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!