Nicaraguan Adventures - Week One

Hola from the very warm country of Nicaragua!! :)

I thought I would give you all a summary of my adventures here thus far!! So here goes!

My first week in Nicaragua had its ups and downs. I flew into Managua on the same flight as Hart (A bilingual speech pathologist that I am learning from and semi-traveling with). When we disembarked the airplane, we met most of the other people on our team! The team was from a church in Rogersville, and they were staying one week.

My first impression: I was very homesick, and the place I was staying had no internet. BUT, it proved to be a blessing in disguise for my spiritual life. Since I didn't really know anyone on the trip (and I couldn't talk with my family), I had to lean completely on Christ! It seemed like every time I opened my Bible, God powerfully spoke to me through the words that I read. A few times I started crying as I realized that God knew exactly what I was struggling with and He Himself was going to comfort and uphold me.

I serve an awesome God.

I also found it difficult to adapt to Nicaragua in the beginning because, even though it IS poor, it is so much better than Haiti. I had to learn not to compare Haiti with Nicaragua, but instead see the people and the country through an untainted view.

We arrived late Saturday night on June 1st. The team loaded Project H.O.P.E.'s school bus and was driven to the Base. We were greeted by the sweetest host family ever! Roger and Kiki Gibson and their three kids are priceless. They are so welcoming and godly...it's a pleasure to be around them! A quick meeting was held outdoors, and then we all charged the dining room area to get some delicious dinner. :)

I was so grateful to see that there was electricity, air-conditioning, and hot showers on base! And the food here...wow! It is INCREDIBLE! The cook for Project H.O.P.E. used to work at the American Embassy, so the food is nothing short of amazing. :)

On Sunday we went to church (it's a church for missionaries, so it was in English!) and heard a message on "Immanuel - God with us". Again, I felt as if God were speaking directly to me and comforting my heart through the sermon!

That afternoon we headed out for the village of Mateare. Throughout this year, Project H.O.P.E has 19 teams lined up to come to Nicaragua and help finish building the community of Mateare. Originally this group of people lived by a lake here, but three years ago they were flooded out. They moved to a plot of land, and for three years PH has been bringing in teams and helping these sweet people build their tiny houses. 2013 is PH's last year in Mateare and they are building the last 72 houses this year. :)

Every morning we met the Nicaraguans at a large tree in the village and we worshipped God and had a devotional together. Then we broke into small groups and had another devotional/share time with the people. Afterwards, we went to work laying bricks, putting on roofs, nailing in siding, and laboring side-by-side with the Nicaraguans!

The kids here are so super cute! They hang all over you and say "HOLA!!" so many times you think your ear might fall off! ;) There is almost always a little one nearby who will prance right up to you and grab your hand. But it's not just the kids that are welcoming...the adults will give hugs, eagerly talk to you, and display a heartfelt smile if you happen to walk by them. It truly is amazing how friendly and kind these people are!

Before leaving on our trip, everybody from our team was given a Nicaraguan family (sometimes two or three people shared a family) for which to buy household items. The assigned family was then each individuals adopted family for the week! Throughout the week we would spend time with our Nica families and build up a relationship with them! It was like an immediate acceptance!

On Thursday afternoon, everybody on the team (about 50 of us from Missouri) met up with our Nicaraguan families and went to their shacks with them. Our gifts of household items(and a few other fun things) were packaged up in large rice sacks. I shared a family with Hart and her granddaughter! Our family in particular was made up of a husband and wife, two boys (5- and 12-years-old) and a grandmother. They were the most precious family! We gave them our gifts, and while watching them unpack the different items, I couldn't help but think "I wish I had something more to give them!". They were so poor, but so grateful. After opening the gifts, the father shared his testimony and we all talked for a while.

Oh! I also got to give them a laminated photo of my family!! It totally amazed me to see their faces as they looked at my sisters, brothers, and parents. They were mesmerized by people they had never even met. They were also ecstatic when I told them the picture was for them to keep! :)

Well, that pretty much sums up (in a LOT of words) my first week in Nicaragua! Right now I'm almost done living out week three, so obviously I have a lot of writing to do yet!

"Praise the Lord from whom all blessing flow!"