Timing Is Everything

Our team's flight was delayed yesterday, so they arrived here at nine last night. Jennifer and I drove to El Cañon earlier yesterday morning to visit a little girl she knows. We spent a little time there and then went back to the mission house to eat lunch. After lunch we went back to El Cañon and everyone was already gathered around the television ready to watch Argentina and Holanda. 

Some of the girls would be in and out of the room during the game, but towards the end of the match every person was in there waiting to see who would win. When it came down to a penalty shoot out it was hilarious to watch them. There was another television in the next room and it was seconds earlier than this one. We would hear screams or silence in the other room and three seconds later the same reaction in this room. We knew from the other room's reaction whether Argentina scored or Holanda missed. 

We picked up Emily and Tristan from the airport after making a stop at Palí (grocery store) and the mission house for dinner. They were exhausted so we all went to bed shortly after getting back to the mission house. 

Most of the day today was spent at El Cañon with the kids. In the morning Emily, Tristan, and Jennifer helped paint the outside of the kitchen while I helped some of the girls who live there sort donated clothes. 

Emily, Tristan, and Jennifer painting the outside of the kitchen bright green. 

Sorting all the clothes donated to the orphanage. 

By the time we were all finished it was time for lunch, which meant back to the mission house. After lunch we drove back to El Cañon and spent a lot of the time playing with the kids. 

The little ones had a big pile of toys they played with. 

Franklin found a puddle and kept adding toys and saying to me, "Let's find other one. You-come!" He and Leo speak English very well for only being six years old. 

Then I got to play and watch ping pong with a couple older kids and the music teacher who was a ping pong champ once upon a time. 

The music teacher is on the right and Laila is on the left. We had a lot of fun and it got competitive once we were keeping score. 

Jennifer brought a couple felt story boards for the kids and we all sat in the small classroom listening to her teach. 

After the story we went over to the playground and spent the rest of our time playing. The older boys had a soccer game going while the little ones kicked a ball and played on the swings. We all had such a good time and I hated leaving when it was time to go. 

Leo tried to hide his smile for the picture, but I got him to smile by tickling him:)

Those kids are so joyful and I would love nothing more than to play with them every day just to see them smile like this. Nothing makes me happier:) 

For dinner tonight we met with two missionaries, Carl and Kathy, who have lived here in Nicaragua for about 16 years. We went to a tiny Greek restaurant and they told us their story while we sat and ate gyros. Their story of how they ended up in Nicaragua was great and I enjoyed hearing them talk about it. It's too long for me to type out, but it was very interesting and encouraging. We continued our night at a coffee shop called Càfecito with dessert and coffee. It was a great ending to our day being able to talk with Carl and Kathy. They had some wise things to say and I especially loved talking to them about their work as missionaries. 

I'll end this post with something Carl said tonight that stuck with me: "To God, time is nothing, but timing is everything". God can make anything happen at the snap of his fingers, time is nothing to him. But everything he does, everything he allows to happen, is part of his great plan for our lives. 

El Cañon

Today Jennifer, David, and I went to El Cañon, an orphanage not too far from the mission house. This week there is no school for the kids, so a lot of them were not at the orphanage today. Typically, there are around 90 kids. Some of them live there permanently and some go there to eat and study after school. I recognized quite a few of them from last year when we went to visit, and, of course, there were some new faces. I met a few youngsters who I spent pushing on swings and giving piggy back rides. 

This is Leo and Franklin:) 

Franklin had us playing a game where we "fished" the car out of the water with his little plastic rod. 

This is Andrea and Emily running across the tire rocks. 

And this is all the younger kids eating lunch together. You can't see her in this picture, but there was a girl named Ruby there. She was the sweetest girl and had the cutest laugh. She is sixteen years old and looks as if she is six or seven. Most of the time we were there she had a hold of Jennifer's hand and just walked back and forth from the playground the common area. 

While they were all eating lunch we went back to the mission house to eat and then returned around two. We arrived just in time to watch the match between Brasil and Alemania, which was quite an upsetting game. There was a lot of people crammed in the room watching as Germany beat Brasil, but it was fun to watch the game with them despite the loss. 

Not long after the game ended and we got a few more minutes playing with the little ones, we headed back to the mission house. Tomorrow we will pick up the second half of our team from the airport and our week together will begin!

Here's just a couple more pictures of what I get to see everyday:)

Until next time! 

Bienvenidos a Nicaragua (Part 2)

I have finally made it to Nicaragua! I am so glad to be here and I am thankful I made it here safely. I arrived here in the afternoon and went straight to the transition home, Casa Genesis. Claudia, Patricia, and Luisa were here when I arrived as well as their house mother, Luisa. Tania was at school in León, so I haven't seen her yet, and Cristhel recently got married so she is no longer staying here. 

Shortly after I got here, the four of us left to go to Puerto Salvador Allende. This was the first place I went last year, and it was good to go back. There were shops, restaurants, lots of people, and loud music. The view was absolutely beautiful and is exactly how I remembered it. 

For a while we just walked around the park and even stopped to watch some younger girls dance. 

We had a great time watching and eventually caught a bus to go back home before it got dark. We ate dinner together and painted each other's nails before turning in for the night. I was exhausted from being up at five in the morning Tennessee time, and the time here is two hours earlier than that. 

It is now Monday and I don't have too much planned for today. Claudia and Patricia went to university this morning and later today we have to pick up Jennifer from the airport, who is part of the team I am with this week. When Claudia and Patricia return we may take a trip to the market to buy things for the little souvenir shop at the PIC mission house. 

Here's a picture of mi tres amigas:) 

(Patricia, Claudia, Luisa) 

Stay tuned for upcoming posts about what I will be doing this week with my team! 

Take Off

Today's the day! As I'm sitting in the Knoxville airport waiting to board my plane I can't help but think how lucky I am. There was no doubt that I would go back to Nicaragua after such an incredible time last summer. I've worked hard to be here and I am glad the time is finally here! By this afternoon I will be reunited with good friends in Nicaragua and I will begin a whole new adventure. I'll keep this post short and sweet, but there will be plenty more posts to come! I'm about to board now, so I just want to thank everyone who has supported me through this journey. I will miss my family and friends while I'm away, but I know God has me right where I'm supposed to be. 

Adios for now! 

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.