Surfing Cerro Negro

Yesterday was our free day and we chose to go volcano surfing in León. Usually teams will go zip lining or spend the day at the beach, but we wanted to do something adventurous. And adventurous it was! We planned the whole day from what time to leave the house to how long it would take to surf the volcano to what time we would eat lunch. However, this is Nicaragua, and time is not of the essence here. Jennifer says we are on "Nica time", which means we are running very late. It took about an hour and a half to drive to León and another forty five minutes to drive to the volcano, called Cerro Negro. It was already lunch time when we headed for the volcano in the truck. We had to drive down this really long, narrow dirt road until we came to the bottom of the volcano. From there, we strapped on our backpacks and surf boards and started climbing. 

Me, David, Emily, Tristan, and our guide Mario. 

This was the easy part when we climbed up the big rocks. Most of the climb was little chunks of volcano rocks that moved everytime you took a step. 

It took us an hour to reach the top and we were exhausted by that time. However, the view was worth it. 

This is what we hiked up the entire way. 

Our view from the top of the volcano.

The slide down the volcano was fun, but difficult. There was a technique we had to follow and that was hard enough without falling off the board. I think we reached about 50mph and by the time we got to the bottom we were covered head to toe in black dust and rocks. 

After our adventure we headed back into town to get lunch. León is a beautiful city full of color, gorgeous architecture, and lots of people. We ate at a small restaurant called El Sesteo where they serve the most incredible lemonade I have ever tasted. 

This is a cathedral in the town square and we got to go inside to look around. We walked around the square for a little while before driving twenty minutes to the coast. We weren't at the beach for long, but we couldn't resist stopping by since it was so close. 

Once we arrived back at the mission house we got cleaned up in time for dinner. Two of the girls from Casa Genesis, Patricia and Claudia, and their house mom Luisa came over. We all talked and ate and caught up with each other. It was very nice to spend the evening with them. The rest of our night was spent relaxing and getting ready for the next day. 

Nejapa

Yesterday we visited a community called Nejapa and went door to door inviting women to a service that evening at El Camino church. I believe this was the very first church I ever went to in Nicaragua over two years ago. It was painted blue since then, but I recognized it immediately. 

Pastor Michael was with us as we visited each home. There were some homes we spent more time at and some we spent just a few minutes. Most of the people in this village are Catholic or they attend a different church. Our goal was to help Pastor Michael build more relationships in his community by inviting these people to attend his church. His community is fairly big, and it is tough for a pastor to know everyone in a community. 

Another thing I love about Nicaragua is the hospitality. Without so much as a "buenas" are they already pulling up chairs in the shade and inviting us into their home. Some are more open to talking than others, but even those who aren't are hospitable. At one house we even shared fresh tortillas and queso while we chatted with the family. 

We walked around the community talking with families until lunch time. We ran back to the mission house to eat since it was only a five minute drive. Back in the community, we went to visit a different area. There was a family who lived in a cluster of houses and we invited a group of girls and any other women in their family to the service. Another family member lived in a house adjacent to theirs and Pastor Michael knew her. Her name was Esmeralda and she was all smiles as we talked with her. She had been to El Camino before, but attends a Catholic church now. We spent some more time talking with her about her relationship with God, and it was good to be able to discuss openly our views with her. We prayed with her before we left and she seemed happy that we stopped to talk with her. We were able to pray with each family and would ask if they had any specific requests. Quite a few families had sick members or single mothers who needed a job to support her kids. Each family was different, but a lot of them had similar needs. Whether they were saved or not, though, each family was willing to hear us pray for them. 

This is Jennifer handing out silver crosses as a reminder of what Christ did for us. The kids loved them as well as the adults. 

At the women's service that evening there was a good turnout. Jennifer stayed with them while Tristan, Emily, and I watched the kids. We had told the families while going door to door that we were able to watch their kids so they could attend the service. Since the service focused on women, it made it a little easier for them to focus in the message without shifting their attention to their kids. The three of us actually had a lot of fun being with the kids and keeping them occupied. Often times mothers here don't have much help with their kids, and they usually have more than one kid running around. It's nice to allow them a chance to really focus on something that could change their life without worrying about their kids for a while. 

Here are some of the women after the service. 

This is one little boy we got to take care of and he was the most content baby. 

He loved to be held so he faced everything. In this picture we are watching it rain outside and he hardly made a sound the entire time.

The service lasted about two hours and we met some of the women who attended. It was time for everyone to head home, so we went back to the house after saying goodbye to Pastor Michael. 

We were expecting a team that night, and they were already there when we got home. They needed a place to stay for the night that was close to the airport since they had a really early flight. We all ate dinner and hung out in little groups until everyone headed to bed. 

The team left early this morning and we all went to a church called Hosanna at eight. It's one of the bigger churches in Managua, and it was interesting to attend that compared to a small village church. After the morning service we actually headed over to El Cañon to attend their service. It was a lot smaller and more intimate that Hosanna. 

There was another team from Kentucky there and a woman was translating the message for us all. I like the community church services because it's usually easier to meet new people or visit with ones you already know. We got to briefly see some of the kids from the orphanage across the street before leaving to go to the mission house. 

After lunch we went back to the orphanage to see the kids and, of course, catch some of the game. It was the final game of the World Cup against Alemania and Argentina. Most of the older girls and guys were watching and rooting for Argentina. However, Germany ended up winning the game and the World Cup. There were two very happy girls there, but most everyone else was a bit disappointed at the loss. 

We were supposed to go back to Nejapa after lunch, but we were told it wouldn't be wise since everyone would be watching the game. Instead, we went to Nejapa for the four o'clock service at El Camino. It was a small crowd, but Pastor Michael told us how grateful he was that we came to his community even for a short visit. He also thanked us for attending the service and reaching out to the community. Usually teams who help his community hold a VBS camp or do lots of activities with the kids. That's not a bad thing at all, but I guess it was a nice change for him to have us out in the community and involved in the services. 

The rest of our night has been uneventful. Most of us haven't felt well today, so we took this time to unwind from the busy week and discuss the last couple days. Tomorrow is our R&R day and dinner with the Casa Genesis girls. At the end of the week there will be a new team arriving, so I'm enjoying these last couple days with my small, but wonderful team:)

Saying Goodbye Is Never Easy

Today was a tiring, but great day. We got up early and drove to a community called Rosario Murillo, about thirty minutes away. This summer Shoreline church worked with this community and we took today to do kind of a follow up. We met Pastor Flores when we got there and he showed us the three classrooms the Shoreline team had started to build onto the two others. There was a school down the road that the kids attend, but the classrooms we worked in today were where the kids went to do homework and learn about the Bible. The first classroom we visited was a group of 9-11 year olds. We played a name game with a soccer ball, taught the story of Lazarus with a felt board, played other games, and colored pictures from the Bible. 

After that they had a break where we went outside and played soccer and goofed off. 

Once they were good and tired it was time for food. Emily and Tristan brought bowls of gallo pinto from the kitchen at the church and handed them out to the kids. 

Before we took a break for lunch we went to a few houses Shoreline had visited previously and spent a few minutes praying for them. We didn't have time to visit all the houses, but it was nice to follow up with the ones we did. 

After lunch we went to another classroom of 3-5 year olds. 

Here we played the name game by rolling a ball to everyone in a circle. 

We played "papa caliente" with the soccer ball. 

Jennifer taught the story of Lazarus and we finished with another game and coloring. 

The kids had so much energy by the end that they went wild when it was time for a break. We all went outside and played some more soccer and jacks on tiles outside the classrooms. 

The woman on the left is the teacher. 

This is the field and to the right is the pavilion where church is held. 

The kids like to take pictures, so here are a few taken by them:)

We decided to stay for the women's group at six this evening, so we had hours to spend with the kids. We taught the story once more to a group of kids and the rest of our time was spent playing. This is one of my favorite parts because each of their personalities start to show and they never stop smiling. It usually happens with every community-the kids are shy at first, but there's always a moment where the color of our skin or the lack of our ability to communicate disappears. After that we are all there to enjoy the time God has given us to be together. 

One thing I find extremely hard yet so beautiful at the same time is the bonds we form. There are kids who drag you around by the arm wherever they go, kids who go back and forth between you and their friends, kids who you don't really meet until the end but can still laugh and have a good time, and then there are kids who latch on and never let go. 

Not one of these kids is ever easy to leave, especially those like José André (this is as close as I can get to spelling it right since it took asking ten different people what his name was). 

He bounced between Tristan, Emily, and I for a while and followed at least one of us at all times. He was silly and sometimes rough. I couldn't understand hardly a word he said. He could never make up his mind. But at one point he latched onto me and wouldn't let go, and it broke my heart. I don't know anything about his life, but I sensed he didn't get much love from his family. I could be completely wrong, but it didn't seem that way. I carried him around everywhere and even when I sat he was still hanging on. He would point and tell me to walk over to the truck and set him on the edge of the bed, then seconds later hold his arms out and point over to the fence. This pattern went on up until we left. My arms were so tired after hours of carrying him and he wouldn't let me set him down, but I didn't care. When you have a kid like him it's impossible to let go. However, near the end of the women's service, his dad came riding up on a bike and called out for him. I talked to his dad, José, for a few minutes until I had to give him up. I handed him over and waved goodbye. Not only is it hard to say goodbye, but it's even harder to know I may never see any of these kids again. They are all equally incredible and special no matter how much time I spent with each of them today. 

I could go on forever telling stories about them, but it's late here and we have a full day tomorrow. We ended our night with the women's service where Jennifer gave a great lesson to about thirty five women.

It was a great turn out and the women enjoyed having Jennifer talk. They all came around and shook our hands afterwards and we all said goodbye and headed back to the mission house. Tomorrow will be a long day, but I'm excited to see what else God has in store for us! 

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!