Nica Day 5-6 VBS & Site Change

Lots of pics = 2 days worth of posts - might be a long one...

Wednesday (Day 5) - Woke up, geared and ready to go.... VBS Day. After eating breakfast (rice with eggs and bacon mixed in and tortillas), we set up for our first VBS with the kids of the Jinotega Orphanage. 18 total could attend while some others had to be tutored and the older kids went off to school..... so from 9ish (Nica time = 930) to 1030 we had several activities for the kids. I began by herding them all up with my booming voice and doin some cheering. I then read a story in Spanish called "Will you love me when..." and it asks questions to God like "Will you love me when I am sad... mad... scared... alone?" etc.... I then divided the kids into 2 groups... Group 1 stayed for worship songs, a Bible Verse, reading the story again, and testimonies. Group 2 came with me to get their faces painted, their picture taken, make a fruit loop n life saver necklace and get a friendship bracelet on their wrist. The kids loved being painted like butterflies, bats, lions, tigers, and flowers. The groups then switched activities. For the second half, Group 1 played games first such as Sharks and Minnows (or in this case Mono y Osos [monkeys & bears], and relay races. Group 2 came back with me to crafts to make a animal face frame to hold their face painted photograph. We then had a debriefing and regrouping over a Lunch of pizza... yes pizza.

Afternoon VBS was all about being fluid/organic/flexible... our translator couldnt help out as much as orginally planned and i was already stationed with all the craft goods, but everything seemed to work out all right (except for the minor ordeal where a scorpion decided he wanted to play Monos and Osos with us!) We ended up accepting 75 kids even though we only had handed out 60 tickets - cuz i couldnt say no to their little faces..... So these kids has the same schedule as the earlier group but everything took longer than planned with so many kids :D Be flexible was the lesson of the day.... It was fun and such a blessing to reach out to kids of the community, kids who may not know God, who don't have a church, who live in poverty with dirt floored, metal shack homes.... to see how happy they were screaming out the animals names and sounds on the pages of the story, with their faces painted, taking home their frames, all in all it warmed my soul. Afterwards I was DRAINED! I spoke in Spanish the whole day and had to project my voice quite a bit. Afterwards I just wanted a cold beverage and sugar lol - so per my leadership (HA!) I organized a short walk to a local "pulperia" for a ICE COLD COCA COLA (think old school commercials with the hot days and sweat dripping condensation bottles). The Pulperia is in a stone and cememnt structure with no windows. In Nica, many homes dont have windows cuz its a way for thieves or unwanted animals to enter their living space. Walking to the pulperia we ran into many of the same childre we had witnessed to, painted their faces, or played games and loved on all day.... they would yell out "HOLA!" or "MIRA!" (Look!) and wave to us... each kid wanted us to know where they lived and how proud they were of their hand crafted frames :D It was a great day!

Evening dinner was rice and beans and chicken, which I could not eat... I was too hot and tired to eat (plus after drinking 1.5L of Coke I think I was stoned on sugar!).... AFter dinner we got to share in the devotional times of the kids of the orphanage. We sang songs together in spanish and english, heard verses in both languages as well as testimonies....It was fun to have the kids all in their pajamas cuddling with us while we worshipped together. Their highlight, however, was the annual ice cream party we provide... cookies n cream, neapolitan, and rum raisin were the flavors available and they were allowed to have 2nds or 3rds... Tiny little faces covered in ice cream, smiling, giggling. Photos will be coming this week... :D

Thursday (Day 6) - We woke up very early (430/5am) since we had to pack and wanted to see the kids before they were all sent off to school (at 7am). We had a quick breakfast at 630 of rice and beans (surprise?!)... and then the Kids started crying. those who understood english heard that we were leaving after they left for school and the worde spread thru the ranks of children quickly. Teary eyed hugs were had by all. :( These kids touched the hearts of many and their faces are forever imprinted on the hearts and minds of the team. I feel like I should clarify a few things. These kids are beyond blessed to have roofs over their head, beds to sleep in, a house mom who loves them all, their "tia's" (aunties aka care givers), the ability to go to school, have tutors, 3 meals a day, etc. They all work at the orphanage too, each child has chores they must do, from cleaning dishes, to weeding, to "mowing" (actually cutting the grass with machetes!), taking care of the crops they grow their on the property, feeding the livestock they eat from; in addition to their daily bedroom checks and such... They are blessed but also must maintain good marks in school and behaviour at home. If a kid breaks a rule, steals, fights, etc they get a strike. 3 strikes and they must leave to either another home (if they are young) or out to the streets if they are older. Sadly most of the kids are unadoptable. They either still have parents fighting for them or are "wards of the state".... These kids, however, have all been abused in some form for them to arrive (sexual abuse, physical abuse, some are children of incest, some were burned to be better beggars, some were used to work in drugs fields, some were sold as sex slaves, and some were just plain sold for money... including baby Linda 1 year old, who was taken from up in the mountains as she was sold at a local market). These kids have had hard lives, but they are dealt new cards by being placed in a christian home where they can be educated, and grow up spiritually and physically cared for. The future of nicaragua rests upon the next generation.

entrance to jinotega home

main gym area with girl hall on left and boys on right

jinotega cafeteria/study room

typical room (but unoccupied) in jinotega orphanage

After our tearful goodbyes, We started our Bus ride down the mountain... with a stop at the local coffee shop. Not a starbucks but a place where coffee is grown, refined, etc...We could order whole bean or ground Nicaraguan coffee and get a cup of the homegrown joe or other goods if we wanted. Of course I did not. Lol. Down the mountains we went for 4 hours... passing the selva negra (black forest) a german settlement from during the early 1900s among other barrios and slums. Another noticeable change is the climate. Coming from mountainous Jinotega down to Los Cedros/Managua, you could instantly tell it was getting warmer. We drove through Managua, past the airport, to a local gas station that we usually stop at because the toilets there have seats & doors (with good images to tell which is which).... We also all loaded up on snacks, American food, etc.... for our final 1 hour bip to Los Cedros.

We arrived at los cedros a little after lunch, around 1 ish - and were greeted with rice with curry chicken sauce n amazing juice.... Best meal ever... minus the fact it was really warm and it was 95 degrees outside...HOT HOT HOT with 100% humidity!!! (Ever tried chewing your air??!?!). The kids were napping which gave us all a chance to unpack - situate, find our rooms, beds, etc.... and then after nap time and snacks, we got to play with kids until their alone time (bath, books and bed).

group under cabana

Los Cedros playground, children's home on right, and cafeteria on left

team dorms at los cedros

the "rancho"

pasta?!

cafeteria in los cedros

team time

Back to beans and rice!

lots of fields

real toilets! (just dont flush the toilet paper!)

dorm bathroom!

los cedros dorm room

boys building common area

girls building common area

Not as much was needed at Los Cedros (roof painting, landscaping, flower planting) and there was a significant more alone time - PBJ it up (Prayer, Bible reading, Journal reflection). Dinner was... rice and beans!!! :D That night at our meeting I share a devotional........ it had to with God working the night shift, how most artists want light filled studios, but God, he does His creating, His work non-stop, even on the night shift, when horrible things happen in the world or while we are sleeping... he creates masterpieces, visions, dreams, and prayers, in the night...

A few more days to go....