Day 4 - Enrichment Classes and Running Water!

Today was a day full of excitement for the children and some “firsts” for the Enrichment Center.  Day 4 began with a heart-felt devotion led by Sally Jo.  She walked us through the path that God has put her on and how he works in his own time.  Sally Jo stressed the importance of prayer in her life and how she has grown in her relationship with God.  Her message was based on Romans 12:12 “Joyful in hope, patience in affliction, faithful in prayer”.  She coached us each to take a step forward in our prayer life as well.

Meal preparations were made by Sally Jo, Sam, Megan, and Karen.  Today was Taco Tuesday and the meal was a bit hit with the kids.  Today was also Sam’s 16th birthday and the kids sang her three traditional Spanish birthday songs.  It was a “wow” moment for many of us.  She is very thankful for making her feel so special with the celebration, singing, and cake.

Part of the goal of Enrich Missions is to provide opportunities for the kids called enrichment classes.  One of these is the ballet lessons program.  The staff from Enrich Missions picks up the girls from their homes and drives them into the town to the ballet studio.  Here they experience the ability to express themselves through the art of ballet.  

Sponsors are a key part of ensuring this program is successful.  Todd and Amy have generously sponsored a young girl named Crystal to take ballet classes and provide her with the needed dance supplies.  It was a joyous experience to see the girls dance and bond with her sponsors.  Another “wow” moment!

The other sponsorship program offered is Jujitsu for both boy and girls. Jujitsu is a martial art focusing on close combat with the opponent.  It looks like intense wrestling with some serious take down moves.  These classes are led by Abraham and are now held in the Enrichment Center.  As we watched, we saw kids learning a new skill and having fun at the same time. 

Many construction projects were initiated and completed by Mike, Tom, Todd, Wayne, Jon, and Javier that brought some “firsts” to the center.  The pictures below show the backsplash and shelf that was built and mounted to the wall.  After that the plumbing was finished to provide the “first” ever running water in the building.  This now gives them a working sink and makes things we take for granted possible like washing our hands or doing the dishes.

Another “first” that was desperately needed was the addition of two working bathrooms.  Todd, Tom, and Wayne led the charge to get the plumbing for the toilets operational and later that day completed the electrical work to provide lights.  The impact of these bathrooms is hard to understand until you have climbed up the slippery, rocky walk path to the pit toilet that was only bathroom available until today.  What a huge step forward in the functionality of the building.  

Below are some more pictures of the team in action today working on projects you’ll hear about later this week.  Mike and Jon also built the sawhorses to make it safer, easier, and more efficient to work on the remaining projects.  Sam and Wayne worked on grinding the concrete countertop too.

Part two of the art classes continued today and it was astonishing to see students lining up almost an hour before it was time to begin.  Led by Diane and Karen, with the help of many others, the groups made of lot of progress on the 7 Days of Creation project.  Stay tuned to see how this project turns out.  There was also time to tutor students and help them with the English language.

Tonight we were invited to the Tingles home in the mountains outside of Matagalpa.  They have great home with a lot of open space and a beautiful view of the town.  We met their daughters Allison and Emily and it was a pleasure to talk with them.  There were cupcakes and singing to celebrate Sam’s birthday.

Once again we reflected on the day and shared our “wow” moments.  The “bueno” awards were given to Tom and Todd for their hard work, technical skills, and drive to get electricity to the bathroom and install lights.  This will make completing the other projects in the bathrooms much easier.  Congratulations!

We are so thankful for the congregation, friends and families prayers and support to make this trip possible. 

Hasta Manana (see you tomorrow).