We broke pieces of chalk into smaller pieces for the kids to draw on the concrete wall surrounding the school. One little girl, Naomi, was with me the whole time and she was so sweet. She would hug me and then hold my hand and lead me wherever she went.
     The preschoolers were heading home then so we all went back to where the bus was parked and ate lunch. The rest of the kids were leaving so we said our goodbyes and hasta mañanas and started to work. Today the team mixed concrete to fill cracks in the stairs leading up to the next building. Mixing concrete in Nicaragua is very difficult. We had to mix rocks and sand together with shovels on the ground and then add the concrete mix. With the shovels we made a hole in the center of yhe pile and added water. After adding water a few times we then had to mix it all together fast before the water got out. Taylor and I only helped once because it was hard and the guys were much better at it. :) That was pretty much all the work we did today and at two o'clock we headed back to the mission house. There is a church service tonight we are going to after dinner. Tomorrow we will be back at the school to do more work and another lesson.
Adios!

La Panamá

     The team got here safe and sound! We picked them up at the airport late Saturday night and got them settled in at the mission house. Taylor and I got back to our house that night around eleven o'clock and had an early morning the next day. Breakfast started at eight at the mission house and then we left for church at nine. The church, Belen, was a short twenty minute drive away. It was bigger than the church we visited last year (which was four poles, a tin roof and dirt floor). This church was open and was fairly big. We sang a few Spanish songs and then the team went up on stage to introduce themselves. Cory, the leader, talked a bit about what we are going to do while they are here. After the pastor spoke everyone in the congregation moved to different rooms based on age and gender. David translated the message to us and it was still a little hard to understand it all. But the message was basically about having patience and putting all our trust in God. Even as Christians that can be hard, but we have to have faith and patience (you all know the Fruit of the Spirit:).
     We came back to the mission house for lunch, which was PB&J and rice with chicken and sausage. Then we had a few hours to rest up before goin back to the church for an evening service which Cory would lead. Tania, Patricia, Claudia, Crystel, and Luisa came with us and while the team napped we hung out and acted crazy (as usual). At four o'clock we left for the church and walked through the neighborhood inviting people to the service. There was a good amount of people there and one of the girls, Jordan, from the team lead worship. The whole team sang on stage and then Cory spoke. He started off talking about the differences between us and people who live in Nicaragua: our skin color, language, culture. The theme he centered his message around was one thing we all have in common: we are thirsty. Whether our thirst come from dehydration, or wanting to have a good time, or for health reasons we all are thirsty. However, there is only one person who can quench our thirst: God. Overall, it was a great message.
     When the service finished we swung by the grocery store to get a snack. Jumbo, another leader, kept asking the girls if they needed anything else and it's safe to say we went a little crazy. Ice cream, chips, apples, candy, and drinks... Dinner was at 7:30 and we had meat, rice, and chips with bean dip. We all headed back to our house soon after and Taylor and I went to bed almost immediately. In the morning we would have to get up at 4:30.
     It was an early morning for us, but it was worth getting up because we visited La Panamá school today. We got there a bit before eight o'clock when all the kids were showing up. The team introduced themselves and we all sang a song with the kids. Then they went off to their classes and we began our rotations. There were four teams and Taylor and I were on team #2. Each team had the same lesson plan. This week is the first half of the team from Ketucky and they are doing lessons 1-3 this week and the second half is doing lessons 4-6 next week. The first lesson involved a small skit, a craft, and a game. The kids especially loved it when we brought out the soccer ball. There were four buildings at the school and it was only elementary aged kids. During recess it was absolute chaos. There were kids running around everywhere and they would run up to us with notebooks and pens asking for our names.
     We were at the school until close to noon before heading back to the house for lunch. We really enjoyed going to the school and already made lots of little friends:) Gotta go for now, but I will finish  the rest tomorrow! Adios!

Preparing For Team #1

     At 7:30 yesterday morning we left to go grocery shopping for the team. We came to the mission house and took the PIC bus to the first supermarket. Before they got the new bus teams used to ride in school buses to and from the villages. The new bus is smaller but it has air conditioning and big windows. At the first supermarket we bought fruit, vegetables, meat, and some household items. We had three carts almost full of food. They had a gigantic round basket in the bus that we put all the food in when we loaded it. The next store we went to was called Price Smart, which is a lot like Sam's Club. It was big inside and carried all the items in bulk. We got paper towels, toilet paper, rice, beans, drink mixes, and snacks and drinks that the team can buy. The team is going to have a fiesta next week and we bought 500 hot dogs/buns. It is a lot of food, but it goes quick. The bus was so packed full of food we had a hard time getting on the bus. Since we had eaten breakfast at 7 we were all starving. We finished shopping around noon and drove back to the mission house to eat lunch. Can you guess what we had? Rice and beans! We also had chicken and plantains (our favorite).
     Back at the house, we rested and this time Taylor and I cooked dinner. The girls had never had macaroni and cheese before so we made a big pot of it. They liked it, but I wouldn't go as far to say they loved it:) We wanted to give the girls a break from cooking, though. After dinner we took a walk to the big park nearby. On the sidewalks there are random holes on the corners about three feet deep. They are big square holes and if it weren't for Tania I would have walked right into it:o There was a lot of people there and even a soccer game going on. The seven of us went to sit amongst the others to watch the excitement. It was a bunch of teenage guys who were playing on a concrete court. We watched one and a half games before heading back to the house to watch a movie. At ten o'clock we all headed off to bed because we were suppose to be ready to leave at eight in the morning.
     We ended up leaving the girls' house at 10:30 to go to the mission house. It was just Taylor and me this time. While we were waiting for lunch we sat outside and called our parents. Suddenly, the table where I was sitting started shaking as well as Taylor's hammock. We thought someone was moving it, but it turned out to be an earthquake. It wasn't bad where we were, but Kegan later told us it was a 6.5 on the scale! We ate lunch then and set to work cleaning and preparing food for the week. Actually all we did was mop a couple of the bedrooms and then sat down and separated beans. We had a big bowl of red beans and we had to pick out all the bad ones. It took us about 45 minutes and that was only the first half of the bag of beans. I guess there wasn't a lot to do cleaning wise because we weren't asked to do much else. Taylor and I met the translators for this week and one of them, David, walked with us to Pan Ticoma. It was hot outside, but we got to see all the houses and the view. We had brought our clothes with us to do laundry because we are here for the rest of the day. Earlier we started washing our clothes by hand in a concrete basin at the girls' house, but had to leave. Next time we will wash our clothes by hand to see what it is like. The girls do a lot of their washing that way and believe me, it's not as easy as it looks.
     So, now we are chilling and about to practice our Spanish. The team's flight got delayed so now they won't be in until ten o'clock tonight. We have some waiting to do, but we are eager to meet them! As for now, adios!

Café Con Leche

     Yesterday we planned on going to the Lagoon with the girls, but the truck needed new tires so we couldn´t go. Instead Taylor and I went with Kegan and Miriam to look for tires. They picked us up around lunch time and we headed to the mechanics. On the way there Taylor thought she saw Pastor José so we turned around to go say hi. We pulled up to the curb where he and some other people were standing. Taylor leaned over and started waving only to receive blank stares. Turns out it wasn´t Pastor Josè but someone who looked like him! It was embarrassing but also hilarious.
     The mechanic was not there so while we waited to hear from him we drove over to Miriam´s house. Her house is connected to her other family members so we got to meet them. They were really nice and welcoming. She also told us that her whole family lived on the same street, corner to corner. We had rice, beans, meat, and scalloped potatoes for lunch. Miriam took an empty Coke bottle next door to the store to get it refilled for us. Instead of throwing away 2 liter Coke bottles they get them refilled, which is cheaper than buying a new one. It got really hot inside so we took chairs outside to sit in the shade. There was a group of younger boys playing soccer in the street and Taylor and I got to play around with Miriam´s cousins. Out of nowhere it started pouring rain (that happens often) and it only lasted about five minutes. We decided to leave when it stopped and said goodbye to her family. We couldn´t get tires that day so they drove us back to our house. It was extremely hot so me, Taylor, Tania, and Crystel took a walk to the store to get orange Fantas. The store was small inside and if you wanted something you had to "order" it from the window. We ordered four Fantas and walked to the park to drink them. We sat on a bench and sipped our refreshing drinks through straws. It cooled us off and we were very thankful for that.
     Back at home I helped Tania and Crystel draw some pictures for their nursing classes. They worked on homework for a little bit and then all of us worked on some Spanish and English before dinner. Taylor and I have been helping with dinner and we got to help make plantains. They taste better than potato chips and are much much healthier. Each day we get closer to the girls. We have so much fun together and even though we can´t necessarily converse with each other we still manage to have a good time. At first we were all pretty quiet, but that has definitely changed. Now we laugh at everything and talk constantly. We have a lot of jokes and even gave each other nicknames. Mine is ´una gata bella´ which means pretty cat (I think because I have blue eyes I look like a cat) and Taylor is ´una gata chila´ which means white cat. We gave the girls American names that we thought suited them. We compare our skin colors and decided the girls have café (coffee) and me and Taylor have leche (milk) colored skin. Our goal is to be café colored by the end of the month...
     Off on another adventure we took a walk to the pharmacy after dinner. It was a lot like the other store we went to where we had to order from the window. The store sold other random things as well. While we were waiting everyone who walked by would stare at the ´gringas´ or white girls. We get a lot of stares and even people who wave to us. I think they do it just to see our reaction, which is usually waving back. :)
     Today me, Taylor, Claudia, and Patricia went to the mission house to help clean. The team comes in this Saturday so we have to have everything ready. We swept the floors and polished the wood on all the bed frames and doors. The rest of the cleaning will be done tomorrow. We are back at our house now and Miriam told us to get plenty of rest because tomorrow we have to be ready to leave at 7:30 in the morning. We will go back to the mission house to clean and then off to the supermarket to buy enough food for the team. (a.k.a. ALOT)
     Things are going to get very busy this weekend so we are resting up and enjoying the time we have to hang out. Keep a look out for more pictures coming soon on Facebook!
Adios for now!

Experiencing A Different Nicaragua

     The grocery stores here are very different. They are small and hot inside. We went to a grocery store yesterday called Pali to buy food and other items for the girls´ house and for the staff at the mission house. On our way back to the house we stopped at a little fruit and vegetable market along the road. We bought watermelon, papaya, and some grape looking things. You have to squeeze them until the shell pops and then suck on them until there is only a seed left. The flavor was good, but the texture was kind of slimy and gummy. We dropped off the groceries at the girl´s house and then Taylor and I went to the mission house with Kegan and Miriam. There we got to call our parents for the first time. :) We ate lunch there-chicken, rice, and some kind of vegetable. Kegan had gummy bears and Miriam called them goomy burrs. Kegan drove all of us to see some houses they were looking at for potentially buying and then we swang by Pan Ticoma, a very good bakery. Taylor and I got doughnuts for us and for the girls. Next we drove over to Miriam´s house to pick up a bed frame to take back to our house. On the way we saw some interesting people. One particular guy is know for sitting in the same exact spot on the side of the road everyday and all day drinking alcohol. It was a sad sight because his whole body was shaking and that was his life. Another homeless guy, whom Taylor has seen before, lays face down on the ground (passed out) with only one shoe.
     That night we had dinner at the Casa Genesis house (our house). Instead of making the girls cook we ordered a pizza and watched The Vow. Their favorite pizza is Hawaiin pizza. After the movie we all called it a night.
     At 9:30 this morning we were picked up and went stopped by the mission house on our way to the university to pay for the girls´ classes. On the way we passed a different college called Universidad Centroamericana. Apparently it is the most expensive university in Managua and only costs $2,000 (American money) per year. That´s the most expensive! The university where the girls go is called Universidad Evangelica Nicaraguense MLK Jr.. They start back classes on Monday of next week. On our way home we stopped at the mall to pick up school supplies and then came back home for lunch-rice, meat, vegetables, and tortillas. It tasted a lot like pot roast. Now were are resting and then tonight we made plans to paint nails and do hair:)
     I forgot how much I loved it here. It´s been over a year since I´ve visited, but this time is different. Last year we stayed at the mission house and ate normal food and only visited the villages. This time, however, we are really getting to experience Nicaragua. We are living in a small house just like everybody else, we are eating the type of food they eat every day, and sleeping under the same conditions (aka hot). We are actually getting to see what Nicaragua is like now. While driving I noticed a lot more things. For one, people are crazy drivers. They honk their horns mostly because they can. They drive however they want and don´t use proper signals. People are always walking. Much like the drivers, they walk wherever they want. There aren´t any crosswalks so they just walk in the middle of the street until there is a small gap to cross to the sidewalk. All the school kids, still decked out in uniforms, hang out and walk around as well. Everything is fairly dirty, but also very colorful. The views definitly make up for the dirtiness. That´s the thing I´ve noticed most about Nicaragua: it´s by no means glamorous, but what it is is beautiful. We are experiencing Nicaragua in a whole new way and still have lots to do and learn.
     Adios for now!   

Making Memories

Hola!
     We have just finished our third full day here in Nicaragua. The last post ended with us visiting the orphanage on Saturday. After that we came back to the girls´ house and ate lunch which was spaghetti with chicken and plaintains. After a nap Miriam and Kegan came to pick us all up in the truck and we went to a park in Managua. It was called Puerto Salvador Allende. It was a big park that had lots of restaurants, a huge playground, an area to ride scooters or bikes, and it overlooked lake Managua. The weather was beautiful and cool because it had just rained earlier. Miriam´s aunt and little cousin were there at the playground as well. After walking around a bit we hopped back in the truck to go somewhere else. On our way Kegan pulled over to the side of the road and got us all grilled maize (corn on the cob). It tasted a lot like popcorn and is a very popular snack that is sold on the side of the road all over the place. We went to a different park area and stopped to take pictures of some buildings. One of the buildings was where they held important meetings with the President, and another building was like the equivalent of the White House. The third building was no longer in use, however, it was beautiful and actually stood through some kind of natural disaster (I forgot...hurricane? tornado? earthquake?). We couldn´t go inside because it is not safe, but the outside still looked good. After a bit we drove back to the house to eat dinner-beans, rice, and tortillas. We all stayed up and watched Soul Surfer together. They put it in English for us and had Spanish subtitles.
Sunday morning we woke up to the girls banging on pots outside our room and singing happy birthday. It was my nineteenth birthday:) Kegan and Miriam picked us up for church at 10:30 a.m. There were a lot of people there and it was a lot different from church back home. During worship everyone was clapping and dancing and some people even brought flags to wave around. A women in front of us brought a tambourine with her and was playing along with the songs. We tried singing along, but it proved to be very difficult. I wish I could tell you what the sermon was about, but...sadly we didn´t understand any of it.
     Around 4 o´clock everyone came back to the girls´ house for a fiesta. They sang again (this time without the pots) and Miriam got a birthday cake for me. We hung a piñata outside and took turns hitting it until the candy fell out. It was a lot of fun watching everyone miss because they kept moving the piñata up and down. Cake was next and it looked like a normal cake but the frosting tasted very sweet and kind of pasty. But it was still good! Miriam smeared the blue icing over her lips and then made me and Taylor put green and white on ours. She´s crazy, but we love her! We sat around and talked for a while and then after Kegan and Miriam left us girls sat at the table teaching each other Spanish and English. It was a very special bonding moment between us all. When we had enough learning for the night we all went on a walk together. It was dark and warm outside but there was still a lot of people out. I told Tania that back home people didn´t go outside just to sit or walk, especially when it was dark. We walked to a nearby park and swang on the swingset before circling back around to the house.
     Right now it is ten o´clock here and bedtime! Tomorrow we will post what all we did today, but for now we are headed to bed.
Adios!

Welcome to Nicaragua

Hola! Taylor and I have finally made it to Nicaragua. Yesterday, June 7th, we flew out of Knoxville at 6:44 a.m. and landed in Atlanta at 7:30 a.m. Then we had to endure an eleven hour layover. Atlanta airport is, to say the least, gigantic. We got off our plane and entered Concourse B (there are Concourses A-F where the gates are). It was ridiculously crowded and we wandered around like lost puppies trying to find our way to Concourse C to get breakfast. We tried finding our way, but ended up having to ask someone for help. Apparently you have to get on a tram to get from concourse to concourse. So we hopped on and got off at the next stop and ate breakfast at Chick-fil-A (I know, pretty exotic huh?). Then we decided to go to the International Concourse because it was just too crowded where we were. It was ten times quieter there so we went to a vacant gate area and set up camp. We spent a few hours there napping and reading. Our peace was disturbed quite a few times when a marching band came through and then a fashion show began. We left that concourse and went to another one for lunch. After that we saw our flight was posted and went to our gate to wait. We still had well over six hours before our flight left. So we waited...and waited...and waited. We napped some more, read some more, and ate some more. The only places to go in the aiport really were the shops, but everything was so expensive it was not worth it. During our long wait we noticed a group of people wearing the same t-shirts. We assumed they were a mission trip group going to Nicaragua, which they were. We talked to the leaders for a bit and found out they were from Tennessee as well. The others did not seem too keen on talking to us, so we went back to our seats. We left to get dinner at Atlanta Bread (fantastic reccommendation-thanks Mom!). We met a girl who was by herself and asked her why she was going to Nicaragua. She was going on a mission trip and staying with a friend whose parents bought a mission house. Then we met another guy who was from Nicaragua and was visiting in Alaska, I think. We boarded the plane and were supposed to leave at 6:32 p.m., but did not take off until 7:12 p.m. The ride was fairly uneventful for the first chunk. It started getting dark soon so we dozed in and out. Then Taylor and I struck up a conversation with a guy sitting next to her. We asked him why he was going to Nicaragua and he said for surfing. There is a surfing school a couple hours from the aiport that he was taking some lessons at. We chatted for a while and then I dozed off. Suddenly, the plane hit a huge airpocket and I think I almost had a heart attack. I woke up and was still a bit dazed from sleep. It hit another one and my stomach jumped to my throat. It doesn´t sound very terrifying, but it was the scariest thing I have ever experienced on a plane. I´m usually not afriad of flying, but I really did think we were going to crash. Fortunately, we made it safe and sound. We were met at the aiport by Kegan (another intern) and the girls we were staying with. We threw our luggage in the truck and hopped in the bed of the truck. About 20-25 minutes later we were at the girls´ house. They had very graciously cooked dinner for us and we had chicken, rice, and red Fanta that tasted like liquid bubblegum. After a while we went to bed. There is a two hour time difference so it was only 9 here while it was 11 back home. Taylor and I were completely exhausted and even though it was a thousand degrees we still managed to fall asleep. We were due to leave the house this morning at 9:30 to go to an orphanage we visited last year. We ate pancakes with some kind of pineapple (or guava) spread and bananas. It was actually very delicious. At the orphanage there were some other Americans who were from Nashville and Kentucky. They were there doing the girls hair and we found out they had started a beauty school in Managua. The school is an opportunity for girls who have been involved in sex trafficking to get a second chance. It is also an opportunity for girls who have not been involved in sex trafficking to prevent it from happening to them. They were very nice and it was cool to meet them and see what they were doing. We stayed at the orphanage for a couple hours and then came back to the house. Taylor and I fell asleep almost instantly and then had lunch. Lunch was spaghetti and chicken and plantains-very delicious. Now we are just hanging out until Mirium (the house mother) gets back. I don´t exactly know what the plan is for the rest of the day, but we will find out! Oh, and today we got fans to go in our room so we are not dying anymore. :)
We miss everybody back home and will see you all soon!

On A Mission

Hola!
Just a couple of months before Taylor and I will be on our way to Nicaragua!!!! Taylor is actually leaving for Nicaragua this weekend with our church for a week. When she gets back hopefully we can get some photos up and she can talk about her trip:)
So, a couple of weeks ago Taylor had an amazing idea for fundraising. She made a headband one day and decided to start selling them to raise money. She started by posting a picture up on Facebook and asking people if they wanted to buy one and which fabric print they would like. I loved the idea, so now we are both selling them and people love them! We went out to the store and bought a TON of fabric in different prints and colors. So far we have sold over 70 headbands! 
Today my older brother, who is a graphic design major, created an official page on Facebook called Kae-Tay Nicaragua Missions. It looks fantastic and will definitely help our little business! It blows my mind how fast this took off. We are so excited for this trip and to see what God has planned for us:)
Here is a picture of a headband and of the different patterns we have so far.
Hasta la proxima!

Flight Confirmation to Managua, Nicaragua

Hola!
I want to start this post off by sharing a little bit about what Taylor and I are doing. Last March Taylor and I went on a mission trip with about 15 other people from our church to Nicaragua for a week. The trip was absolutely indescribable and if you want to read about it you can go to www.partnersinchrist.info and find it under 2013 team reports-Providence Church. God has given us an opportunity to go back to Nicaragua this summer for an entire month. We will hopefully get to spend some time helping out at an orphanage and getting to know some girls we met last year that are apart of a transition program called Casa Genesis. Through this program these girls are able to get a higher education while learning to become women of God. We will also be helping the teams that come in every week with anything they need. While down there we are hoping to blog daily to keep everyone up to date with all that God is doing. I know He has something incredible in store for us and I cannot wait to share.
As of tonight we finally booked our flight to Nicaragua after a month of checking flights and prices. It is now official that we are going!! Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for this trip and that everything will go smoothly.

Hasta la proxima!