We made it to Managua, Nicaragua! Our day began at 4 am in Nampa and now, three long flights and many laughs later, we are finally here! Mostly our travels were uneventful; however there are a few things worth pointing out. To begin our trip there was a little issue with Kenton making it through security in Boise; they stopped him for having more than three ounces of water. Given the unlikely possibility that Kenton was attempting to be a terrorist, he must have only been testing the security to be sure it was on top of its game in keeping the airport safe for us. After dumping his water bottle, Kenton went back through security again and joined us on the other side. From Boise we had a short flight to Salt Lake where we would meet our connecting flight to Atlanta. I had anticipated taking in some sleep on this first flight, however, sitting next to Jeb was far too entertaining to pass up; we had quite the time going through the safety guide and discussing all of the protocol and necessary measures in the event of a crash. Once we made it to Atlanta there was plenty of time to get something to eat before we got on the plane to Nicaragua. It was nice to have such a relaxing day in the airports and be able to use the time to get to know more about my teammates. As we were preparing to land in Managua, it finally hit me that this was all really happening. For the next week our team would be in another country (a brand new experience for some of us) and would have the opportunity to serve people that otherwise we may never have known about, or possibly even cared about.
Before we could officially enter Nicaragua, it was necessary that we go through customs. We all made it through easily and received the Nicaragua stamp in our passports! Big glass windows at baggage claim showed huge crowds of people waiting outside, literally pressed up against the windows. We retrieved our luggage and, because of the large size of our group, the security let us leave without even scanning our suitcases. After making it through the dense crowd we stopped near a car rental place where Eliezel was waiting. Eliezel is the Work and Witness coordinator for the southern Mexico and Central American region (MAC south). He is employed by the Church of the Nazarene to assist teams doing work in Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. We were blessed and privileged to have him with us for the entire week as a translator, tour guide, and member of the team.
We continued to wait outside the car rental booth until we realized that Kenton was missing. To keep people from getting too bored and anxious during the long wait, Jeb pulled out the camera and interview people on what happened to Kenton. The best story we could come up with was that security guards ambushed him and hauled him out to a Nicaraguan prison. Note to self: young adults are almost creative to a fault.
Soon Kenton showed up with a rented van that we loaded up only to cross the street to our hotel. As we unloaded our bags from the van a few men showed up and were very eager to help us unload and carry our bags into the hotel. At first I thought this was a nice gesture indicating great hotel service, but we quickly learned that it was not free. Although he had only carried about half a dozen of our bags through the door way, one man in particular was very persistent in harassing us for more than his fair share of a tip. I was pretty oblivious to the situation until he approached me expecting a dollar, which I did not have. Thankfully Joanna stepped in and tipped him for me. However, as all of this was happening, Mike and Tyson stepped in because they both (and maybe even more of our group) had already given him a dollar. I was so relieved when they got him to leave.
After being checked in we headed off to our rooms. The hotel that we stayed at was fairly nice; Eliezel encouraged us to enjoy all of its luxuries (showers, toilets, beds, and air conditioning) as we did not know at this point what to expect in Jinotega.
The dinner experience at the hotel was unforgettable! To begin with, it was my lucky day! I found two dollars in a puddle of water near our table. I hardly ever find money at home, but what are the chances of finding two U.S. dollars lying on the ground in another country?
Besides my good fortune, there were several things that clearly set this meal apart from any of my previous experiences. Because we had decided to eat outside, we had several animal guests during our meal. There were bats flying around by the pool as we ate; this was really interesting to me as bats are not something that we typically encounter in the Northwest, especially at outdoor hotel restaurants. While the bats were not overwhelmingly bothersome, our other visitors were. We had two black cats that were desperate to join our meal as they persistently walked around the table begging for food. Appearing to be only black sacks of bones, the cats were obviously starving and probably diseased with many parasites and fleas. We resolved that the best thing would be to ignore the cats as feeding them would probably only evoke more begging. However, one cat needed no encouragement at all and attempted to jump up on the table between Joanna and me! Joanna, disliking cats to start with, screamed in fear of the intrusive feline. Amy, on her other side, placed her hand on Joanna’s shoulder to console her but actually scared her all over again. She screamed again because she thought it was the other cat jumping on her from behind. We laughed and enjoyed the entertainment, though I don’t think Joanna found the humor in it. The cats did not get anyone’s food though and eventually left us alone.
Joanna and Amanda introduced many of us to our first taste of platanos: cooked bananas that are very traditional in Central America. Joanna showed me how to make a sandwich with beans and a piece of fried cheese between two slices of fried platanos. It was pretty tasty!
Before going to bed we regrouped in the hotel lobby where Kenton gave us the scope of what the plan was for tomorrow: we get to sleep in a little and have the hotel’s continental breakfast in the morning. We would then take a quick tour of Managua and then make the 3 hour drive to Jinotega before lunch. Also, Eliezel shared his excitement in being a part of this group and the great work that God was going to do through us. I’m really looking forward to everything that he will be able to share with us this week; it is already apparent that he will be bringing a lot of focus to our trip. Hopefully everyone will get a good night’s rest and no one will be sick from the food in the morning!
Day 2: June 26th, 2010
Nicaragua is beautiful! This morning at the hotel we woke up to a gorgeous day- everything was so green and there were so many luscious exotic plants! Breakfast this morning was very enjoyable. There were no visiting cats and the food was great! I think that I may have had the best cup of coffee in my life! Café con leche es muy bueno!
After breakfast Eliezel took us on a tour of Managua. Managua is much bigger than what my glimpse of the lights from the plane suggested last night. Venders were everywhere, literally in the middle of the street! Women were balancing bowls of mangos and nuts on their head as cars went speeding past on either side of them. Back of the van humor created “Nicaragua Bingo”: seeing thirteen people in the back of a pickup truck, someone being pulled over for a traffic violation, a dog on a leash, and four people on the back of a motorcycle were just a few of the things on the list. Today we saw a family of five on the back of a motorcycle, and eleven (not quite thirteen) in the back of a truck. At our first big round-a-bout we saw a huge cement statue of Jesus balancing on a ball; that should have been on the Bingo list. In the middle of another round-a-bout we came across another huge cement sculpture. This one looked like a larger than life staircase, thus dubbed “stairway to heaven”.
The first stop that we made was a grocery store where we exchanged money and bought snacks and drinks. As we drove through the city we were exposed to more of the cultural dynamics of Managua. The truth of how far away we were from home sunk in when we passed a tent city across from the government buildings. Eliezel explained that the majority of the people living there were suffering from medical conditions and seeking the government’s help with their health care. They have been living in makeshift homes for over a decade while the government continues to ignore their protests. At our next stop, Tiscapa, the depth of government turmoil and corruption that Nicaragua has experienced was even more apparent. This park was previously used in the 80’s as a prison camp where people that the government did not like were held captive, tortured, and even assassinated. In 2004 the new government dedicated the site as a memorial to the people who had been kept there. The site rested on top of a hill, where on one side Lake Managua was visible and on the other you could look down and see a volcanic crater filled with water. This was when I realized that Managua, a city of two million people, is built around a dormant volcano.
After our little tour of Managua, we went back to the hotel and loaded up Eliezel’s pickup with our luggage and the van with our team- and then we were off!
On our way out of Managua we stopped at a Nazarene church that Eliezel likes to take the time to encourage whenever he gets the chance. The church, Timal Iglesia de Nazareno, was in a community of people who were outcasts from the city because their families had been on the wrong side of the civil war in Nicaragua. The neighborhood was very poor. It appeared as though no one had running water and the houses were made out of wood panels at best. The outside of the church was covered in milk carton paper, making it the “leche church” (leche is milk in Spanish) to us. It was incredible that the church could even stand as its only support was a few wooden poles that were connected to the milk paper. Inside, the church was practically barren with a dirt floor and a few handmade posters hanging up on the walls. The pastor told us that around eighty families meet for church there. She also said that she and her husband have been leading ministry there for 5 years but they recently gave up their home in Managua to be with the people. We prayed with them and where showed the pastor’s house and garden, but then had to get back on the road to Jinotega.
The highway from Managua to Jinotega was so crazy. Humungous pot holes, dogs, and crazy drivers, were the main perils that we encountered today. There was some excitement as the driver avoided a dog in the middle of the road, at which Janna remarked “Jesus does not bless stupidity!” (A quote that would last throughout the trip). This event was quickly followed by almost crashing into oncoming traffic as we attempted to keep up with Eliezel’s pickup by passing a bus on the highway. Fortunately, God was blessing and protecting us this time, stupidity and all!
As we drove up the mountains, there was a little sing along in the van as Mike and Amy got us all to practice singing the songs that we would be sharing with the church. The best part was when we sang all five versus of How Great Thou Art. Three were unison, one was women only, and the other was men only. Our guys were spread across the whole van, so they didn’t have each other to listen to. Let’s just say that the girls enjoyed listening to them struggle along. The time in the van passed quickly and despite all of the dangerous traffic we safely made it to Jinotega!
It was so wonderful to make it out of the van and be greeted by Pastor Julian and his family! After a late lunch we unpacked and were introduced to our living arrangements for the week. They are so much nicer than what I had expected; we even have beds and a shower! Girls were put in two rooms of the pastor’s house; I don’t even know where the people stayed who normally sleep there, but they generously sacrificed for us. The guys stayed out in a few extra rooms of the church. It is so nice of the pastor and his family to generously welcome us into their home.
After being shown around we quickly prepared for a church meeting to introduce our group to the church family, tell why we were there in Jinotega, and share what we hoped to accomplish. Shortly following the meeting there was a youth service, although people of all ages were in attendance. Seeing as it was a youth service, we made a last minute decision to change our plans of singing -Be Thou My Vision to instead singing the well-known chorus I’m Forgiven for the service. The church’s youth worship team did such a great job, far more talented than any youth worship band I had ever seen in the U.S.
Being the Spanish expert of our group, Nikki preached for the service without needing the help of a translator! My Spanish was not advanced enough to follow along with the message, however I know it was fantastic as the congregation and pastor approved. Great job Nikki!
As part of Nikki’s message, both Jeb and Amy shared their testimonies. It is always so wonderful and encouraging to hear how God changes our lives and helps us to grow in Him. I’m sure that the congregation was just as blessed as I was to be able to hear each of their testimonies. Thank you Jeb and Amy!
I am definitely looking forward to hearing more testimonies from our group this week!
After breakfast Eliezel took us on a tour of Managua. Managua is much bigger than what my glimpse of the lights from the plane suggested last night. Venders were everywhere, literally in the middle of the street! Women were balancing bowls of mangos and nuts on their head as cars went speeding past on either side of them. Back of the van humor created “Nicaragua Bingo”: seeing thirteen people in the back of a pickup truck, someone being pulled over for a traffic violation, a dog on a leash, and four people on the back of a motorcycle were just a few of the things on the list. Today we saw a family of five on the back of a motorcycle, and eleven (not quite thirteen) in the back of a truck. At our first big round-a-bout we saw a huge cement statue of Jesus balancing on a ball; that should have been on the Bingo list. In the middle of another round-a-bout we came across another huge cement sculpture. This one looked like a larger than life staircase, thus dubbed “stairway to heaven”.
The first stop that we made was a grocery store where we exchanged money and bought snacks and drinks. As we drove through the city we were exposed to more of the cultural dynamics of Managua. The truth of how far away we were from home sunk in when we passed a tent city across from the government buildings. Eliezel explained that the majority of the people living there were suffering from medical conditions and seeking the government’s help with their health care. They have been living in makeshift homes for over a decade while the government continues to ignore their protests. At our next stop, Tiscapa, the depth of government turmoil and corruption that Nicaragua has experienced was even more apparent. This park was previously used in the 80’s as a prison camp where people that the government did not like were held captive, tortured, and even assassinated. In 2004 the new government dedicated the site as a memorial to the people who had been kept there. The site rested on top of a hill, where on one side Lake Managua was visible and on the other you could look down and see a volcanic crater filled with water. This was when I realized that Managua, a city of two million people, is built around a dormant volcano.
After our little tour of Managua, we went back to the hotel and loaded up Eliezel’s pickup with our luggage and the van with our team- and then we were off!
On our way out of Managua we stopped at a Nazarene church that Eliezel likes to take the time to encourage whenever he gets the chance. The church, Timal Iglesia de Nazareno, was in a community of people who were outcasts from the city because their families had been on the wrong side of the civil war in Nicaragua. The neighborhood was very poor. It appeared as though no one had running water and the houses were made out of wood panels at best. The outside of the church was covered in milk carton paper, making it the “leche church” (leche is milk in Spanish) to us. It was incredible that the church could even stand as its only support was a few wooden poles that were connected to the milk paper. Inside, the church was practically barren with a dirt floor and a few handmade posters hanging up on the walls. The pastor told us that around eighty families meet for church there. She also said that she and her husband have been leading ministry there for 5 years but they recently gave up their home in Managua to be with the people. We prayed with them and where showed the pastor’s house and garden, but then had to get back on the road to Jinotega.
The highway from Managua to Jinotega was so crazy. Humungous pot holes, dogs, and crazy drivers, were the main perils that we encountered today. There was some excitement as the driver avoided a dog in the middle of the road, at which Janna remarked “Jesus does not bless stupidity!” (A quote that would last throughout the trip). This event was quickly followed by almost crashing into oncoming traffic as we attempted to keep up with Eliezel’s pickup by passing a bus on the highway. Fortunately, God was blessing and protecting us this time, stupidity and all!
As we drove up the mountains, there was a little sing along in the van as Mike and Amy got us all to practice singing the songs that we would be sharing with the church. The best part was when we sang all five versus of How Great Thou Art. Three were unison, one was women only, and the other was men only. Our guys were spread across the whole van, so they didn’t have each other to listen to. Let’s just say that the girls enjoyed listening to them struggle along. The time in the van passed quickly and despite all of the dangerous traffic we safely made it to Jinotega!
It was so wonderful to make it out of the van and be greeted by Pastor Julian and his family! After a late lunch we unpacked and were introduced to our living arrangements for the week. They are so much nicer than what I had expected; we even have beds and a shower! Girls were put in two rooms of the pastor’s house; I don’t even know where the people stayed who normally sleep there, but they generously sacrificed for us. The guys stayed out in a few extra rooms of the church. It is so nice of the pastor and his family to generously welcome us into their home.
After being shown around we quickly prepared for a church meeting to introduce our group to the church family, tell why we were there in Jinotega, and share what we hoped to accomplish. Shortly following the meeting there was a youth service, although people of all ages were in attendance. Seeing as it was a youth service, we made a last minute decision to change our plans of singing -Be Thou My Vision to instead singing the well-known chorus I’m Forgiven for the service. The church’s youth worship team did such a great job, far more talented than any youth worship band I had ever seen in the U.S.
Being the Spanish expert of our group, Nikki preached for the service without needing the help of a translator! My Spanish was not advanced enough to follow along with the message, however I know it was fantastic as the congregation and pastor approved. Great job Nikki!
As part of Nikki’s message, both Jeb and Amy shared their testimonies. It is always so wonderful and encouraging to hear how God changes our lives and helps us to grow in Him. I’m sure that the congregation was just as blessed as I was to be able to hear each of their testimonies. Thank you Jeb and Amy!
I am definitely looking forward to hearing more testimonies from our group this week!
Day 3: June, 27th, 2010
Not only was today Sunday, but it also was our first morning in Jinotega! Church was so great this morning; the worship was genuinely joyful and the people really seemed like a church family! Church is more than a good sermon here; it’s fellowship. Our group and our projects were introduced to the church again this morning, and Pastor Julian made a joke about volunteers for the projects showing up and starting on “American time” (on time, not late). If there’s one thing you have to love about that man, it would have to be his silly sense of humor and his eruptive laughter! As part of the service our group led different Sunday school classes, shared testimonies, and performed special music.
The kid’s Sunday school class was led by Jacquelyn, Jeb, Christy, Amanda, and myself. We first did a little puppet show with a message and then made salvation bracelets with the kids. Tyson, Amy, Nikki, Janna, and Mike had lots of fun with the youth and young adults. They played games to get to know each other and then Tyson led a short Bible lesson. Joanna did a great job leading a discussion with the adult Sunday school group along with the help of Kenton and Zac.
Our team got to share the songs Be Though My Vision and How Great Is Our God with the congregation today. It was so great of Amy to lead the singing and Mike to play the keyboard. Both felt like these responsibilities were outside their comfort zones, but God empowered them to utilize their gifts in ways they never knew possible. With only 13 people on the trip we were given lots of opportunities to grow and be strengthened in new ways, making everyone an essential part of our team and the ministry we came to share.
The church here is very testimony focused! This morning Tyson shared his testimony with the church; great job Tyson! Throughout the whole service, between our group leading Sunday schools, singing, and Tyson sharing his testimony, it was evident that the church really wanted to include us in everything this week and make us feel welcome. All the people were so friendly and excited to meet us!
Shortly after church we went to a small neighborhood in town, barrio in Spanish, where Nikki led VBS with a bunch of kids from the church and even more kids who just randomly showed up! In all I believe that there were probably around a hundred kids that showed up for the VBS. It was so much fun to be with the kids and see them smiling and laughing. We did another puppet show and as part of the lesson there was a scene where Tyson and Amy did a little skit of Adam and Eve in the garden. Tyson received quite the amount of laughs when he actually bit into the mango (that we had just found on the ground) after Amy had only pretended to do so. Afterwards we passed out candy to the kids; this was far more challenging than one would think. To kids candy is like gold and they will be as deceitful as they need to be to get more. We were torn by wanting to give them something special, but not wanting to encourage deceitful behaviors. I can’t help but wonder if this selfish desire to take whatever they can is a result of poverty. If so, what could we do to help? And though it seems unreasonable to try to help children in Nicaragua, it could certainly inspire action to help those in poverty from even Nampa, ID.
After leaving and saying goodbye to the kids at the VBS we piled back into the van and headed to another park that was more in the center of town. It was there where we did a little sports ministry. While a few of the girls played softball and some colored pictures with the kids, the boys from our group were invested in a game of basketball against a surprisingly organized team. It was a good game, our guys played hard, but the other team just really had some talent. At half time the guys from our group took advantage of an incredible opportunity to minister to the other team. While Tyson passed around his water bottle and made sure that everyone was hydrated, Mike shared an awesome testimony. The guys seemed very interested and content to listen to what Mike and our team had to share; it really was a perfect example of what street evangelism should look like. Rather than just shouting out to people that they are going to hell, or not doing anything for fear of offending people, we built a small relationship by doing something that interested them, and then honestly shared a personal experience of who God is to us. After getting to pray with the team, the basketball game got underway again. Although the guys from our group lost the game, as a whole they were successful in being able to minister though the game; which made for a much bigger win.
We loaded up into the van again, this time to head back to the church where we would quickly eat dinner and then have another church service. We sang How Great is Our God for the church and had an incredible time of worship with them. This service we were blessed with getting to hear Amanda’s testimony; thank you so much for sharing Amanda! Then Kenton gave a fitting message that I am sure spoke just as much to the church as it did to our team. Great job Kenton!
There have been many awesome aspects of being in a Central American church: the worship, the people, the passion; it’s all so incredible! But I have to admit that one of the most intriguing things while sitting in the pew was watching little salamanders (or maybe they were geckos) crawl all over the walls. They’re so insignificant, but so fascinating!
Today was packed with so many awesome opportunities for ministry! I think that I have only scratched the surface of what God was able to do through us today, and I really have no idea how to convey the depth of what could come from the seeds that were planted today. I am so thankful and impressed with everyone in the group for just going with the flow and jumping into everything with great attitudes. Some things we did today were not really part of our own trip agenda, but this did not faze anyone, and God used us just as much in those opportunities as in the ones we had planned for. They say that flexibility is necessary in missions, and we saw that first-hand on this Spirit-filled, God-inspired Sunday! It is only our first day here but I feel like we could go home tomorrow and we would have made a difference in Jinotega! But I am so glad that we get to stay and hang out (and do ministry!) for the rest of the week!
The kid’s Sunday school class was led by Jacquelyn, Jeb, Christy, Amanda, and myself. We first did a little puppet show with a message and then made salvation bracelets with the kids. Tyson, Amy, Nikki, Janna, and Mike had lots of fun with the youth and young adults. They played games to get to know each other and then Tyson led a short Bible lesson. Joanna did a great job leading a discussion with the adult Sunday school group along with the help of Kenton and Zac.
Our team got to share the songs Be Though My Vision and How Great Is Our God with the congregation today. It was so great of Amy to lead the singing and Mike to play the keyboard. Both felt like these responsibilities were outside their comfort zones, but God empowered them to utilize their gifts in ways they never knew possible. With only 13 people on the trip we were given lots of opportunities to grow and be strengthened in new ways, making everyone an essential part of our team and the ministry we came to share.
The church here is very testimony focused! This morning Tyson shared his testimony with the church; great job Tyson! Throughout the whole service, between our group leading Sunday schools, singing, and Tyson sharing his testimony, it was evident that the church really wanted to include us in everything this week and make us feel welcome. All the people were so friendly and excited to meet us!
Shortly after church we went to a small neighborhood in town, barrio in Spanish, where Nikki led VBS with a bunch of kids from the church and even more kids who just randomly showed up! In all I believe that there were probably around a hundred kids that showed up for the VBS. It was so much fun to be with the kids and see them smiling and laughing. We did another puppet show and as part of the lesson there was a scene where Tyson and Amy did a little skit of Adam and Eve in the garden. Tyson received quite the amount of laughs when he actually bit into the mango (that we had just found on the ground) after Amy had only pretended to do so. Afterwards we passed out candy to the kids; this was far more challenging than one would think. To kids candy is like gold and they will be as deceitful as they need to be to get more. We were torn by wanting to give them something special, but not wanting to encourage deceitful behaviors. I can’t help but wonder if this selfish desire to take whatever they can is a result of poverty. If so, what could we do to help? And though it seems unreasonable to try to help children in Nicaragua, it could certainly inspire action to help those in poverty from even Nampa, ID.
After leaving and saying goodbye to the kids at the VBS we piled back into the van and headed to another park that was more in the center of town. It was there where we did a little sports ministry. While a few of the girls played softball and some colored pictures with the kids, the boys from our group were invested in a game of basketball against a surprisingly organized team. It was a good game, our guys played hard, but the other team just really had some talent. At half time the guys from our group took advantage of an incredible opportunity to minister to the other team. While Tyson passed around his water bottle and made sure that everyone was hydrated, Mike shared an awesome testimony. The guys seemed very interested and content to listen to what Mike and our team had to share; it really was a perfect example of what street evangelism should look like. Rather than just shouting out to people that they are going to hell, or not doing anything for fear of offending people, we built a small relationship by doing something that interested them, and then honestly shared a personal experience of who God is to us. After getting to pray with the team, the basketball game got underway again. Although the guys from our group lost the game, as a whole they were successful in being able to minister though the game; which made for a much bigger win.
We loaded up into the van again, this time to head back to the church where we would quickly eat dinner and then have another church service. We sang How Great is Our God for the church and had an incredible time of worship with them. This service we were blessed with getting to hear Amanda’s testimony; thank you so much for sharing Amanda! Then Kenton gave a fitting message that I am sure spoke just as much to the church as it did to our team. Great job Kenton!
There have been many awesome aspects of being in a Central American church: the worship, the people, the passion; it’s all so incredible! But I have to admit that one of the most intriguing things while sitting in the pew was watching little salamanders (or maybe they were geckos) crawl all over the walls. They’re so insignificant, but so fascinating!
Today was packed with so many awesome opportunities for ministry! I think that I have only scratched the surface of what God was able to do through us today, and I really have no idea how to convey the depth of what could come from the seeds that were planted today. I am so thankful and impressed with everyone in the group for just going with the flow and jumping into everything with great attitudes. Some things we did today were not really part of our own trip agenda, but this did not faze anyone, and God used us just as much in those opportunities as in the ones we had planned for. They say that flexibility is necessary in missions, and we saw that first-hand on this Spirit-filled, God-inspired Sunday! It is only our first day here but I feel like we could go home tomorrow and we would have made a difference in Jinotega! But I am so glad that we get to stay and hang out (and do ministry!) for the rest of the week!
Day 4: June 28th, 2010
This morning our team enjoyed a great Nicaraguan spin on the “all-American favorite”, pancakes! I know that some of our team members were very thankful for this. The food has been very good in general, although I feel like we have not had too many authentic dishes yet. One good thing is that no one has gotten sick from anything that we have eaten. I am beginning to aquire a taste for one of the staple foods in Nicaragua, platanos. It seems like there are more than a dozen ways to prepare them: boiled, fried, baked, etc.
I think that everyone adjusted pretty well to our living arrangements and got accustomed to the swing of things in Jinotega. The buzz of the market outside the church was full throttle at six in the morning, making it useless to even try to sleep in.
I believe that the language barrier has been a challenge for most of us. It places such a limit on communication and our ability to express our hearts to the people, which can be quite frustrating. Thankfully compassion does not need words to speak.
Kenton did a great job of planning this trip by working with the church to accomplish our goal of being with the people and for the people. With the people means to show compassion by doing things for them and helping them receive some of their basic needs; it’s like a bandage. For the people means to show justice by trying to get them out of the unfortunate situations; it’s more long-term. To do this, Kenton made a visit to Jinotega in March to plan how our team could best assist the church in serving and addressing problems in the community. Kenton brought back three main project ideas for our team: working in a hospital for babies, a jail, and with drug addicts and alcoholics. We were able to choose the project we wanted to work on and then planned and prepared for the next 3 months. The idea behind what each project team is doing is geared toward working with the church in something that they can continue to be involved in when we leave.
The first project that our group is addressing is the hospital. Leading up this project is Tyson, and the team consists of Amy, Amanda, and Nikki. They have planned a lot of ways to help and minister to mothers and their newborn babies at the hospital. One thing in particular that they have prepared for is to provide roll up mattresses for mothers to sleep on, as the hospital lacks good accommodations for mothers who often come from surrounding towns to have their babies.
The second project is the jail whose team consists of the leader Mike, Jeb, Jacquelyn, and Christy. The jail team is planning on doing a lot of nasty clean up and then painting to improve the conditions of the jail. They will serve meals to the inmates and show the JESUS Film—Yay!! Also, they are going to try to start a jail ministry that hopefully the church in Jinotega will continue after we are gone.
The final project focuses on homeless alcoholics and drug addicts. This is the team that I am a part of along with Joanna, Janna, and our leader Zac. After assessing the problem of addiction and homelessness in Jinotega, we came to the conclusion that the program Celebrate Recovery (developed by Saddleback church and used around the world) could be effective in helping people to not only overcome addiction but also come to know Christ. We have prepared to teach church leaders and volunteers about the program and equip them with resources to begin their own Celebrate Recovery.
Today is the first day of project work! I am sure that each team is very excited to begin working on what we have been preparing for over the last few months. To being our project day we met in the church and had a time of worship with the people that would be helping us through the week in our different projects. Then we split up into our groups and were joined by the members of the church who were interested in our projects. I’m sure that it was very reassuring for each project team to see these people come out to help them. It means so much that all of our volunteers are taking time out of their week and putting their own lives on hold to be with us and support what we are doing!
Many sweet older ladies from the church joined the hospital group to help with the mothers and babies. While Tyson and Pastor Julian left to meet with one of the hospital administrators, the girls on the team received valuable input from the Nicaraguan ladies. It seems like the hospital volunteers are very eager to help with the project, I am sure they will be a lot of fun for the hospital team. The team also listened to the nurses at the hospital about what they could do to serve there, “just make it brighter” is what they were told. So the team spent part of the day shopping with the ladies from the church and buying paint supplies to bring more life to the rooms at the hospital. From what the hospital team members had to share it is clear that visiting the hospital has left an impact on them and that they see a great opportunity to minster and serve there.
The prison team also had a very good day of beginning their project work at the jail, but they didn’t go because they did anything wrong (ha ha). Mike expressed confidence that one of their volunteers from the church was very interested in their project and would most likely take over leadership of the jail ministry after our group leaves. I was shocked when the team reported the conditions of the jail, and especially that there were only four jail cells for thirty seven people. Luckily, this is a hard working team that is dedicated and determined to improve those conditions. The team brought the prisoners lunch, made by the pastor’s wife and her business, and plan to do so for the next two days that they are there. They commented on being a little nervous about the police guards watching everything that they do- particularly about a close call of almost bringing in plastic skewers, spoons, and forks with meals into the prison. While they were eating, Mike had the awesome opportunity to share his testimony with about a dozen young detainees, and then Jacquelyn was able to lead them in a salvation prayer. While riding in the back of Eliezel’s pick-up in search of project supplies, this team experienced the adventures of Jinotega’s roads. A bridge was under construction and the detour, not just going around the block or a different way, was to by-pass the bridge and just drive under it through a little river. They made it through the water okay, but it was the getting up the other side of the river bank that became an issue as the truck began to slide backwards into the river. On the second attempt Eliezel gave it more gas and they made it up alright. You never know what kind of an adventure you’ll have around here! I am so excited for this team and the incredible ways that God can use them to minister to the people in the jail!
Unlike the other groups that got to explore Jinotega as they visited their project sites, the addiction team had an intense day of staying right at the church and listening to and working with our volunteers. We had four volunteers, three members of the church and the pastor of the other Nazarene church in Jinotega. We got to spend almost the entire morning getting to know them and their passion for helping others to recover from addition; something that they all had some form of personal experience in dealing with. Introducing the program to them was a little challenging because small groups and step studies are not something they are culturally familiar with. However, our team leader Zac was on top of everything and prepared to really take them through what Celebrate Recovery is and how it has been effective. In the afternoon we introduced team development and the leadership roles in the Celebrate Recovery program. It is evident that this project is something that the church is passionate about and that the community is in need of, however, it is also clear that on this trip our team may only be able to resource the church with and plant seeds about Celebrate Recovery, rather than being able to see it actually get started.
After dinner we carried on the excitement of beginning our projects by showing the JESUS film. Just down the street from the church was a large empty lot that served as the bus station. It was here, in the middle of what is sort of the downtown market, where we would show the JESUS film. However, before we could show the film, the lot really needed to be cleaned up. With trash everywhere and dogs sniffing at the trash, we got geared up and tried our best to make a dent in the amount of trash in the area where people would be sitting to watch the film. Meanwhile, the rest of our group was busy setting up the equipment to show the JESUS film. When we were almost ready to begin, people started showing up. Our group carried pews from inside the church down the street for people to sit on. I think that there were nearly a hundred kids and adults, though maybe there were more as many people watched from across the street or houses above the shops. As we were encountering difficulty with getting the film to play, an older girl from the church grabbed Joanna and me and started leading us down the street. We somewhat had the idea that we were going down the street to invite more people to the film, but the language barrier made things very difficult and I was getting pretty nervous after turning our second corner. Eventually though we made it to her friend’s house, and then after inviting her along made our way back to where we were showing the film. The technical difficulties continued. Several were trying to make it work while others circled up and prayed for God’s hand to fix the sound and the DVD. We finally heard the film projecting the story of Jesus! What an opportunity for us to give God the glory for His answer to prayer rather than to receive the credit for thinking up a way to fix the machine!
After the film Pastor Julian and Kenton had an alter call and our group joined them to pray with the people who wanted to accept Christ. We were able to place gospel-sharing booklets into the hands of almost everyone who was there, including the homeless men across the street. It was so cool to be a part of the JESUS film ministry and see people brought to Christ through it!
All around, today was a great day that I think really set the tone for our projects and the momentum that we hope the church will carry on when we leave. After being separated into our project teams during the day it was great o get back together in our big group and show the JESUS film this evening. So far it seems like we have been capturing our goal of being with the people and for the people! Great work everyone!
I think that everyone adjusted pretty well to our living arrangements and got accustomed to the swing of things in Jinotega. The buzz of the market outside the church was full throttle at six in the morning, making it useless to even try to sleep in.
I believe that the language barrier has been a challenge for most of us. It places such a limit on communication and our ability to express our hearts to the people, which can be quite frustrating. Thankfully compassion does not need words to speak.
Kenton did a great job of planning this trip by working with the church to accomplish our goal of being with the people and for the people. With the people means to show compassion by doing things for them and helping them receive some of their basic needs; it’s like a bandage. For the people means to show justice by trying to get them out of the unfortunate situations; it’s more long-term. To do this, Kenton made a visit to Jinotega in March to plan how our team could best assist the church in serving and addressing problems in the community. Kenton brought back three main project ideas for our team: working in a hospital for babies, a jail, and with drug addicts and alcoholics. We were able to choose the project we wanted to work on and then planned and prepared for the next 3 months. The idea behind what each project team is doing is geared toward working with the church in something that they can continue to be involved in when we leave.
The first project that our group is addressing is the hospital. Leading up this project is Tyson, and the team consists of Amy, Amanda, and Nikki. They have planned a lot of ways to help and minister to mothers and their newborn babies at the hospital. One thing in particular that they have prepared for is to provide roll up mattresses for mothers to sleep on, as the hospital lacks good accommodations for mothers who often come from surrounding towns to have their babies.
The second project is the jail whose team consists of the leader Mike, Jeb, Jacquelyn, and Christy. The jail team is planning on doing a lot of nasty clean up and then painting to improve the conditions of the jail. They will serve meals to the inmates and show the JESUS Film—Yay!! Also, they are going to try to start a jail ministry that hopefully the church in Jinotega will continue after we are gone.
The final project focuses on homeless alcoholics and drug addicts. This is the team that I am a part of along with Joanna, Janna, and our leader Zac. After assessing the problem of addiction and homelessness in Jinotega, we came to the conclusion that the program Celebrate Recovery (developed by Saddleback church and used around the world) could be effective in helping people to not only overcome addiction but also come to know Christ. We have prepared to teach church leaders and volunteers about the program and equip them with resources to begin their own Celebrate Recovery.
Today is the first day of project work! I am sure that each team is very excited to begin working on what we have been preparing for over the last few months. To being our project day we met in the church and had a time of worship with the people that would be helping us through the week in our different projects. Then we split up into our groups and were joined by the members of the church who were interested in our projects. I’m sure that it was very reassuring for each project team to see these people come out to help them. It means so much that all of our volunteers are taking time out of their week and putting their own lives on hold to be with us and support what we are doing!
Many sweet older ladies from the church joined the hospital group to help with the mothers and babies. While Tyson and Pastor Julian left to meet with one of the hospital administrators, the girls on the team received valuable input from the Nicaraguan ladies. It seems like the hospital volunteers are very eager to help with the project, I am sure they will be a lot of fun for the hospital team. The team also listened to the nurses at the hospital about what they could do to serve there, “just make it brighter” is what they were told. So the team spent part of the day shopping with the ladies from the church and buying paint supplies to bring more life to the rooms at the hospital. From what the hospital team members had to share it is clear that visiting the hospital has left an impact on them and that they see a great opportunity to minster and serve there.
The prison team also had a very good day of beginning their project work at the jail, but they didn’t go because they did anything wrong (ha ha). Mike expressed confidence that one of their volunteers from the church was very interested in their project and would most likely take over leadership of the jail ministry after our group leaves. I was shocked when the team reported the conditions of the jail, and especially that there were only four jail cells for thirty seven people. Luckily, this is a hard working team that is dedicated and determined to improve those conditions. The team brought the prisoners lunch, made by the pastor’s wife and her business, and plan to do so for the next two days that they are there. They commented on being a little nervous about the police guards watching everything that they do- particularly about a close call of almost bringing in plastic skewers, spoons, and forks with meals into the prison. While they were eating, Mike had the awesome opportunity to share his testimony with about a dozen young detainees, and then Jacquelyn was able to lead them in a salvation prayer. While riding in the back of Eliezel’s pick-up in search of project supplies, this team experienced the adventures of Jinotega’s roads. A bridge was under construction and the detour, not just going around the block or a different way, was to by-pass the bridge and just drive under it through a little river. They made it through the water okay, but it was the getting up the other side of the river bank that became an issue as the truck began to slide backwards into the river. On the second attempt Eliezel gave it more gas and they made it up alright. You never know what kind of an adventure you’ll have around here! I am so excited for this team and the incredible ways that God can use them to minister to the people in the jail!
Unlike the other groups that got to explore Jinotega as they visited their project sites, the addiction team had an intense day of staying right at the church and listening to and working with our volunteers. We had four volunteers, three members of the church and the pastor of the other Nazarene church in Jinotega. We got to spend almost the entire morning getting to know them and their passion for helping others to recover from addition; something that they all had some form of personal experience in dealing with. Introducing the program to them was a little challenging because small groups and step studies are not something they are culturally familiar with. However, our team leader Zac was on top of everything and prepared to really take them through what Celebrate Recovery is and how it has been effective. In the afternoon we introduced team development and the leadership roles in the Celebrate Recovery program. It is evident that this project is something that the church is passionate about and that the community is in need of, however, it is also clear that on this trip our team may only be able to resource the church with and plant seeds about Celebrate Recovery, rather than being able to see it actually get started.
After dinner we carried on the excitement of beginning our projects by showing the JESUS film. Just down the street from the church was a large empty lot that served as the bus station. It was here, in the middle of what is sort of the downtown market, where we would show the JESUS film. However, before we could show the film, the lot really needed to be cleaned up. With trash everywhere and dogs sniffing at the trash, we got geared up and tried our best to make a dent in the amount of trash in the area where people would be sitting to watch the film. Meanwhile, the rest of our group was busy setting up the equipment to show the JESUS film. When we were almost ready to begin, people started showing up. Our group carried pews from inside the church down the street for people to sit on. I think that there were nearly a hundred kids and adults, though maybe there were more as many people watched from across the street or houses above the shops. As we were encountering difficulty with getting the film to play, an older girl from the church grabbed Joanna and me and started leading us down the street. We somewhat had the idea that we were going down the street to invite more people to the film, but the language barrier made things very difficult and I was getting pretty nervous after turning our second corner. Eventually though we made it to her friend’s house, and then after inviting her along made our way back to where we were showing the film. The technical difficulties continued. Several were trying to make it work while others circled up and prayed for God’s hand to fix the sound and the DVD. We finally heard the film projecting the story of Jesus! What an opportunity for us to give God the glory for His answer to prayer rather than to receive the credit for thinking up a way to fix the machine!
After the film Pastor Julian and Kenton had an alter call and our group joined them to pray with the people who wanted to accept Christ. We were able to place gospel-sharing booklets into the hands of almost everyone who was there, including the homeless men across the street. It was so cool to be a part of the JESUS film ministry and see people brought to Christ through it!
All around, today was a great day that I think really set the tone for our projects and the momentum that we hope the church will carry on when we leave. After being separated into our project teams during the day it was great o get back together in our big group and show the JESUS film this evening. So far it seems like we have been capturing our goal of being with the people and for the people! Great work everyone!
Day 5: June 29th, 2010
This morning I went to sit out on the patio to catch up on the blog, but before I could get started Eliezel and Tyson came through the gate from their morning run (can you believe these guys?). The thought had just crossed my mind when Eliezel suggested we retrieve a coconut from the palm tree right in front of the house. So Tyson climbed up the tree and twisted off a large green coconut. Then Eliezel got a machete from the kitchen and began chipping away at the green shell encasing the fruit. Pretty soon the meat of the coconut was exposed and Eliezel made a nice hole so that we could pour out the coconut water. Coconut water has a very unique taste, not at all like sweet coconut milk, but a very natural semi-bitter flavor. After collecting all of the water, Eleizel took two whacks with the machete and split the coconut open. Because it was fresh off the tree and not very ripe the coconut meat was not very hard (according to Tyson it was like Jell-O) and thus was easily scooped out to eat. The whole experience was pretty thrilling for me! Could Central American get any better than this?
Each team had another hard and rewarding day of work. In the afternoon we went to a park in the same neighborhood we had the VBS in on Sunday to play baseball with the kids and show the JESUS film again. I had my first experience riding in the back of Eliezel’s truck on the way to the park, something that the jail project team has become very accustomed to. What an incredible way to see Jinotega! The view from the back of the truck and the breeze as Eliezel speeds down the dirt roads in town is so refreshing –much better than sitting in the van! We drove through what seemed like a very poor side of town and stopped at a corner to pick up over a dozen kids. Riding through the beautiful city of Jinotega in the back of Eliezel’s small pick up loaded down with smiling children has got to be the best ride of my life! In total there were over 20 kids and young adults piled on the back of the pickup (check one off the “Nicaragua Bingo” list!). Needless to say the bottom of the truck bed was dragging when we arrived at the baseball field park. At the park there were over forty kids eager to have us join them in a game of baseball. As most of our team took on the many kids in a game, a few of us were drawing pictures with the other kids. The teacher was definitely coming out in Amy as she would draw a picture, tell the kids what it was in English, and then ask what it was in Spanish.
Sitting in the grass watching the evening unfold I could not help but feel that this was what a young adult mission trip should look like—going with the flow, taking every opportunity to be with the people, moving beyond all of our differences and discovering what we all share. Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces and hearing their laughter makes it evident that we all share in the ability to have joy and bring others joy. Smiles and laughs can transcend any language barrier. A young adult mission trip is seeing each member of our team willing to live in the moment of what God is calling us to do and moving in that freedom to just be who God created us to be.
Attempting to add to the blog, I was missing out on all of the fun, thus I put it down and was quickly welcomed by a group of girls. They were quite intrigued with teaching me a little more Spanish and giving me many beautiful drawings. From one drawing I learned that Jinotega is the “city of mist and green mountains”, a very true description of Jinotega. One of the kids told me “I love you,” something I am assuming that Amy had taught them to say. Then they taught me how to say “I love you” in Spanish, “te amo”. It was so much fun getting to love all of these kids! One boy, Nolan, was very happy and latched on to me. As we walked to the alley where we would show the JESUS film he held my hand and my jacket the entire way! I think that tonight the kids have taught me a lot of Spanish it was all that I spoke in for three hours! That does not mean it is good Spanish though…
In what I would have considered to be an alley, we showed the JESUS film to around a hundred kids and a few families. The kids that I was with were very happy to sit and watch the film, however other kids were very talkative and moving around during the film. Later we found out that for many of them it was not the first time they had seen the film. Afterwards the pastor spoke and Amanda lead the salvation prayer with a large group of kids! Awesome!
It was so hard to leave the kids that night. For starters it was difficult for Kenton to leave because so many kids were crowding around the van as we tried to drive away. More challenging though was dealing with the feelings of knowing that we would not have another chance to make a difference in the lives of these kids and wondering if it was enough to show them a film on the life of Jesus. In so many ways we just have to trust that God will provide for these kids and use the seeds that we planted tonight.
Ah meetings! So much fun! Janna begins with giving us devotions—short and sweet and to the point. Another great addition that Janna has made to our evening meetings is having us go around and share our high and low of the day. It is great to hear what everyone has to share about their day and how different things that they see are influencing them. It is incredible to see the unity of this group. Although we come from different backgrounds, are at different places in life, don’t all go to the same churches, and are working on different projects here, our hearts are all in the same place for our reasons of being in Jinotega. It has also been so awesome that we have all been getting along so well. There has been no drama on our trip and our relationships with each other are growing. After highs and lows, the project leaders, Tyson, Mike, and Zac, gave a recap of the project work for the day.
Tonight Tyson began by reporting how thankful he was for the “woman folk” that have been such a blessing in helping them at the hospital. Today part of the group entertained the kids and mothers with a puppet show in one room while the rest of the hospital group cleaned and painted in another room. Amy shared how she had painted a “deformed girl” on the wall, (oh Amy I’m sure that she looks great!). For the prison team, Mike reported that they had a productive day of scrubbing and painting walls inside of the jail and fixing broken cell doors. They brought meals for the prisoners again today. The prison team has been really blessed with guys from the church who are eager to help them and be a part of their project, and today they even received a lot of help from the guards as well. Zac gave a recap of the Celebrate Recovery project saying the team accomplished teaching the volunteers about the Celebrate Recovery elements of share groups and step studies. It was really encouraging for our team to talk to the pastor and discover how much he is behind this project with support.
After project recaps Kenton usually gives a short run down of what we are doing the next day and then Nikki shares some thoughts to help us process the trip. Tonight Nikki led us in a little discussion of what it would look like for us to be able to take some of the things we are doing here back home with us and finding ways to continue our work here when we go back home.
We then conclude our meetings, and our days, with prayer. We either pray as a large group or in individual project groups, but either way we are bringing our service to the Lord. It is one of the best parts of the day because we are communicating with the One who brought us here in the first place, and we are keeping our perspective eternal and personal. Something we are all really learning this week is the power of prayer in bringing us closer to Him, to each other, and to His purposes for us.
Overall meetings have become a very essential part of our trip. We have a moment to share with each other and support one another, get a little recap of the day and what to expect tomorrow, and have some time to pray and reflect on the trip and what God is doing in and through us.
Each team had another hard and rewarding day of work. In the afternoon we went to a park in the same neighborhood we had the VBS in on Sunday to play baseball with the kids and show the JESUS film again. I had my first experience riding in the back of Eliezel’s truck on the way to the park, something that the jail project team has become very accustomed to. What an incredible way to see Jinotega! The view from the back of the truck and the breeze as Eliezel speeds down the dirt roads in town is so refreshing –much better than sitting in the van! We drove through what seemed like a very poor side of town and stopped at a corner to pick up over a dozen kids. Riding through the beautiful city of Jinotega in the back of Eliezel’s small pick up loaded down with smiling children has got to be the best ride of my life! In total there were over 20 kids and young adults piled on the back of the pickup (check one off the “Nicaragua Bingo” list!). Needless to say the bottom of the truck bed was dragging when we arrived at the baseball field park. At the park there were over forty kids eager to have us join them in a game of baseball. As most of our team took on the many kids in a game, a few of us were drawing pictures with the other kids. The teacher was definitely coming out in Amy as she would draw a picture, tell the kids what it was in English, and then ask what it was in Spanish.
Sitting in the grass watching the evening unfold I could not help but feel that this was what a young adult mission trip should look like—going with the flow, taking every opportunity to be with the people, moving beyond all of our differences and discovering what we all share. Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces and hearing their laughter makes it evident that we all share in the ability to have joy and bring others joy. Smiles and laughs can transcend any language barrier. A young adult mission trip is seeing each member of our team willing to live in the moment of what God is calling us to do and moving in that freedom to just be who God created us to be.
Attempting to add to the blog, I was missing out on all of the fun, thus I put it down and was quickly welcomed by a group of girls. They were quite intrigued with teaching me a little more Spanish and giving me many beautiful drawings. From one drawing I learned that Jinotega is the “city of mist and green mountains”, a very true description of Jinotega. One of the kids told me “I love you,” something I am assuming that Amy had taught them to say. Then they taught me how to say “I love you” in Spanish, “te amo”. It was so much fun getting to love all of these kids! One boy, Nolan, was very happy and latched on to me. As we walked to the alley where we would show the JESUS film he held my hand and my jacket the entire way! I think that tonight the kids have taught me a lot of Spanish it was all that I spoke in for three hours! That does not mean it is good Spanish though…
In what I would have considered to be an alley, we showed the JESUS film to around a hundred kids and a few families. The kids that I was with were very happy to sit and watch the film, however other kids were very talkative and moving around during the film. Later we found out that for many of them it was not the first time they had seen the film. Afterwards the pastor spoke and Amanda lead the salvation prayer with a large group of kids! Awesome!
It was so hard to leave the kids that night. For starters it was difficult for Kenton to leave because so many kids were crowding around the van as we tried to drive away. More challenging though was dealing with the feelings of knowing that we would not have another chance to make a difference in the lives of these kids and wondering if it was enough to show them a film on the life of Jesus. In so many ways we just have to trust that God will provide for these kids and use the seeds that we planted tonight.
Ah meetings! So much fun! Janna begins with giving us devotions—short and sweet and to the point. Another great addition that Janna has made to our evening meetings is having us go around and share our high and low of the day. It is great to hear what everyone has to share about their day and how different things that they see are influencing them. It is incredible to see the unity of this group. Although we come from different backgrounds, are at different places in life, don’t all go to the same churches, and are working on different projects here, our hearts are all in the same place for our reasons of being in Jinotega. It has also been so awesome that we have all been getting along so well. There has been no drama on our trip and our relationships with each other are growing. After highs and lows, the project leaders, Tyson, Mike, and Zac, gave a recap of the project work for the day.
Tonight Tyson began by reporting how thankful he was for the “woman folk” that have been such a blessing in helping them at the hospital. Today part of the group entertained the kids and mothers with a puppet show in one room while the rest of the hospital group cleaned and painted in another room. Amy shared how she had painted a “deformed girl” on the wall, (oh Amy I’m sure that she looks great!). For the prison team, Mike reported that they had a productive day of scrubbing and painting walls inside of the jail and fixing broken cell doors. They brought meals for the prisoners again today. The prison team has been really blessed with guys from the church who are eager to help them and be a part of their project, and today they even received a lot of help from the guards as well. Zac gave a recap of the Celebrate Recovery project saying the team accomplished teaching the volunteers about the Celebrate Recovery elements of share groups and step studies. It was really encouraging for our team to talk to the pastor and discover how much he is behind this project with support.
After project recaps Kenton usually gives a short run down of what we are doing the next day and then Nikki shares some thoughts to help us process the trip. Tonight Nikki led us in a little discussion of what it would look like for us to be able to take some of the things we are doing here back home with us and finding ways to continue our work here when we go back home.
We then conclude our meetings, and our days, with prayer. We either pray as a large group or in individual project groups, but either way we are bringing our service to the Lord. It is one of the best parts of the day because we are communicating with the One who brought us here in the first place, and we are keeping our perspective eternal and personal. Something we are all really learning this week is the power of prayer in bringing us closer to Him, to each other, and to His purposes for us.
Overall meetings have become a very essential part of our trip. We have a moment to share with each other and support one another, get a little recap of the day and what to expect tomorrow, and have some time to pray and reflect on the trip and what God is doing in and through us.
Day 6: June 30th, 2010
What a day! It has been our last day of project work. I had the pleasure of getting to see all of the project teams in action. I am so impressed by what each team has accomplished! I saw pictures of the jail, but could not have imagined how horrible the conditions actually were. The guards at the jail were so appreciative of what the jail team had done that they held a ceremony for the team and gave each of them certificates! At the hospital it was great to see the creative work that the team had done in painting the rooms. They had made a bleak place brighter for everyone. Also, I finally was able to get a better grasp on what the hospital team had been experiencing. It was so hard to see a room of more than a dozen premature babies just fighting to survive. The teams have seen where there is a need and have done a great job in finding creative and sustainable ways to improve upon the circumstances. Seeing the fruits of each team’s labor really solidified that we have accomplished our goal of compassionate justice in being with the people and for the people.
While I say that we have accomplished our project goals, I don’t at all want to ignore that this trip has been about God’s work being accomplished through us. We have showed up with our plans and ideas, but it has been God that has been here preparing the harvest for us to bring in all along. This morning we had an event for the homeless drug and alcohol addicts. Around eighty people showed up, and one of the volunteers for our project was literally carrying people in off the street. Like many of the people who were there, the guy sitting next to me was obviously drunk and reeking of heavy liquor. Though the event did not go as any of us had planned, twenty two people accepted Christ! As if that is not enough to make one’s day, I was able to go to the jail and witness at least twenty five more people accept Christ after watching the JESUS film and hearing Mike’s testimony! Apparently a lot can be done when we are willing to go to people right where they are, being with them even if it means sitting amongst drunkards and criminals. After our group leaves, God will still be in Jinotega and the work that our project teams have done will still be able to be used for His glory. Please pray that our projects (jail, hospital, and Celebrate Recovery) will continue to reach the people in Jinotega and that the church will stay involved in each these ministries.
Our work and purpose for coming here could not have been made complete without the unity that we have had with the church in Jinotega. Tonight we got to celebrate the outcomes and successes of this week with the church; it was such a great sending service! To begin with Janna gave a very inspiring testimony encouraging us all to recognize and live in the freedom we have in Christ. Janna your passion is amazing! After this the church requested that more of us all give little testimonies of our experiences throughout the week. About seven people from the team went up to express their hearts to the church. Everything from our gratefulness to encouraging the church to keep the momentum they had gained through the week was said. They captured everything and more than what I was feeling and I know the church was very appreciative. It has been incredible to see how much dedication the church has shown to the ministry of our different projects! As we all stood up in front of the church everyone came by to give us hugs and say “Dios te bendiga” (God bless you). It was very special to be included in their church family. Once again the church showed us their great generosity in giving each of us a gift bag full of various Nicaragua souvenirs.
After the service we had a great time discovering that we had all been given a Nicaraguan flag. We waved around our flags and sang the Star Spangled Banner together, after which some began the Canadian national anthem. I’m sure we would have gone into the Nicaraguan anthem next but no one knew it. I think that everyone from the trip would agree that this was definitely a memorable night!
While I say that we have accomplished our project goals, I don’t at all want to ignore that this trip has been about God’s work being accomplished through us. We have showed up with our plans and ideas, but it has been God that has been here preparing the harvest for us to bring in all along. This morning we had an event for the homeless drug and alcohol addicts. Around eighty people showed up, and one of the volunteers for our project was literally carrying people in off the street. Like many of the people who were there, the guy sitting next to me was obviously drunk and reeking of heavy liquor. Though the event did not go as any of us had planned, twenty two people accepted Christ! As if that is not enough to make one’s day, I was able to go to the jail and witness at least twenty five more people accept Christ after watching the JESUS film and hearing Mike’s testimony! Apparently a lot can be done when we are willing to go to people right where they are, being with them even if it means sitting amongst drunkards and criminals. After our group leaves, God will still be in Jinotega and the work that our project teams have done will still be able to be used for His glory. Please pray that our projects (jail, hospital, and Celebrate Recovery) will continue to reach the people in Jinotega and that the church will stay involved in each these ministries.
Our work and purpose for coming here could not have been made complete without the unity that we have had with the church in Jinotega. Tonight we got to celebrate the outcomes and successes of this week with the church; it was such a great sending service! To begin with Janna gave a very inspiring testimony encouraging us all to recognize and live in the freedom we have in Christ. Janna your passion is amazing! After this the church requested that more of us all give little testimonies of our experiences throughout the week. About seven people from the team went up to express their hearts to the church. Everything from our gratefulness to encouraging the church to keep the momentum they had gained through the week was said. They captured everything and more than what I was feeling and I know the church was very appreciative. It has been incredible to see how much dedication the church has shown to the ministry of our different projects! As we all stood up in front of the church everyone came by to give us hugs and say “Dios te bendiga” (God bless you). It was very special to be included in their church family. Once again the church showed us their great generosity in giving each of us a gift bag full of various Nicaragua souvenirs.
After the service we had a great time discovering that we had all been given a Nicaraguan flag. We waved around our flags and sang the Star Spangled Banner together, after which some began the Canadian national anthem. I’m sure we would have gone into the Nicaraguan anthem next but no one knew it. I think that everyone from the trip would agree that this was definitely a memorable night!
Day 7: July 1st, 2010
I can’t believe how fast our time in Jinotega has gone by! This was our last morning in Jinotega but that certainly did not keep us from having some fun before we headed back to Managua. Since all of the project work was complete, our team had the option of either to wake up early and go for a hike or to sleep in and go out for coffee.
Barely awake, nine of us got up and piled into the van at six in the morning to go on the hike. We were joined by Pastor Pedro (the pastor of the Nazarene church on the other side of town), who persuaded a friend to join us who could help lead us to the trail head (according to rumor it was difficult to find). With the sun still coming up and the air heavy with mist we approached the grave yard where the trail began. I was astonished by the intricate design and arrangement of all of the grave plots, they were really beautiful with big crosses and statues in many of them. With the help of our local guides we easily found the start of the trail and were off. Within ten minutes of finding the trail and beginning the hike, it became apparent that I was not wearing very good shoes for this. Jacquelyn was the first to discover how muddy the trail was; one wrong step and her shoe was completely covered in dark gooey mud. We pressed on through more mud and steep slippery climbs that induced sliding down the slopes if you were not careful about your footing. After we had been going for about half an hour Carlos and his daughter caught up to us and joined us on the rest of the hike.
We came through the trees and mud to discover a large rock face clearing. I decided that this spot would do just fine for me as I had experienced enough of the slippery mud. As the group went on to the top I stayed and enjoyed the serenity of being by myself overlooking the beauty of Jinotega as the mist began to clear over the city and a refreshing breeze blew around me. Being wrapped up in the splendor of God’s creation, I could think of nothing better to do than to worship Him. It was a quiet moment of fellowship with the Creator that will not soon be forgotten. However, the moment was interrupted by a herd of cows stumbling to climb over the rocks. Seeing they were being moved on by a local rancher, I let out my best “Hola Senior”, when he only returned a glare I had a slight moment of panic that I was all by myself and not very fluent in Spanish. No need to worry though, because the cows quickly moved on and disappeared back into the trees. Soon after, I spotted that the group had made it to the top of the hike where a huge cross was overlooking the city. There was lots of excitement about the accomplishment of making it to the top and the group was rewarded with a fantastic view of the city. They climbed up the big cross and got some great pictures of their silhouettes’ against the clouds. After getting to take in everything they prayed over the city and the plans that God has for Jinotega. It was very moving to be able to overlook the city and pick out the spots where we had served throughout the week, the jail, hospital, basketball court, and church; God used us in different ministries at separate locations to reach out across the city.
The climb up was hard, but not near as treacherous as the way down; on the way down everyone was sliding in the mud. This did not stop Tyson and Jeb from racing to get to the bottom though, which maybe was not a bad idea as they did make it down without falling in the mud. Pastor Pedro, Mike, myself, and Amy were being precautious in making our way down, yet this did not stop me from getting covered in mud and Amy from taking a painful tumble. Amy was ahead of us and trying to strategize the best way to get down a steep slope of slick mud, when she went down and slid a few feet before being able to stop herself. It was bad enough being covered in mud, but in the slide Amy had also badly hurt her shoulder (later we realized she had dislocated it). We still had at least ten minutes to the bottom, but Amy pressed on with a great attitude as we helped her to get down safely.
Meanwhile Joanna, Amanda and Christy were headed to coffee with Bianca, Pastor Julian and Eliezel. Walking to the shop they could smell the coffee before they even saw it. From the outside it looked like it was going to be a hole in the wall place but inside they were pleasantly surprised to find that it resembled a very modern café. The drinks were fancier than what they would have expected to find in a typical American coffee shop, making the experience unforgettable. Not wanting to pass up her only chance to try some of the fancy options, Joanna order three caffeine loaded drinks, Eliezel was worried about her overdosing on the caffeine on her second drink. Pastor Julian, knowing Joanna’s involvement with the addiction recovery program, recommended that Joanna join a coffee-aholics recovery program. Another impressive aspect of the café was that it buys from local coffee farmers to support the economy of Jinotega. Between the great coffee and fantastic company everyone had a very memorable and great time.
When we got back to the church we quickly hit the showers to scrub off mud, and packed up to leave. In packing up we discovered that a few important items were missing. Apparently hair straighteners are hot commodity in Nicaragua, as someone had stolen Joanna’s and one of the church kids had seen a man leaving the church property carrying one. Joanna had a very great attitude about the loss though and even laughed about how someone in Jinotega may be able to make some money straightening beards on the street! Another missing item was Nikki’s camera including all of the pictures that were on it that can never be replaced.
Almost ready to leave we sat down for our last breakfast in Jinotega, the final meal that our church family would prepare for us. Although not all of us will miss the food, I am sure that I can speak for the team in saying that we will all miss the fun we have had cramming into the little kitchen and dining area to share meals together. And what will we do without Pastor Julian’s entertainment during meals? He is always so eager to burst into song, and this morning to accompany his singing he pulled out his harmonica that he loudly played directly into Carlos’s ear. While Carlos was obviously not appreciative Pastor Julian was oblivious to the possibility that anyone would not be as jolly as himself. With breakfast finished it was time for us to get on the road back to Managua.
Before we departed though, everyone who had been around helping at the church and in our projects that week meet us out in front of the church. It was like saying goodbye to a huge family. All of these people had been so eager to serve and get to know us all week long, even though our intentions were that we be the ones to do so for them. We all got together for a few large group photos and then all prayed together thanking God for our time in Jinotega and what He will continue to do when we are gone as well as our safe travels back to home.
Leaving Jinotega, Pastor Julian wanted to show us the Young Life camp outside of Jinotega (Young Life is a Christian ministry that reaches out to adolescents). The camp looked remarkably like many of the summer church camps that we had all been to in the U.S. and was complete with a few attractions of little lake, a rock climbing wall, and a maze. We all went for the maze, which turned out was not truly a maze as it just went back and forth in the same pattern until you reached the center where there was a big wooden cross. We then said goodbye again to Pastor Julian, Carlos, Bianca and their girls and loaded up the van once more to continue the trip back to Managua.
Besides some road construction our trip to Managua was uneventful in comparison to our trip to Jinotega. We learned that in Nicaragua highway construction uses large rocks instead of orange cones; it seems that they are ahead of the world in being environmentally friendly and economically resourceful. Before we knew it though we were back in Managua and headed downtown to a little market.
Though it was outside, the market was enclosed by tall cement block walls. It was very touristy, with lots of little souvenir items for sale and vendors that would try to sell items for more than their value. Eliezel encouraged that we all barter with them to lower the price by at least a few córdobas (the Nicaraguan dollar). In addition to the vendors trying to make some money, there were little kids who were perusing the tourists in search of someone who would take some pity on them give them a dollar. These little kids were skilled in weaving dried leaves together into little trinkets. The kids would weave something together and then rush over to you and say “take it, it’s free” if you didn’t take right then they would insist again. Well, Zac was naive and accepted a little cricket figure, however, even though it was supposedly “free”, the boy hung around waiting and then persisting that Zac pay him. It was frustrating to see such young kids hanging out all alone in such a busy place scamming for money. We couldn’t help all of them, so would have it been fair to help only one? And it appeared that what they needed more than money was to be given a new chance in a country that was not so tough to survive in. However, in comparison to other children around the world, and even some of the kids that we saw in the poorer towns of Nicaragua, these kids seemed to be doing alright, and at least they had the opportunity to beg for money in places that were not extremely dangerous.
After exploring the market for awhile and buying a few items to take home to family and friends, we were off to check into our hotel. To our surprise we were stepping it up from our last overnight stay in Managua. Walking to the lobby, I was thrilled that this was just about the nicest hotel that I had ever stayed in. The dining area and lobby looked so elegant and fancy that it appeared as if we had left Central American for Spain or France. The hotel got even better when it became apparent that the cost was going to be even less than what the Best Western our first night had been. We checked into our rooms which were fantastic and having a clean bathroom with dry floors felt like such a great luxury. We did not spend too long in our rooms before heading off to dinner though.
We arrived at Maria Bonita, a restaurant that Eliezel knew we would all enjoy. It was already very late and we were quite hungry thus when chips and salsa came out, they went quickly. The salsa was a little hot for some, but not for Jacquelyn of course, who was able to down a bowl of it! The food was absolutely delicious and they kept bringing out plates with hot skewers of chicken and vegetables. We all enjoyed getting our fill of the great food. Satisfied with the food, all that was missing was some entertainment, which Mike and Jeb quite happily supplied. After a quick and hilarious rehearsal of their dance routine, they headed off to the karaoke stage. Getting on the stage though they were confronted with the difficulty of only having Spanish music to use, asking for music Americano did not produce much more of a selection to choose from. They held nothing back though when the beat was right for letting loose and getting their groove on.
After leaving the restaurant the fun continued as the boys in the back of the van discovered Britney Spears, Hillary Duff, the Backstreet Boys, and other 90’s hits. They kept us singing and grooving all the way back to the hotel. Upon arriving back to the hotel we had a few hours to relax before we would meet for our final nightly debriefing in Nicaragua. I found the comfort of a queen bed and was out before I could even contemplate enjoying the pool. However, some of the group did find the energy to swim in the pool and had a great time playing a game of Marco Polo in a down pour. It was so cool for them to be in the pool when the rain was coming down so hard!
After we had all taken some time to relax we regrouped in one of the rooms for our final meeting. It was such a great time to be in fellowship with the whole group, and the last time we would meet like that again. Everyone shared about something or someone that they were thankful for in our group. Hearing everyone’s appreciation for their team mates was affirmation of the unity that had developed within our group. For myself, I was just moved that if it had not been for this trip I would not have gotten to know any of the people on the trip, in which case I would have been missing out, because everyone on the trip was worth getting to know. It is clear that strong relationships had been built on this trip! Of course there were lots of laughs, but it was also a really heavy ending to our trip as feelings of how we would never have the chance to relive the moments we had spent together in Nicaragua sank in. Nikki brought us to a close by having us reflect what we had seen in Nicaragua that would stick with us when we returned home, what were the injustices that had moved us and how could we deal with them. For all of the fun that we had on this trip, it was equally meet with the frustration of seeing circumstances that challenged us to take a look at our own lives and what we are (or are not) doing for others.
At the end of the meeting Eliezel gave us all Nicaragua bracelets! I am so proud to wear mine and be reminded of Nicaragua and everything that God has done in and through me during this trip!
Barely awake, nine of us got up and piled into the van at six in the morning to go on the hike. We were joined by Pastor Pedro (the pastor of the Nazarene church on the other side of town), who persuaded a friend to join us who could help lead us to the trail head (according to rumor it was difficult to find). With the sun still coming up and the air heavy with mist we approached the grave yard where the trail began. I was astonished by the intricate design and arrangement of all of the grave plots, they were really beautiful with big crosses and statues in many of them. With the help of our local guides we easily found the start of the trail and were off. Within ten minutes of finding the trail and beginning the hike, it became apparent that I was not wearing very good shoes for this. Jacquelyn was the first to discover how muddy the trail was; one wrong step and her shoe was completely covered in dark gooey mud. We pressed on through more mud and steep slippery climbs that induced sliding down the slopes if you were not careful about your footing. After we had been going for about half an hour Carlos and his daughter caught up to us and joined us on the rest of the hike.
We came through the trees and mud to discover a large rock face clearing. I decided that this spot would do just fine for me as I had experienced enough of the slippery mud. As the group went on to the top I stayed and enjoyed the serenity of being by myself overlooking the beauty of Jinotega as the mist began to clear over the city and a refreshing breeze blew around me. Being wrapped up in the splendor of God’s creation, I could think of nothing better to do than to worship Him. It was a quiet moment of fellowship with the Creator that will not soon be forgotten. However, the moment was interrupted by a herd of cows stumbling to climb over the rocks. Seeing they were being moved on by a local rancher, I let out my best “Hola Senior”, when he only returned a glare I had a slight moment of panic that I was all by myself and not very fluent in Spanish. No need to worry though, because the cows quickly moved on and disappeared back into the trees. Soon after, I spotted that the group had made it to the top of the hike where a huge cross was overlooking the city. There was lots of excitement about the accomplishment of making it to the top and the group was rewarded with a fantastic view of the city. They climbed up the big cross and got some great pictures of their silhouettes’ against the clouds. After getting to take in everything they prayed over the city and the plans that God has for Jinotega. It was very moving to be able to overlook the city and pick out the spots where we had served throughout the week, the jail, hospital, basketball court, and church; God used us in different ministries at separate locations to reach out across the city.
The climb up was hard, but not near as treacherous as the way down; on the way down everyone was sliding in the mud. This did not stop Tyson and Jeb from racing to get to the bottom though, which maybe was not a bad idea as they did make it down without falling in the mud. Pastor Pedro, Mike, myself, and Amy were being precautious in making our way down, yet this did not stop me from getting covered in mud and Amy from taking a painful tumble. Amy was ahead of us and trying to strategize the best way to get down a steep slope of slick mud, when she went down and slid a few feet before being able to stop herself. It was bad enough being covered in mud, but in the slide Amy had also badly hurt her shoulder (later we realized she had dislocated it). We still had at least ten minutes to the bottom, but Amy pressed on with a great attitude as we helped her to get down safely.
Meanwhile Joanna, Amanda and Christy were headed to coffee with Bianca, Pastor Julian and Eliezel. Walking to the shop they could smell the coffee before they even saw it. From the outside it looked like it was going to be a hole in the wall place but inside they were pleasantly surprised to find that it resembled a very modern café. The drinks were fancier than what they would have expected to find in a typical American coffee shop, making the experience unforgettable. Not wanting to pass up her only chance to try some of the fancy options, Joanna order three caffeine loaded drinks, Eliezel was worried about her overdosing on the caffeine on her second drink. Pastor Julian, knowing Joanna’s involvement with the addiction recovery program, recommended that Joanna join a coffee-aholics recovery program. Another impressive aspect of the café was that it buys from local coffee farmers to support the economy of Jinotega. Between the great coffee and fantastic company everyone had a very memorable and great time.
When we got back to the church we quickly hit the showers to scrub off mud, and packed up to leave. In packing up we discovered that a few important items were missing. Apparently hair straighteners are hot commodity in Nicaragua, as someone had stolen Joanna’s and one of the church kids had seen a man leaving the church property carrying one. Joanna had a very great attitude about the loss though and even laughed about how someone in Jinotega may be able to make some money straightening beards on the street! Another missing item was Nikki’s camera including all of the pictures that were on it that can never be replaced.
Almost ready to leave we sat down for our last breakfast in Jinotega, the final meal that our church family would prepare for us. Although not all of us will miss the food, I am sure that I can speak for the team in saying that we will all miss the fun we have had cramming into the little kitchen and dining area to share meals together. And what will we do without Pastor Julian’s entertainment during meals? He is always so eager to burst into song, and this morning to accompany his singing he pulled out his harmonica that he loudly played directly into Carlos’s ear. While Carlos was obviously not appreciative Pastor Julian was oblivious to the possibility that anyone would not be as jolly as himself. With breakfast finished it was time for us to get on the road back to Managua.
Before we departed though, everyone who had been around helping at the church and in our projects that week meet us out in front of the church. It was like saying goodbye to a huge family. All of these people had been so eager to serve and get to know us all week long, even though our intentions were that we be the ones to do so for them. We all got together for a few large group photos and then all prayed together thanking God for our time in Jinotega and what He will continue to do when we are gone as well as our safe travels back to home.
Leaving Jinotega, Pastor Julian wanted to show us the Young Life camp outside of Jinotega (Young Life is a Christian ministry that reaches out to adolescents). The camp looked remarkably like many of the summer church camps that we had all been to in the U.S. and was complete with a few attractions of little lake, a rock climbing wall, and a maze. We all went for the maze, which turned out was not truly a maze as it just went back and forth in the same pattern until you reached the center where there was a big wooden cross. We then said goodbye again to Pastor Julian, Carlos, Bianca and their girls and loaded up the van once more to continue the trip back to Managua.
Besides some road construction our trip to Managua was uneventful in comparison to our trip to Jinotega. We learned that in Nicaragua highway construction uses large rocks instead of orange cones; it seems that they are ahead of the world in being environmentally friendly and economically resourceful. Before we knew it though we were back in Managua and headed downtown to a little market.
Though it was outside, the market was enclosed by tall cement block walls. It was very touristy, with lots of little souvenir items for sale and vendors that would try to sell items for more than their value. Eliezel encouraged that we all barter with them to lower the price by at least a few córdobas (the Nicaraguan dollar). In addition to the vendors trying to make some money, there were little kids who were perusing the tourists in search of someone who would take some pity on them give them a dollar. These little kids were skilled in weaving dried leaves together into little trinkets. The kids would weave something together and then rush over to you and say “take it, it’s free” if you didn’t take right then they would insist again. Well, Zac was naive and accepted a little cricket figure, however, even though it was supposedly “free”, the boy hung around waiting and then persisting that Zac pay him. It was frustrating to see such young kids hanging out all alone in such a busy place scamming for money. We couldn’t help all of them, so would have it been fair to help only one? And it appeared that what they needed more than money was to be given a new chance in a country that was not so tough to survive in. However, in comparison to other children around the world, and even some of the kids that we saw in the poorer towns of Nicaragua, these kids seemed to be doing alright, and at least they had the opportunity to beg for money in places that were not extremely dangerous.
After exploring the market for awhile and buying a few items to take home to family and friends, we were off to check into our hotel. To our surprise we were stepping it up from our last overnight stay in Managua. Walking to the lobby, I was thrilled that this was just about the nicest hotel that I had ever stayed in. The dining area and lobby looked so elegant and fancy that it appeared as if we had left Central American for Spain or France. The hotel got even better when it became apparent that the cost was going to be even less than what the Best Western our first night had been. We checked into our rooms which were fantastic and having a clean bathroom with dry floors felt like such a great luxury. We did not spend too long in our rooms before heading off to dinner though.
We arrived at Maria Bonita, a restaurant that Eliezel knew we would all enjoy. It was already very late and we were quite hungry thus when chips and salsa came out, they went quickly. The salsa was a little hot for some, but not for Jacquelyn of course, who was able to down a bowl of it! The food was absolutely delicious and they kept bringing out plates with hot skewers of chicken and vegetables. We all enjoyed getting our fill of the great food. Satisfied with the food, all that was missing was some entertainment, which Mike and Jeb quite happily supplied. After a quick and hilarious rehearsal of their dance routine, they headed off to the karaoke stage. Getting on the stage though they were confronted with the difficulty of only having Spanish music to use, asking for music Americano did not produce much more of a selection to choose from. They held nothing back though when the beat was right for letting loose and getting their groove on.
After leaving the restaurant the fun continued as the boys in the back of the van discovered Britney Spears, Hillary Duff, the Backstreet Boys, and other 90’s hits. They kept us singing and grooving all the way back to the hotel. Upon arriving back to the hotel we had a few hours to relax before we would meet for our final nightly debriefing in Nicaragua. I found the comfort of a queen bed and was out before I could even contemplate enjoying the pool. However, some of the group did find the energy to swim in the pool and had a great time playing a game of Marco Polo in a down pour. It was so cool for them to be in the pool when the rain was coming down so hard!
After we had all taken some time to relax we regrouped in one of the rooms for our final meeting. It was such a great time to be in fellowship with the whole group, and the last time we would meet like that again. Everyone shared about something or someone that they were thankful for in our group. Hearing everyone’s appreciation for their team mates was affirmation of the unity that had developed within our group. For myself, I was just moved that if it had not been for this trip I would not have gotten to know any of the people on the trip, in which case I would have been missing out, because everyone on the trip was worth getting to know. It is clear that strong relationships had been built on this trip! Of course there were lots of laughs, but it was also a really heavy ending to our trip as feelings of how we would never have the chance to relive the moments we had spent together in Nicaragua sank in. Nikki brought us to a close by having us reflect what we had seen in Nicaragua that would stick with us when we returned home, what were the injustices that had moved us and how could we deal with them. For all of the fun that we had on this trip, it was equally meet with the frustration of seeing circumstances that challenged us to take a look at our own lives and what we are (or are not) doing for others.
At the end of the meeting Eliezel gave us all Nicaragua bracelets! I am so proud to wear mine and be reminded of Nicaragua and everything that God has done in and through me during this trip!
Day 8: July 2nd, 2010
This morning we all meet up in the hotel lobby around 5:15, way too early but just in time for catching an international flight. There was a little platter of food and juice that we could help ourselves to for breakfast. We loaded up in shuttle for a quick ride over to the airport.
The ticket lines were already getting pretty long, but luckily we arrived just in time to beat a bus load of people into line. As we waited in line Mike and Jeb provided some entertainment with their Nicaraguan flags. We moved right along though and waited for a final good bye to Eliezel before going to security. It was a sad moment to have to say good bye to Eliezel. He was so valuable to our trip and everything that we had been able to do and experience. His life is a testimony of his passion for Christ and for serving others. He brought such a wonderful contribution to our team and will surely be missed! As we were standing in line to go through security we found someone to take a final picture of our entire group with clocks form all of the different time zones behind us.
Going through security was uneventful and we made it onto the plane. I was pretty excited about that on this flight we would be flying over Nicaragua and the ocean in the day light, however, I was also very happy to get some sleep. It was not long before we were back in the U.S. and landing in Atlanta. We had to go through customs, and all made it back in to the U.S. without an issue. After making it through customs we made our way to baggage claim via a speedy shuttle that was quite fun to ride. We also found the restrooms where it was pretty great to be able to actually flush toilet paper again. After getting our bags we had to say good bye to Mike as instead of going back to Boise with us, he was going to visit family in the area. Then we checked our bags for the rest of our flights and went back to the terminal where we waited for our connection flight to Salt Lake.
It was a long flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake but sitting next to Nikki and getting to know her a little more made the time pass quickly. We eventually landed in Salt Lake and then had an easy time making it to our final flight. Our flight back to Boise experienced a lot of unsettling turbulence. Despite the turbulence though, it was one of my favorite air plane rides as I cannot forget how beautiful the clouds looked with the sun peaking through them during our little bound with the turbulence. It was a spectacular ending to our long day of airplanes and airports.
Although we are back home, our trip does not have to be totally over. To begin with, our projects and their results will continue to leave lasting change in the community of Jinotega. God is still continuing the work that He accomplished through us, whether it is growing the Celebrate Recovery ministry, touching mothers in the hospital, transforming lives in the jail, or drawing children who watched a film about Him to have a relationship with Him. Also we will not soon forget what God has done in us. Some of us are coming back with a renewed passion to serve in our communities while others are making larger commitments to the mission field. Whatever the case, we are all returning with experiences and relationships that have and will be influential in our lives as we continue to discover God’s plan and purpose for us.
The ticket lines were already getting pretty long, but luckily we arrived just in time to beat a bus load of people into line. As we waited in line Mike and Jeb provided some entertainment with their Nicaraguan flags. We moved right along though and waited for a final good bye to Eliezel before going to security. It was a sad moment to have to say good bye to Eliezel. He was so valuable to our trip and everything that we had been able to do and experience. His life is a testimony of his passion for Christ and for serving others. He brought such a wonderful contribution to our team and will surely be missed! As we were standing in line to go through security we found someone to take a final picture of our entire group with clocks form all of the different time zones behind us.
Going through security was uneventful and we made it onto the plane. I was pretty excited about that on this flight we would be flying over Nicaragua and the ocean in the day light, however, I was also very happy to get some sleep. It was not long before we were back in the U.S. and landing in Atlanta. We had to go through customs, and all made it back in to the U.S. without an issue. After making it through customs we made our way to baggage claim via a speedy shuttle that was quite fun to ride. We also found the restrooms where it was pretty great to be able to actually flush toilet paper again. After getting our bags we had to say good bye to Mike as instead of going back to Boise with us, he was going to visit family in the area. Then we checked our bags for the rest of our flights and went back to the terminal where we waited for our connection flight to Salt Lake.
It was a long flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake but sitting next to Nikki and getting to know her a little more made the time pass quickly. We eventually landed in Salt Lake and then had an easy time making it to our final flight. Our flight back to Boise experienced a lot of unsettling turbulence. Despite the turbulence though, it was one of my favorite air plane rides as I cannot forget how beautiful the clouds looked with the sun peaking through them during our little bound with the turbulence. It was a spectacular ending to our long day of airplanes and airports.
Although we are back home, our trip does not have to be totally over. To begin with, our projects and their results will continue to leave lasting change in the community of Jinotega. God is still continuing the work that He accomplished through us, whether it is growing the Celebrate Recovery ministry, touching mothers in the hospital, transforming lives in the jail, or drawing children who watched a film about Him to have a relationship with Him. Also we will not soon forget what God has done in us. Some of us are coming back with a renewed passion to serve in our communities while others are making larger commitments to the mission field. Whatever the case, we are all returning with experiences and relationships that have and will be influential in our lives as we continue to discover God’s plan and purpose for us.
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