Leaving the Salv was terrible for all five of us Hephzibans. We experienced an intense mourning period as we coped with the gaping holes in our hearts left by the children we had loved so well for the past month. Fortunately, we were able to take a little bit of them with us.
We had precious keepsakes that they had given us: bracelets, pillows, notes, and… lice. Yes, our sweet children had given us the precious gift of tiny skin eating insects, which happily feasted on our unsuspecting scalps. Too kind.
So, with grieving hearts and itching heads, we welcomed our newest adventure in Nicaragua. We were told before we arrived at our latest destination that our task for this month would be feeding hungry children and teaching Bible stories. We traveled by bus from El Salvador, through Honduras, and into Nicaragua. After a short debrief with the rest of our squad, we loaded onto a chicken bus and headed to Rivas, our new home.
Upon arrival we met our wonderful new contact, Anita. She took us to our new home, a beautiful structure amidst a slum of shacks with tin for a roof. Again, we are living in luxury as we serve, a blessing that is not going unnoticed.
Every day we cook for ourselves, a strange assortment of fruits and fresh vegetables because we decided to do the Daniel Fast. We then cook for the 60-70 children that flood the premises when they get back from school. They come to this safe area and play, are attentive as we teach the Bible lesson, and then appreciate the provided meal, which for many is the only meal of the day.
We have a small amount of time to love on these children, but we do it. We play their strange made up card games with them, even though we don't understand the rules (because there are none). We pretend to understand their names when they repeat them to us 3 and 4 times. We hold their tiny, dirty hands as they lead us from one place to another. We marvel at the beauty and depth behind their large, brown eyes. We love them.
