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.