Nicaragua Trip - Day 3 - June 16th

What a day! I started at 7:00 am with a trip to the school with Raul. We checked out the computer lab where there are 10 old computers - probably from the mid 90's - sitting on tables with benches pulled up like picnic tables. The computers all had Microsoft Office 2003 even though they were a little slow. We said hi to a few kids and got a few hugs before their classes started and we headed back to the team center for some breakfast. After breakfast, we had some time to prepare with our awesome Excel team for our first Excel class that afternoon. We desperately tried to change the language on the two laptops we brought down, but we were unsuccessful after an hour of trying. However, the team made a great plan to have the kids create a spreadsheet and do some data entry. After we finished meeting, our small group was assigned to go to Nueva Vida and help at the feeding centers in the refugee camp. We arrived there after about an hour ride on the bumpy bus. The drive into Nueva Vida was quite interesting and filled with mixed feelings. The houses were mainly cement walls that they shared with the people around them, covered with corrugated metal for a roof. The properties were extremely small, but that didn't seem to affect the people that lived there. Every person that we saw smiled and waved at us as we drove by. I was worried that the people would be resentful of us because of our luxury Americaness, but that was never an issue. We arrived at a building with a large breezeway and many rooms off of the breezeway. We set up a bunch of chairs in the breezeway and listened to Tommy talk about life in Nueva Vida. It is a large community of refugees from the 1998 hurricane. Many parents send their children to the feeding center for lunch each day. They also have a school in the community where many children receive their education. After the talk, we toured the facilities they created to help earn money for the community. They had a sewing shop, silver smith for jewelry, bakery, and a carpentery shop. They encourage the older students that have ideas for new projects that will bring income to the community to pursue their dreams. If it's successful, they continue the work in the community, accepting that God had His hand on the project. As an example, the pastor of the church that started the feeding center thought that God had told him to build a bakery. He tried to reason with God because he had never made bread in his life. However, God won in the end and he started a bakery. He made something like 60 loaves of bread the first day and now he's making something like 60,000 loaves of bread - or something like that. It was so amazing to see how the pastor planted the seed and God took care of the rest. So after the tour, they started to let the kids in for lunch. We were put to work collecting the dishes and cups for food. We brought them to the kitchen to be filled with food and drink and then carried them back to the children. Each child knew their own bowl and cup and always helped hand out the other dishes to the other children. A few kids started to joke around and had a little too much fun playing with their food! After lunch, we were able to play with the kids on the playground. One girl came right up to me, Marita, and stayed with me, giving me constant hugs, until we had to leave. She was so beautiful and it was so special to be with her. The other buddy that I made was Josue. He was an extremely intelligent boy. While I was trying to converse with some of the kids in Spanish, he came over and told the kids to speak slower so that I could better understand. He hid his english skills, but I pried them out of him and then he kept speaking to me in english. I became very attached to him and I know that he will become great some day! It came time to say goodbye and it was so difficult. Many of us were crying as the bus drove away and the children chased after us for about a half mile. So the bus brought us out for lunch at Raul and Josias' uncle's restaurant where their mom and aunt served us tortilla chips and delicious chili. Then we returned to Casa Bernabe where we started our first work project day teaching Excel to the kids. For the first hour, we started out playing a name game where we said our names with actions and went around the circle. Some of the kids were not willing to participate, but they eventually succumbed to our prodding. :) It was a good class and great fun teaching the kids! The next group arrived after and hour and a half and we did the same activities. We even shouted "Excel" everytime we completed a task. After our work project ended, we went back to the team center and had dinner with the group. After our delicious dinner, we had porch time where we had open time to say something we remembered about the day and how we saw Christ that day. We ended that night with discussion in our small group. We had a spirit-filled prayer time over Alyssa and Karsen who were both deeply moved by our activities that day. It was an amazing day!!

Nicaragua Trip, June 15th - Day 2 (Jenn's)

I cannot believe how quickly this day has flown by! Yesterday, I was very nervous about our future experience and I was doubting our decision to come to Nicaragua. I felt an overwhelming sense of culture shock and fear that I would not be good enough. Who am I to serve these people? But today I woke up with a new God-given attitude. I've asked God several times over the last 6 months that God would open my ears and eyes to hear and see Him in order to deepen my dependence on Him. He is fulfilling that prayer during the trip. So we ate breakfast and listened to a short speech from Tommy. Then Jamileth spoke about the orphanage and then took us on a tour. It was heartbreaking to see the tiny rooms and minimal facilities. I am so appreciative and grateful for what we have! We also had the opportunity to play with some of the preschoolers - so cute! After the tour, we went into Managua to get some cultural background and history - what a tumultuous past. For lunch, we ate at a fast-paced buffet that was absolutely delicious! Those plantain fries were so good!! Then we came back and had some time for the work group team leads to meet. After we met, we went on a tour of where we would be working. On the tour, we stopped at the girls' building and met some of the children. Erlinda came right up to me and we started a conversation in Spanish. Soon, other kids started joining our conversation and Daroling, Mileydi and Haydalina were all talking with me. and it didn't take long for Paola to jump into my arms and join in the conversation. Paola led me through the girls' bunks to their laundry area out back. She then lifted a small play kitchen and showed me a dead cat that was squished beneath. I was offered a pair of gloves and I picked up the body and put it in the trash. After that event, we gathered the children together in a circle on the floor and sang songs with hand games. It was such a blast! Ruben sat next to me and was so quick to learn the hand games - he is so smart! Soon, the rest of the mission team joined us and we were playing sports, painting nails and singing songs. How fun! After our events, we had a delicious dinner. Then Tommy began to talk to us after we pulled our chairs into a circle. However, it began to rain too hard for us to hear him. So he started to speak louder - almost yelling. So we put our chairs into a closer formation, but the rain poured even harder! It was so funny! How God has a sense of humor. Every time he started to talk, the rain poured down on the tin roof even harder. He decided that we should take a 20 minute break until the rain quieted. After the rain settled, Tommy finished his speech and we split into small groups to discuss some questions. We had such a great discussion about our experiences so far and how that's impacting us. I have such a great small group of women!! I think that tomorrow might be a tough day, but God is going to be there and help me through it!

Day 1 - June 14th (Jenn)

It has been quite an amazing day! We started out waking up at 3:00 AM and left the house by 3:45 AM. It was sad to say goodbye to the animals, but Erin woke up to help see us off. We arrived at the airport at 4:30 AM and started the check in process. It took about an hour to get everyone checked in and through security. We ate a quick breakfast, I said goodbye to Nate, and then we boarded the plane. It was a quick flight to Miami because I slept most of the way. After arriving in Miami, I had a chance to talk to the other girls on the flight - what wonderful women! We have such an amazing group and God has placed a great love in my heart for these women. I'm excited to serve side-by-side with them in Nicaragua. We had some great conversations about life, relationships, God and many other things. How awesome and inspiring it is to see other women pursuing God and truly wanting to change lives. These women have many of the same struggles that I have and they know so much about God's word and who He is. Well, after some walks and some talks, we were all sitting as a group when a family sitting near us had some restless kids. Sue pulled out her ukelele and we all sang songs while she strummed away and entertained the kids. The kids started clapping and dancing to the music. Even the parents were enjoying the entertainment for their kids. I think in that brief moment, God used our group as Christ ambassadors. What a privilege! So after our 8 hour layover, we boarded the planed and arrive in Nicaragua around 7:30 PM (Mountain Time). After a long wait through customs, we made it through and met Eddy, the field director for Casa Bernabe. We only had a few seconds to say hi to him, but he was so warm and caring in those few seconds; he was a true Christ representative. So we gathered everyone in our group and we boarded this old school bus that was repainted and decorated with stickers and other items. We took a 40 minute bus ride to the orphanage and I was astonished at some of the things we saw in Managua. There were so many people on the streets after dark, just hanging around. That was the only time of day when people could just relax together. Many of the buildings were just poles and tin roofs. So we arrived at Casa Bernabe and claimed our rooms and bunk beds - 8 beds per room. It seemed a little small, but we were excited all the same. Once we had settled in a little bit, we met Alvaro. He told us his amazing testimony. I won't tell all the details because I don't want to get the story wrong, but he actually lived at the orphanage for many years. He had a lot of anger toward God and told God that if he met his mother, he would give his life to God. Many years and difficult times later, he met his mother and devoted his life to Christ. He's now working with a ministry that offers kids on the street, one week away from their lives to show them a different life with more opportunities. Those that run the ministry hope that this experience will lead them to Christ, but they don't push it too hard because many of the kids are teetering on the edge of decisions like that. The ministry sponsors 250 kids, 3 times a year, to go to a camp in Northern Nicaragua for 1 week. It has drastically changed many lives and led many kids to Christ. Alvaro has such an amazing story and he totally got me fired up for the trip. After awhile, the second group arrived and we were able to meet all together in the dining area. Tommy, one of the leaders of ORPHANetwork, gave a short speech about our missions, some do's and don'ts, and said a prayer for our group. I am very excited to work with everyone over the next week!!

What else has Jenn discovered?

So, I said that I would post again about my experience at our last meeting, so here it is. I don't have Nate to proof it this time, so sorry for any terrible or just plain weird grammatical errors! Anyway, the first meeting we had for our Nicaragua trip was quite exhilarating and yet basic. I left the meeting feeling like a big fish in a little pond and just pumped for whatever was next! The second meeting was not like the first meeting for me. We completed an exercise that reminded me that those we visit are not going to be exactly like me in every way (which is a good thing). It made me realize that I will likely have to make an adjustment in my thinking to accept their cultural and social norms as normal. And during the meeting, I just kept thinking, "Wow, they really have everything planned out from the smallest details to the big picture - I know nothing at all!" So I left the meeting feeling a little overwhelmed and definitely like a small fish in a big pond. The confidence I had at the first meeting was replaced by anxiety even though the excitement and anticipation remained. I quite literally knew nothing. But I felt God saying to me, "Yes Jennifer, you do not know what you are about to experience or what to do in the upcoming situations. That is why you need me." And then I realized that it is ok to not know everything for this trip. Sometimes, I get so stuck on being prepared for things that I want to learn it all and do it myself. I often end up feeling overwhelmed and afraid because I can't do it on my own. That's usually when God gently taps my back and says, "Hey, that's what I'm here for." I am so grateful we have a God that cares about leading me through my day and strengthening me when I feel weak! So, I am now over my anxiety and accepting that I am small, but my God is bigger than anything!!

Second Meeting

So we had our second meeting last Tuesday, May 11th, and it was yet another great meeting! Our groups are bonding and we are getting to know each other better now. To help that along, we did this exercise that seemed quite silly at the moment, but gave some great insights. We were given the task of talking about our childhood in one minute while doing an activity (shaking the other person's hand, patting the top of your head, getting shoulder to shoulder with another person, talking in a baby voice, or clapping hands while speaking). It was very uncomfortable, but made us think about talking with people from another culture and the seemingly weird quirks they might have. One of my co-workers actually told me a story today about how she was listening to some rap by Christian artists and wasn't moved by it at all. However, there was another girl who was in tears after hearing the message and ending up giving her life to the Lord. It just showed me that even if we perceive something as weird or "not right", it does not mean that God will not use it to touch another person. But back to Tuesday night, we also were able to Skype with Eddy Morales, a leader in OrphaNetwork. It was so cool to see his passions and gifts being used! We are very excited to meet him - almost as excited as we are to meet the kids. While we were skyping, we got a glimpse of the projects we will be doing in Nicaragua. They are so cool! Everything from teaching Excel and English to building an office and organizing a library to helping the children get rid of lice. Normally, I would be intimidated or grossed out by some of these tasks, but I know that God is preparing and will continue to prepare us for the road ahead. I learned so much this last Tuesday and I will write more later- it's just too much for one post!

Jenn's post

So we had to share some more stuff with everyone! First of all, we have been blown away by how much support we have received. We are truly not comfortable asking anyone for money! But God has reminded us that it's really His money and His children are generous and want to support what He is doing in the world. How amazing!!

So for me, Jenn, there is one thing that has really stuck out to me this week. I've been teaching K-5 music at a private school this past school year and it has been a great learning experience, but I will not be able to return next year for financial reasons and time commitments. I have wondered why God would allow me to teach at a school for one year and then leave - it just seems flaky to me. However, I recently learned that the orphanage has started a music program within the last year. What an opportunity I will have to see their program and learn what they have experienced since they started playing their instruments. And who knows what else God has in mind. That is just one way that I can see how God has prepared me in a little way for this trip. Maybe I will be able to contribute something to the orphanage about what I have learned over the past school year. All I know is that God has something planned - I have no idea what He is going to do - but man, I am super excited to find out!!

Our first meeting - how exciting!

So we had our first team meeting for the trip on Tuesday, April 20th. It was absolutely fantastic and we are even more charged to go to Nicaragua. When we arrived, we actually saw some people that we knew - awesome! The meeting was very informational, but mostly just basic information. The leader did make a great point that really affected our view on this trip. He said that there are three groups of people involved in a mission trip, 1. those that are prayerfully and financially sending those that are going on the trip, 2. those that are going on the trip, and 3. those that are receiving the people going on the trip. These three groups of people are equally and all 100% involved in the mission trip. That is actually the reason why we started this blog. It is our hope that through this blog, those that are in the sending group, will be engaged in the trip and will be able to participate just as well. So, if you'd like, please follow this blog and let us know your thoughts! I guess that was the thing that impacted us the most on Tuesday, but I know that God has a lot more in store...