Oh where to start. I haven’t blogged all month about my time here in Nicaragua, so I have quite a bit to share with you. I won’t go into every aspect, but I will give you a glimpse into the many different parts that made this month memorable and meaningful.
Ministry: Manual Labor
We arrived in Condega on Sunday, June 2. We dove into our manual labor bright and early Monday morning. Our assignment: to dig dirt. And that continued for the next 2 and a half weeks. Digging, hoeing, shoveling, wheel barrowing. We made it fun. We had wheelbarrow races, dance parties, deep discussions, and lots of laughter. We saw progress day by day. The outcome: We leveled land for the rain to properly drain at one church and dug out space for bathrooms to be built at another church property. We also spent part of a week working at a local elementary school helping in their garden, clearing brush and garbage, and visiting a sixth grade classroom.
Relationships: Like Family
My team was blessed to live with Pastor Santos and his family for the month. They opened their home to us and helped us with whatever we needed. We loved hearing Pastor’s laugh throughout the house, a full jolly laugh so contagious it causes everyone around him to smile and laugh along.
Carolina, our cook, and her family welcomed us as their own. We ate three meals a day at Carolina’s. She learned what we liked and disliked. She made sure we got enough to eat. She gave us hugs and told us she loved us.
Carolina and her husband, Marco, have two children Jimmy (6) and Sesia (18 months). I was able to spend several mornings the last part of the month playing with and taking care of Sesia. Her bubbly sense or humor, curly hair, and sweet smile made it so easy to love her.
Just this week, it was Carolina’s birthday. We wanted to celebrate her and express our appreciation to her for all that she had done for us so we bought a birthday cake (cake tastes like cornbread here), framed photographs that Amy took of Carolina’s family, and surprised her one evening after dinner with everything. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She told us that it was her best birthday ever, “cumpleaños mejor,” which warmed our hearts.
Adventure: Up and Down a Volcano
Nicaragua is known for its volcanoes; there are 19 in the country to be exact. And many of them are still active. A group of us from iSquad gathered last Saturday morning for a 4a.m. bus ride to Léon to summit and slide down Cerro Negro (meaning black hill). The hike was only 1km but took us a solid hour to hike. The terrain was challenging ranging from large boulders to small pebbles of lava rock. The wind was ferocious, blowing us from the path to the edge of the volcano over and over. I began to walk at a 45 degree angle just to go straight. Carrying a wooden board that weighed about 10 pounds contributed to the difficulty. But the views along the way were stunning. We learned that this volcano had erupted most recently in 1992, 1995, and 1999. When we finally reached the top, we suited up complete with goggles and gloves and got ready to “volcano board” down the mountain. It was much like sledding, except it was on rock with dust and dirt flying in my face rather than snow. But I did it! My first (and probably last) volcano experience. Add that to my list of World Race adventures.
Month 10: Check
I have officially completed Month 10 of the Race. My team and I traveled to Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, yesterday. Tomorrow we get on a bus to Costa Rica. Nicaragua was hot and humid, and at times the month dragged. But here I am, blessed with happy memories of helping others and making new friends mixed with exciting adventure!
Month 11, I’m ready for you.
