This month our team is located in Rivas, Nicaragua. We’re partnering with Bethel Center of Hope.
Each morning we start our day by working the land in the back of the property. The hope is to create a more sustainable ministry by growing and harvesting crops for the feeding center. A chicken and hen coop was recently built, and there are plans to fill it very soon.
November marks the end of the raining season here in Central America. So, our first order of business was to clean the land of all of the overgrown vines and weeds. Our team spent an entire week hacking anything green to pieces with a machetes, saws, and shovels. I must say, there is nothing quite as satisfying as taking down a whole banana tree with one slice of a machete. I loved every minute of it. We also laid down new gravel on the road that enters the feeding center. The next to weeks will focus on the irrigation and drainage ditches weaving through the property.
After the morning labor is finished (trust me, you wouldn’t want to be working in the heat of the day), lunch is served. Anita’s mom and sister cook us up some classic Nicaraguan dishes like Gallo Pinto. Then our team spends time praying, studying, and planning for the afternoon.
Everyday the children come to the feeding center. On Monday and Wednesday we prepare a Bible lesson for them. The theme this month is the creation story. On Tuesday and Thursday most of the boys participate on the baseball team. In order to play on the baseball team, you have to go to school. It may be the only encouragement that some of these kids get to continue with their classes. The kids are crazy about baseball here. This is the very first time that I’ve been abroad and discovered that soccer is not the most popular sport (it does come in at a strong second). Friday mornings are spent chatting with people and passing out food at the dump. In the afternoon, we do a craft with the children at the feeding center.
Our weekends are free this month! Rivas is located right next to Nicaragua’s large inland lake. On the lake there is an island which is actually formed by two volcanoes. One of them, concepcion, is still active! Anita, our host, accompanied us to the island for a weekend. On the island we were able to reconnect with another world race team, and we also visited a few of the local attractions.
God has been teaching our team a lot this month. We have seen incredible injustice, but also incredible beauty. Here are a few things you can be praying for:
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Our health, there has been a lot of sickness on our team this month.
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That God would break the chains of injustice in this area.
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That the Nicaraguan goverenment would follow through with their promise of providing a safer working environment for the people who labor in the dump. Also, that they would provide recycling machinery, and basic health care as planned.
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That the Living Water Well Project that is being considered in this area would be approved.
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That the feeding center would always have the finances they need to take care of their children.
Interesting observations about Nicaragua
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People greet each other by saying “Adios”.
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Baseball is more popular than Soccer. #winning
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Always run with a stick and waterbottle (you never know when you’ll be chased by dogs) ← Thanks mom and dad for that rabies vaccine!
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Most of the roads are paved with cobblestone.
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Horse drawn carriages are still a thing.
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Pet monkeys are tied by the neck to trees.
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The scorpions that we keep finding in our house (sometimes on our beds) are poisonous. If stung the puncture becomes extremely painful, you get headaches, a fever, and your tongue goes numb for 2 hours.
