Month 11 is shaping up to be pretty sweet.
After an 11 hour bus travel day, we arrived at the station in Managua, Nicaragua, where we were greeted by our host, Kay, and her ministry partner/friend, Jose. Kay is a widow in her late sixties. She’s from Dallas, Texas. We made a quick stop for groceries (I’d survived that day on Doritos and chocolate chip cookies, because I was under the false assumption that the bus would stop for lunch and hadn’t prepared for otherwise.) Then we drove up through the fog to the top of the mountain, arriving in the small town of El Crucero. Here, we were introduced to our ministry site for the month – Casa de Gozo, which means “House of Joy.”
The property is beautiful. We drove past a turquoise wall into the yard, where we could just make out a flower garden in the dark. Kay led us past the porch with the giant hammock and ping-pong table into our home for the month. Shannon, our squad leader Mardie, and I share a room, the Frasers have their own room, and Alex has his own room. We have a beautiful kitchen and a living room area. Kay’s apartment is located on the second floor. There is also a classroom where we will be working with the kids this month, as well as a swing set and small soccer field for the kids.
Yesterday morning, Kay had us up to her apartment for breakfast. She made pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Also “Nicca coffee,” which is basically half coffee/half milk with lots of sugar. I asked her how she came to be here, and she launched into an incredible story about the Lord calling her to Nicaragua, providing the propery, providing the people she needed – just miracle after miracle.
After awhile, we started hearing children’s voices outside. Since it was Sunday, there was no school, so kids just came here to play. There were probably 20ish kids who came and went throughout the day (and many of whom stayed for the whole day, until Kay closed up shop at 5:00.) Kay opened up the classroom and showed us her instruments – a couple guitars, three keyboards, and a drumset. Well, Shannon started coaching a few boys on the drums, Alex sat down with a guitar and another kid, James brought down his and Kris’s electric guitars, and I started poking around on the keyboard, teaching songs like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Kay told us about the different programs she runs here throughout the week. We’ll be teaching English, music, dance, and even helping with a clown troupe. Puppets are also a possibility. Our big day is Saturday, when we’ll teach music and help with the weekly children’s program (which we will plan for throughout the week.)
My personal theme for this month is “Celebrate Everything!” With all the beauty around, the artistic endeavors with the kids, a host who’s a grandmother with the spirit of a child, and my team around me, I think it will be hard not to. I’m also excited to spend more time with the Lord this month. There’s space here, and time.
