Dias Seis: Cloud Forests, Horseback Rides, and A Bittersweet Good-bye..

    Today was our final day here in Matagalpa with the Tingles. Since this will be my last blog entry for the trip, I will keep it short and sweet (or at least I'll try to).

    It began with pancakes, packing bags, and a final devotional. Before we left for our day trip, Amy gave us all a big laugh when she decided to get her haircut across the street and ended up overpaying the man so much, we were convinced he packed up and left for a vacation afterwards! In all honesty though, I think that was a good example of the generous spirit of everyone in our group. I feel truly blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people. 

     Megan and Wayne planned an incredible day for us today and took us to Selva Negra. We spent the day taking a bus tour and seeing many beautiful sights in the cloud forest above Matagalpa. We got to see how coffee berries are picked and processed, and learned about all of the hard work that goes into it. The entire resort was peaceful and full of beauty. Some of us even went for horseback rides up and down the mountains, which were slightly terrifying since the horses liked to pick up speed but also a lot of fun.

    I would like to end this by saying something about everyone I spent this week with, because all of them inspired me in one way or another. 

I'll start with Donna, who was the best roommate and so comforting to be around. She is one of the most selfless and kind people I've ever met in my life. She cares so deeply for the people around her and it shines through every time. 

Amy is so courageous and open about how she found her way back to her faith which I really admire. She also showed so much love and affection for every child she encountered this week and it always made me smile.  

Todd has one of the best work ethics I've ever seen and refused to stop working on something until the job was done. He treats everyone he encounters with warmth and kindness, and I can really appreciate the goodness in his heart. 

Rich kept me smiling and laughing this entire trip. He has such a good sense of humor and could always lighten the mood when needed, and he was incredible when he spoke to the kids in Spanish, bravo Rich! 

Bill has so much passion for his faith and is nothing but genuine and kind-hearted. He has been so welcoming to me since I met him and is a very talented musician and singer that I am greatly inspired by. 

Eric has such a youthful spirit and I was honestly in awe of him this entire trip. He is one of the hardest workers I've ever seen and I think we can all learn a lot from him. 

Doug has such a big heart and always kept a smile on his face this week. I loved seeing him spend time with the kids and trying his best to speak Spanish to them, he made them smile and laugh constantly. 

I don't even know where to begin with Chuck but one thing I can say for sure is he has a heart of pure gold. His generosity, eager spirit, and undeniable faith never cease to amaze me. Oh, and if it weren't for his countless questions about everything, I wouldn't have learned even half of what I did this week. 

If Sally Jo weren't so kind and welcoming, I never would have been a part of this trip. She treats everybody in a way that is admirable and inspiring, and has THE biggest heart. She is the glue that held all of us together this week and I'm so grateful that God brought her into my life. 

And of course the best for last... Megan and Wayne are two of the most gracious and wonderful people I've ever met. Without them, none of this would be possible and I promise that we will not take that for granted. Their enthusiasm and passion for faith, education, and the wellness of others is a truly rare thing to find. Their hearts are two of the biggest I've ever seen and every single one of us are eternally grateful for both of you. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. 

So maybe not so short and sweet but what can I say, there were just too many wonderful things to say about everyone :)

For the last time, buenas noches everyone! And thank you for keeping up with our trip this week. Your support means the world to us! 

Dias Cinco: Our Final Day in Barrio Sor Maria Romero..

      Since today was our last day of work here in Matagalpa (for now), I have decided to write more about the highlights of the day rather than walk everyone through it. 

     On Wednesday night around 9 o'clock, we lost our running water here at the hotel. Ironically, it was pouring rain outside all night long and yet we couldn't get a drop out of our faucets or showers. This continued into the morning and afternoon. Without being able to take a shower or flush a toilet, we all got a bit frustrated with the circumstances. In all honesty, it's difficult not to because it's not what we're used to. However, it was yet another reminder of how many blessings we have. The people we've spent this entire week with live without running water every single day. They don't have any of the luxuries that we do and yet there is pure joy in their hearts. They make the most of what they have and it's the most inspiring part of this trip.  

     We had many goals set today knowing it would be our last day of work for the week. There were cabinets to finish, shutters to be built and put up, painting to get done, lights to be installed, lunches to be made and served, hair to be deloused, and games to be played with the kids. Rather than get overwhelmed by what hadn't been done yet, we continued our great team work and put our best foot forward. By the end of the day, the kitchen looked completely transformed from the day we arrived. The pastor and his wife, Thelma, showed more gratitude for what we accomplished than I've ever seen from anyone. We all prayed together before we left and it was a special moment that will be remembered. 

     Our plan today was to play baseball with the kids once our work was done. We were just as excited as they were and all of us got ready to go... and then the rain came again. Since it became too intense to go outside and play, we had no choice but to improvise. It was really incredible to see Megan come up with a little art project on the spot and make it fun for them. I honestly felt devastated for the kids and it was a tough moment for me, until I realized I was more upset about it than they were. They took the circumstance as it was and made their own fun out of drawing with markers on paper plates. I've honestly never seen anything like that before. 

     Then Chuck came in and made a very kind and generous gesture. He bought an ice-cream from the ice-cream cart outside for every single kid who was in the church with us. As much as they enjoyed their art project, this really put a smile of their faces. 

    The rain cleared up in the evening and we were finally able to attend service tonight, hallelujah! We were also very grateful for Megan and Wayne for treating us to pizza and ice-cream tonight (especially because it was the best ice-cream we've ever had)! At the service, we sang our four songs as Wayne and Bill accompanied us with the guitar and drums, Chuck gave the sermon, and the pastor led us in prayer. Chuck spoke about the notion that what we want is not always the same as what God wants. We all love the same God and serve the same God, no matter how different we may seem to be. Amy brought something up tonight during the debrief that I thought a lot about this week. She spoke about the fact that these people have nothing except for their faith, and they hold onto it through everything. I think we could truly see that when we watched them at service tonight. The way they prayed together was so beautiful and moving. Chuck was right when he said that they have given all of us far more than we could ever give to them.

    It was not easy saying good-bye when we left the Barrio Sor Maria Romero for the last time today. They were a group of beautiful people with bigger hearts than any of us have ever seen. I am so grateful that God brought me into the lives of everyone involved in this mission project. I believe this trip has changed us for the better and has reminded us of what really matters in life. We pray that we will continue to grow in our relationship with God, the Tingles, and the people of Matagalpa.

   This trip has opened new doors for all of us and we can't wait to see what comes next. 

Buenas Noches Amigos! 

Dias Cuatro: Team Work Makes the Dream Work

     It was another day of hard work and fun here in Matagalpa. The devotional this morning was given by Eric, who spoke about the value of patience. We tend to get caught up in what we're doing and feel like we need to rush to get everything done in one week, but that's not realistic nor our goal. Our goal is to continue our long-term partnership with the Tingles and this mission project, and patience is an essential part of doing so.

     

      It's been raining on and off since we got here, but once again it held off long enough for us to continue work outside and keep things moving along with the construction. Our plan for lunch was to make chicken and broccoli for the kids,  but broccoli was nowhere to be found in Matagalpa today so we improvised and made cauliflower instead (which they loved just as much). 

    It was truly incredible to see everyone work as a team today. The kitchen is far from being big enough for all of us to work in at the same time. Yet we had half of us in there preparing and cooking the food while the other half was in and out using power tools, building cabinets, and cutting wood. Others may have thought it was impossible but somehow we managed to make it work. 

   

     We changed things up today and had Rich, Bill, and Todd help serve the kids' lunches so they could get to know some new faces. The kids were excited to have Rich serving their food because of the 'muy grande' portions he gave them. I'm pretty sure most of them even left with enough for dinner so they were very happy about that!

     After lunch, Donna and Amy (with the help of Megan as their translator) taught a class for new and expecting mothers in which they gave them some great tips for taking care of their newborns. Sally Jo sat with them and helped to make sure everything went smoothly. They also put together gift bags filled with diapers, bottles, and other goodies for each mother to take home with them. It was truly inspiring to see them talk to a few of the mothers one on one who were dealing with some difficult health issues. Overall, they did a fantastic job with these women and made a difference in their lives.

     In the meantime, Eric and Doug finished building the cabinets, Wayne and Todd finished putting the shelves up, and Bill and Rich cut enough wood for all of them to do so. They also got the shutters put together and ready to go for tomorrow. I was excited to use my first power tool today with the help of Chuck, who was also working on getting some wood together for the shelves and cabinets. I've never measured and cut wood before but I was thankful that Chuck cared enough to teach me and guide me through it.

     Our winners of the Bueno Bars tonight were Rich and Amy. Obviously Rich for his extremely generous lunch portions... and the fact that he's the only bilingual one in our group who can have real conversations with the kids. Amy did an incredible job teaching and comforting those women who were definitely in need of both, and I could tell they were very grateful to her for doing so.

      Today was really extraordinary to say the least. It's hard to believe we're more than halfway through the week already but what a week it's been. We look forward to giving our best again tomorrow and we pray that the weather works in our favor. We are thankful for good health, our supporters, and our ability to accomplish so much this week.

Dias Tres! A Lot of Progress and a Little Bit of Rain..

  

      We began today with a wonderful devotional from Bill, who spoke about our best motivation for being here in Matagalpa. He reminded us that others may praise us for coming on a trip like this, but the recognition is far from the reason we chose to be here. 

     We got lucky again today and avoided rain for almost the entire day of work. Donna and Amy set up the medical clinic for the morning check-ups and Sally Jo and I helped with the kids and medical charts again. Megan began cooking the fish tacos for lunch with Eric's assistance, and Doug managed to finish painting the inside of the kitchen at the same time. Todd, Wayne, and Bill worked on more shutters for the kitchen as Chuck and Rich worked on building the cabinets and shelves. 

                      

       After lunch, we had a lot of fun as we rehearsed the four songs we planned on singing at the evening service. Wayne played his guitar, Bill joined in with the drums, and we worked on our lyrics, melodies, and harmonies. It took us some time but eventually we got the hang of it and sounded pretty good

      In the afternoon, several of us stayed inside the church and did crafts with the kids. We set up a rock painting session in which they each picked out their own rock to paint. They really enjoyed it and most of them ended up painting two or three rocks each. We thought we did a good job at keeping the paint on the plastic until we looked under the tables and realized half of the kids decided to use them as napkins. But it was all in good fun and definitely worth it. I also think we felt a little bit more confident today with our Spanish and had somewhat of an easier time communicating with the kids. 

    The rest of the group continued their hard work outside and were able to make quite a bit of progress before the rain started up and we had to call it a day. Unfortunately, the pastor had to cancel service again because of the weather conditions, so we are crossing our fingers that on Thursday it will work out.

     We had dinner at 5:30pm and then went into our debrief for the night. Our three lucky winners of the Bueno Bars tonight were Eric, Todd, and Bill. Although Eric spent much of the morning in the kitchen helping Megan cook, he still managed to get the electricity in the kitchen up and running. Todd and Bill worked tirelessly to build two more shutters and put them up before the day was over. All three of them remained focused and determined to get their jobs done and it was amazing to see the finished products. 

    It was another great day filled with fun, hard work, and learning experiences. Through our faith, we have been blessed with the ability to spread love and joy to the people here. Wayne and Megan have reminded us that most of these kids just need to feel valued in some way and that we can play a major role in doing so. We are going to get a good night's rest and be ready for another successful day tomorrow!