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!