I wanted to give you a glimpse of a typical day here in the orphanage and on the island. In the morning, I wake groggy like a bear from hibernation and stagger to one of two bathrooms. It is about 6:30 and I take a shower if I have time before breakfast. I step over the little mouse droppings which we think are coming from the cracks in the ceiling (don´t worry, we do clean them up every couple of days), and turn on the shower ever so slightly. If you turn it on too much the water runs cold so you must barely have water coming out and it will be pretty warm for a few minutes. Imagine deciding each time whether you want water pressure or warm water. I usually take the warm water.
Anyways, after a quick shower, we go down to the eating area and get some breakfast. The kids are sitting on benches and tables and say a prayer before eating, followed by the verse they are memorizing at the time. The current one is Mark 10:27 ¨All things are possible with God.¨ I grab at seat with some of the kids and eat the hearty food, usually beans and rice and plantanes. They tend to make fun of my a lot but I love it so I tease them back. After breakfast the little ones go to school and the older ones do chores. They also have classes for learning how to make bracelets and necklaces to sell and they are amazing. A lot of the little kids just make some and give them to us or others (guess they haven´t learned the business aspect of life yet). Chores and classes take up the majority of the morning and then lunch occurs. Sometimes I will grab a mango off the trees neaby and eat that (they are really sour, not like the ones in the states). We have been helping out in the kitchen and raking leaves and doing contruction work after our quiet time, so that is fun and then sometimes not so fun. After our chores, we meet as a group for our Team Time where we discuss our quiet times and schedules and other such issues.
Lunch is back on the benches and is pretty good. I have found that I have quite the appetite nowadays, and tend to polish off an extra plate if I can. Also, I am loving the daily Nicaraguan equivalence to KooL Aid. I forgot how much I like that stuff even if it is not the best for you. After lunch, the big kids go to school and the little kids do their chores and finish homework. Later in the afternoon, after they are finished with everything, they can play in the water or the other day we went crab hunting. Crab hunting is quite fun- picking up big rocks and pushing the crabs down so they don´t pinch you. The kids made a soup from it, but I am not too big into that so I let them have it. In the evening, we either go to some cell groups or go praying and talking to people in a particular town. It is so great to work with the people and just be a part of their lives. I absolutely love it! After we get done, we all hop in the orphanage mini school bus and head back for dinner. Yum. Then we play some soccer for a while or have a team meeting some nights. Then I read for a while and head of to lovely slumber land.
