A Day in Nicaragua

Tuesday November 11, 2014
Happy Remembrance Day to my fellow Canadians, and Veterans Day for my American friends.

Here’s a blog written about one of the days here. It’s slightly long, but if you’re up for the read, I invite you to come along and walk through the day with me…

Breakfast is at 7:00am.
Devotions with the other missions team that’s here, is from 7:30-8:00am.
We get on the bus for the half an hour ride, passing through the beauty of Nicaragua, braiding hair and having great conversation, to Mt.Sinai, a village where the other team is building two houses, teaching gardening and doing VBS for the kids this week.
Arrive, get ready, and wait for the kids to be let out of school. Teaching about the parable of the sower. Learning to say ‘compartir’ to have the kids share the crayons. My little girl Esterling comes up to me and calls me “mi gringa”, meaning I’m her white person and claiming me for herself. (Isn’t it the greatest thing to be wanted?!!)
From 9:30-11:00am we had the kids for VBS and then they had to go back to school.
After cleaning up, everyone kind of dispersed in all different directions. I stayed back and talked with Cynthia, one of the translators, just getting to know her and hang out.
Lunch time.
After lunch, the plan was to wait for our ride back to the base as we didn’t have any more work to do. We played with the children in the meantime. When the bus did pull up, we found out that it wasn’t going to take us back, but it was going to wait until the other group was finished and bring us all back together. (Oh the adventures in communication in other countries!)
The other three girls on my team who were with me decided to use the time to plan for their upcoming teaching this week. As I wasn’t a part of that, I decided I’d spend the afternoon with the kids…and that turned out to be one of my most favourite afternoons.
I had Esterling on my hip and one of the little twin boys on each hand and we’d walk back and forth along the road in their village. They’d take me to their homes and show me who their moms were. Esterling has a three month old baby sister Ingrid who she took me to so I could hold her. (They all know white people love babies!) The twins took me to their mom and older sister who were working at digging up the land to prepare for a garden. Another little boy tugged me to come see where his mom was, up in the tree, hacking down branches for garden posts. I loved that scene as the husband had to come and help her down and when he saw me he exclaimed sarcastically “las mujeres!” – “women!” It was funny. I loved getting to see how they lived and interacted among themselves in their daily life. Some cows got loose and were drinking water from the buckets that a man was trying to fill up, so they had to be chased away. We also watched the other team building the houses. It was a privilege being with the children and seeing what their day to day life looks like. That village life was so tranquil, peaceful, natural and beautiful. I thanked God for the joy He had placed in my heart to be content and soak in this wonderful afternoon with the children. And I thanked him for the children, such beautiful and precious souls.
It was hard for me to say good-bye. We weren’t coming back, and how do you explain that to the children?
I was grateful for my teammate who shared her music with me on the ride home. I needed some rest time in worship music after the sad good-bye.
Arriving back at the base all hot and dusty, we joined in the soccer game that was going on with the kids from our ministry, since classes were over for them.
Then we had a birthday celebration for one of the boys with their long version of singing Happy Birthday, cake and pop and just a fun time all around.
After the kids left for their homes, it was supper and shower time.
For team time we went out to town to hang out with one of the teachers. There’s a festival thing going on all month here where small groups of people go through the streets, one dressed as a really tall lady, another as a short bubble head man, another as a horse and there’s two drum players accompanying them. It’s strange and funny all at once. On our way home we crammed the seven of us in a taxi.
Then it’s team feedback and bedtime. Going to the bathroom, I had a gecko nearly jump down on my head! That was a close call. And that ended the adventure of the day.
“This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” -Psalm 118:24

Pictures of mis pequenos amigas