DAY 2 & 3
Hello From Nicaragua!
Today was another beautiful day in Nicaragua! We had about a 20 mile an hour wind off of the lake keeping everyone cool and refreshed. After a few more hours of preparation this morning, our girls (ages 8 – 12) arrived by bus and we began by separating all 35 girls into 4 cabin groups. Our CILT graduates took the lead as the head counselors for each group, and our leadership staff stepped into a supporting role. Immediately there were hugs, holding of hands, hair braiding, and giggling as if it was more of a reunion than a first-time experience. The Nicaraguan culture is a very kind and generous culture with an emphasis on family and friends. There will be plenty of tear-filled eyes tomorrow evening as we wave goodbye to our new friends.
Every camper received a Spanish Bible and was promptly asked to write their names in them. There was a pause from all of the girls because you simply DO NOT write in books, especially when you only own a few of them in your house. After a quick explanation that this was “their Bible … forever” they then began writing their names inside the cover with excitement. What an amazing site it was as faces grinned and everyone began flipping through the pages to see what was inside. Every girl brought their new Bible to the cabin’s Bible time. Pray that these Bibles will be read by parents, siblings, cousins, and neighbors back in the village and that one day, those pages will be filled with rips, earmarks and underlined verses. In the words of Charles Surgeon, “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”
Thank you Reeders United Methodist Church for your donation of our 35 Spanish bibles!
Our camp periods were held on a 45-minute schedule: Science, Geography, English, Arts & Crafts, Sports, Swimming, and Bible.
Our CILT’s led each group through their activities, and our leadership staff set up and cleaned in between each group. Girls looked through microscopes for the first time, played geography games learning about where Nicaragua is in the world, and where our group is from in Pennsylvania. Campers learned how to say some basic English phrases and were able to try out “puffy paint” on their new canvas backpacks.
Swimming was a blast since we are having such high winds off of the lake. The waves were large and the girls enjoyed jumping into them with our counselors for over an hour. Rachel Todd brought out some sand toys and handed them to the girls, they grabbed the buckets and hand shovels and stood on the beach waiting to see what was next. Rachel laughed and explained that you can play in the sand with them, at that point it was off to the races.
We ended our day with ice cream and a movie projected on a wall. Just when the girls thought it couldn’t get any better, a box of glow sticks was opened and handed out to everyone. Explanations had to be made that they can be used as bracelets and necklaces! What a day.
Thank you, everyone, who has been praying for us and for supporting this trip. This time in Nicaragua could not be going any better!
Below are some more photos from today. Unfortunately, we cannot post many because of the internet capacity here in Nicaragua.
Buenas Noches!
– The Team
Hola De Nicaragua!
Day three has wrapped up, and tomorrow starts in 5 hours from now.
Today was our final day with our campers. Another day of great weather and activities which ended with two piñatas being smashed open on the front porch of the dining hall. All of the girls finally got their personally decorated bags back full of donated supplies for school and home.
After the bus full of campers pulled out, our staff had a traditional camp meeting of “highs and lows”. What a great time to hear some of the challenging moments God put before each staff member over the past few days in addition to all of the blessings he provided as well. This has been a life-shaping experience, and for many, this trip will forever affect their worldview moving forward in life.
This evening everyone hopped on a bus for the local market where we were able to see all of the local vendors in the city of Rivas. Think of Walmart, but built out of fruit carts, bags of beans, and butcher shops all in an outside maze! We finished our day eating out at a local restaurant, rice was the least ordered food!
As I write this, everyone is fast asleep getting ready for an early (and busy) day tomorrow. Ziplining in the morning, Pacific Ocean and lunch shortly after, then it’s off to a market which sells handmade goods, and then finally arriving at the Hotel in the evening. Tomorrow is our “tourist day” and we couldn’t be more excited!
We may not be emailing out tomorrow night, but we will be updating parents on the 31st when we confirm our flight is leaving Houston on-time for Newark. Keep us in your prayers as we travel tomorrow!
Below are some photos off of this phone we are using to email from. More and better digital photos will be emailed after arriving back in the states! We just did not have the time to download our camera cards this evening.
Adios!
– The Team
