Day One in Matagalpa!

     We began our day with breakfast at the Hotel la Estancia Don Roberto and a lovely devotional from Sally Jo. She reminded us that God speaks to us through the Bible and through others, and that we can't forget to listen for him while we're here this week. 

      Shortly after breakfast, Wayne and Megan took us to Barrio Sor Maria Romero, which is where we will be doing our work this week. We walked around the community and got to meet some of the people and children who live there, who couldn't have been more welcoming to us. Although their living conditions were much worse than I could've imagined, they were all in high spirits with big smiles on their faces. Rich even got to have some conversations with a few of the kids as he speaks Spanish much better than the rest of us.

     After having lunch on a mountain top while enjoying a beautiful view of Matagalpa below, we got ourselves ready for dinner and the service. Unfortunately, the pastor had to cancel the service because of the intensity of the rain at the time so we will now go on Tuesday night instead... which is probably better for us anyway since we were planning on singing a few songs and could definitely use a lot more practice. 

      Overall, it's difficult to sum up the true experience of the day we had. I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, but needless to say it was a lot to take in and process. I think right now all of us feel more ready than ever to get to work, spread God's love, and do what we can for this community.