So, we've been on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua, at the CICRIN Children's Center for about a week now, and it's great. In every way. The location, the food, the people, everything. It really is a huge blessing to serve here. We're working with Team Numa this month which is another huge blessing. There's a been a lot of laughter between the teams, along with a lot of heart-to-heart talks, making for an incredibly awesome start to our month.
Quick summary of what we've been up to…then on to the photos! The guys have been working on two projects. Digging huge boulders out of the ground with our hands, a metal pipe and a pick axe. The rocks will later be put into a metal cage on the shoreline of the lake at the edge of the property line to prevent further erosion of the soil which is becoming a huge problem here (we're right on Lake Nicaragua.) We've also been building a concrete wall for a new house for some of the kids. The foundation and base wall layers have been laid, so we're just adding on to that, bringing the wall to it's full height.
The girls have been taking care of two of the younger kids here during the day…along with working in the garden pulling weeds, planting, watering and taking care of the chickens. This place has it's own farm with goats, chickens and vegetable plants that they use in cooking. It's awesome. So…we're all working in the sun everyday, doing manual labor involving landscaping stuff….basically exactly what I was doing at home. Go figure. But it's great. In the evening we hang out with the kids playing baseball or other games…talking, leading worship and Bible studies and times of prayer. It's awesome….really, really awesome to connect with these kids and to share God's love with them…to help lead them to a place where they can experience Him for themselves.
So, that's the quick. version. And as a reward for your generous patience, here's part one of the photos from this week!
Taking the bus to church!
Oswaldo, our fearless and reliable bus driver!
Playing volleyball at the church picnic!
Picking up some of the older kids from school!
Angie, Alana and Angela chasing the goats! (Actually…they're some weird mutant half goat/half sheep thing. But let's just stick with goats shall we?)
Dinner!
Yours truly goofing around with Jefferson! (This kid rocks by the way.)
Yours truly with Elsa Maria….or as I call her, Nicaraguan Vod! This lady is the Nicaraguan version of Kathi Vodenicker….it continues to blow my mind. And just like Kathi, Elsa Maria's most common way of communicating with me is laughing.
Angie with Hazel and Isamar! Both of whom have taught me the valuable lesson that teenage girls around the world contain the exact same amount of sass as teenage girls in the states.
Paul and Jimmy after dinner! This kid, ladies and gentlemen, could be Nicaragua's next most popular gameshow host….the kid is bursting with personality…and it's usually not annoying at all. Usually.
And finally…a shot of some of the boys swimming in the lake, using their homemade diving board…which consists of a piece of wood tied between two tree limbs!
…and just when the photos were getting good…wouldn't you know, I gotta get going. Guess you'll just have to stay tuned to see more in "Photos of Ometepe Island Part 2: More Photos of Ometepe Island!" (Pretty solid sequel title there huh?)
