Hello People! Welcome back. Sorry it’s been so long! Things here in Nicaragua have been pretty busy so I haven’t had much time to just sit and write. BUT here is a massive update for you all.
Cows: A couple weeks ago we got here and we were told that we have 5 AM prayer and 6 AM personal Jesus time. I was kinda sad at first that I couldn’t sleep in but it has actually been a really awesome experience and when you are expectant, the Lord always shows up. Two weeks ago, Justin who is a dairy farmer back in the states, he is also my squad leader, met a local man who is a dairy farmer and asked if he could help milk his cows one morning and the man said yes and to come at 4 AM. Justin then came back and told me about it and I decided to go because what’s one less hour of sleep. We woke up on Tuesday morning at 3:45 and walked to the farm and I got to milk the cows by hand. My first time ever too IN NICARAGUA! It was super awesome until I got pooped on…. It was still awesome after that but I smelled and I still have poop stains on shirt. We hand wash our clothes and I can’t seem to get it out of my shirt haha, but oh well! We laugh about it now!
Throw Up: Last week I got sick with this super awful bug/flu/I don’t even know exactly what it was but it was so bad. After 20 hours of being sick I had thrown up 11 times 🙂 But the morning I woke up sick, I took a Zofran (anti-nausea medicine) and it made me feel great! That same day happened to be my adventure day (or free day) and I was supposed to go to the lagoona but I opted out since I was sick. So I took a nap. A couple hour later, I got invited to go to Managua, about an hour away, to see a movie. I thought “well I feel fine so why not let’s go”.
So, we jump on a chicken bus and head to the movies. We get there, and I feel horrible. The Zofran wore off, and I throw up all my breakfast. It was in that moment I realized it was a mistake to come. Fortunately, another girl was also not feeling well so we both decide to go back and skip out on the movie. After only an hour and a half in Managua, we jump back on the chicken bus to go home. I still wasn’t feeling too great and in my head I was contemplating all the different scenarios if I had to throw up while on the bus. The most logical thought I had was to probably just throw up out the window. So we are on the bus, standing room only, and I’m feeling worse. Thirty minutes into the ride, I finally am able to get a seat. It’s an isle seat not close to the window for easy emergency access. Well, I’m just sitting sipping my water cause its making my stomach feel better, and then all of a sudden, two stops from home, my tummy starts to rumble. I get up and barf over top of this lady that I don’t even know and blow chunks out the bus window. While all of this is happening, she is rubbing my arm like a mother would, probably more thankful I made it to the window and didn’t throw up on her. I come back in through the window and all I can say to her is “lo siento” which means I’m sorry in Spanish because that’s all I know how to say in Spanish. But then I feel a second wind and go back out the window. Meanwhile, I am in the front of the bus and we are speeding down the highway and all the windows are open on the bus and my throw up is spewing on everyone hanging out the windows. They are all screaming and I’m barfing and they are getting wet, I can’t understand anyone, and I’m so stressed at this point I just sit back down and look straight ahead. I get off at my stop look back at the bus and the lady I threw up over is smiling back at me and waving and all I can say is “lo Siento”.
I got better about a week later. I stopped throwing up but my stomach took a while to get back to normal after that. I’m great now and I was so thankful for those who took care of me and invested in my health. So thank you 🙂
Kayaking: the next free day I had I arranged to get a shuttle to a lagoon to kayak with a of couple girls on my squad. I have never been to Jamaica, but if I could guess what it is like, I would say it was awfully similar to this experience. It was beautiful! And pretty inexpensive! I had pizza, we kayaked, I got a smoothie that tasted so good, and a Nutella crepe! It was a much needed day of rest and just plain fun!
Kitchen: one of my favorite parts of this month has been getting to invest in the kitchen ladies. Everyday I get to be a part of and help lead a bible study for them after lunch, and I get to help them prepare dinner for that day. It is a time of pure joy and laughter in the kitchen. They are teaching me Spanish and I am helping them with English and they are also teaching me so many kitchen hacks! Cooking in a third world country can be quite the challenge. Sometimes you do not have everything you need and you do not have all the fancy equipment so a lot is done by hand and it has really tested my culinary skills. But my chopping and dicing skills are 10x better! Also, language is a barrier but we make it work! They are amazing women and I am so sad I have to leave them in less than a week. Today we are actually making cookies together and eating ice cream. Unfortunately, our squad is fasting for 24 hours today so I will have to wait till tomorrow to eat our cookies. I promised the ladies I would do it and I don’t want to let them down so who cares if I can’t eat them right away! Keep them in your prayers because they are so special and hold a part of my heart. 🙂
La Playa: Yesterday we went to the beach and got to hang out all day with the staff and families here at REAP it was so much fun and I will never forget it! My favorite part was when my kitchen ladies grabbed my hand and we swam together and laughed and fought the waves together 🙂 I also got to ride a horse on the beach haha!
Something awesome that happened this
month: I was given the responsibility to be a worship leader for my squad. I have no worship experience and it has been so fun to step into this and see the Lord work. I play my guitar, which is super out of my comfort zone, but I play every worship session along side Nick and I sing along side both him and Kelsey. I am so thankful for how they both have pushed me to play and do stuff that makes me uncomfortable. I look forward to seeing the Lord shape this ministry and to see how he grows each of us in this!
Next Month: We are going to Costa Rica!! We got told where we will be yesterday and OH IT’S AWESOME! We are in a tourist town teaching SURF LESSONS. I do not know how to surf but I’m so excited to learn! Also one ministry they do is working in a prenatal clinic and I am so pumped to use my nursing skills!! I love kids and momma’s so this is right up my alley!
I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for our last week here in Nicaragua and I am so ready to see what he does in Costa Rica! Prayers as we travel and for my squad as next moth we will all be split up ministering all over Costa Rica! Also, if you are interested in supporting my squad mates many of them are still fundraising. There next deadline is the 31st and they have to have $13,000 to continue on the field. Some names to search for are:
Tee Nguyen
Alli Mitchell
Brooke Ames
Tiffany Durham
Nick Fain
Bradley Leichter
Erik Trogden
There are so many others but check out these ladies! You can view everyone on our squad page under Routes> June 2019!
Thank you for you’re prayers!
~Kenzie
