These last couple of months have been difficult to say the least, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. After the third team left, I began helping in a local school in our community of Los Cedros.
The translator we use by the name of Jose Luis teaches there. I go into the school two to three times a week and help him as he teaches English. It's a great opportunity for the kids to hear a native pronunciation and for me to learn a bit of Spanish as well. I've come to really enjoy it, and I have gotten acquainted with a lot more people in our community through this. What really excites me is that during our lunch break there are students who come to be a part of a discussion led by me and Jose.
During this time the kids forfeit their freedom of recess and they practice speaking to us in English and in turn their pronunciation is so much better. Some of these same kids, between the ages of 14 -18, go to an English school over an hour away on a hot cramped bus on their weekends just to better their education. They inspire me to want to learn more!
On Wednesdays I'm a part of helping Glen and Jana (the heart and soul of New Day Ministries) as they prepare a library and a bible class for the students of a neighboring community called Eduana Uno. They go in to work at around 9am where they will prepare a table of books for the kids to sign out. Sometimes the students are required to give a presentation of what the book from the previous week was all about. At around noon library is over and bible class begins. During this time we do anything from acting out bible stories with props and costumes, to puppet shows and various activities.
Also during this time Glen’s brother Richard brought a team down from Virginia. Their main objective for the week they were here was to work in the school of another community named Elaponte. They were an amazing blessing as they worked side by side with community members to prepare the school for a new fence, give everything a fresh coat of paint, and fix other little things in and around the school such as basketball hoops and swings. Rich’s team also, at the end of their stay in Nicaragua, put on a men's conference for guys in the community. During this time they were taught the word of God and played some baseball. At the end of the day every man there was sent home with a t-shirt and a machete. The look on the men's face when they saw that the machetes were theirs to keep was priceless.
New Day Ministries has taken both Eduana Uno and Elaponte under their wing with the help of God, support back home, and great teams that come down. What's different about this new community of Elaponte is Richard and his church are sponsoring the whole community. It's different from Eduana Uno because there we have individual sponsors for each child in the school. It's very difficult to get all the children sponsored and to do it for two communities would be a daunting task. Our hope is needs will be better met by a community sponsorship in this circumstance. I feel very blessed to have been a part of all that's gone on so far.
Just within the last couple weeks I've begun to learn a little more about public transportation in Nicaragua. It's been quite the experience riding buses and trying to make my way into the capital of Managua with friends and sometimes ministry employees.
I've got a new appreciation for how hard it is to get even the simplest errands done. All in all it’s been great. I'm definitely experiencing my share of homesickness, but that hasn't stopped me from realizing how blessed I am and how amazing this country is. I look forward to sharing my experiences personally with my family, friends, and whoever else will listen when I'm home.
In the meantime all I know is without a doubt this last month will rock my world even more. It's my hope I can leave as much an impact on these people as they've left on me.