Day 4, 5, 6 and 7

Day 4
On Day four as a group we helped Chico begin to build the new kitchen that they are making right outside the soccer/basketball court/skate park. I (Andrew) talked to Mamerto about the war that took place in Nicaragua during the carter years and how Samosa was killed in Hawaii. Mamerto was very nice and listened to the stories that I told him about LDAC and my schooling. First a man came from town with a horse and brought us the long sticks that we needed to build the beginnings of the kitchen. The kart was held up by a horse and the man also brought with him a metal roof for the kitchen. I was running around taking pictures with Hannah’s camera. I also played checkers with Juan. The building of kitchen began with nailing the wood to the cement foundation of the kitchen walls. The cement is was what kept the bricks in place. Alejandro tried to help but the best nail placer was Joe who could put in the nails faster than Chico could. This day was the second of January. Every one tried to comfort Angie because she was supposed to go to visit her mom on that day but her mom did not have the money for gas to pick her up. Angie had a hard day. The kids were a blast. We un latched “Sven’s” suitcase and the Eliezer reached in faster than any of the other kids and took out the brightest reddest newest helmet that I had ever seen. All the kids saw Sven’s name on the pads and were grateful for the gifts that they knew came from him. The five new skateboards were a complete hit. The little kids ride on their knees with one knee on the board covered with or without a pad and the other leg pedaling. The kids go very fast at all times. We have had many near collisions but the pads have averted most of the problems that these might have otherwise caused. Alex is the only one that really enjoys the unicycle. Now all the boards have made it such that we allow the kids five minute turns and when we forget there are all out tugs of war between the kids. “If only we could get thirty skateboards”, said Geoconda. Well I figure if we got 30 they would still try to fight over the boards that went the fastest. We are having such a wonderful time here. The weather was amazing on the second. It was in the mid seventies.

Day 5
Today we spent a beautiful Sunday in Managua. We started the day off right by going to La Vina Church. Although very different from The Vineyard of the Rockies-smaller, Hispanic, and pretty warm- God’s love was present and evident. The worship was in Spanish so a few of us couldn’t understand it but it was still really good. After a great church service, we went out to eat lunch in a very nice shopping area right next to an indoor/outdoor mall. We walked around the mall for a little over an hour after a yummy lunch while waiting for our movies to start. Some of us went to see Sherlock Holmes but most of us went to see Avatar which was a great movie. We were all expecting the movie to be in Spanish but much to our surprise it was in English and had Spanish subtitles. We were all kind of tired after a full day so we left Managua around 8 PM and had an hour drive back to Jinotepe. By the time we got back the little kiddos were already sleeping and we just hung out with the teens until it was time to get some sleep. Overall a fannnnnnntastic day.


Day 6
Monday morning greeted us with sunny skies and smiling faces. After eating our delicious oatmeal we boarded our van for a day of shopping and exploring Nicaragua. Our first stop was Granada… not the one in Spain! This unique town replicated the original Granada in Spain, with the cute coffee shops, lots of unique stores and beautiful plazas and churches. We felt like we were in Europe. After exploring the town, we piled in once again into our van and it was off to Masaya, a huge open air market. We completed our shopping there and met lots of natives. We dined in an outside café and enjoyed Pepsi from the bottle. Our last stop was Catalina, a lagoon that formed on the inside of a creator. It was such a beautiful place with clean, fresh Nicaraguan air, a glorious view of the volcano, Mombachu and locals playing native music for us to enjoy.
Upon our return to Arms of Love and the beloved kids, we were greeted with sounds of delight and joy. The evening was spent climbing trees, skateboarding, ice cream and a movie (Planet 51 in the kids house). Although about ¾ into the movie, the entire property lost power and we were forced to sit under the stars and marvel at God’s glorious creation. The day was a busy one, filled with happiness, love and God’s glory, which cannot be missed here in Nicaragua. “And we, who with unveiled forces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Cor. 3:15


Day 7
Al Mar! …. Today is officially beach day and we are all so excited to experience one of nature’s most beautiful gifts. In reality we were all expecting complete chaos with the kids running around in hopes of collecting the various supplies needed to enjoy a full day of fun activities. But to our own surprise not one single kid was in sight. With some of the older kids and group members wandering about a little, things slowly came together as the departure hour approached.
Around 8:45 the school bus that would be taking us to La Boquita (local beach) arrived, making us realize that we would soon be on our way. After a couple of minutes of waiting and enjoying the silent serenity, the floor began to tremble as a herd of 20+ kids charged for the bus, backpacks full of clothes, towels, beach goodies, etc.
The bus ride was a mixture of various happenings, from kids sleeping, to singing to fighting, ah, you got to love hour long bus rides! Upon arriving everyone was so excited, anxious to feel the warm wet breeze of the ocean. And before we knew it, kids were splashing around tackling waves head on, having mud fights; oh the mud fights! A little before noon however one member of our team faced an obstacle, getting stung by a stingray. Javier, Suzanne and Bri took Andrew to a feel clinic where he was taken very good care of and later met up with us back at AOL.
As the day progressed, activities took place; relays, soccer, horseback riding, “chillaxing” as Juan would say, but most importantly we enjoyed spending time with the kids, team looking for sea shells to riding the horses and exploring the sea shore; it was an amazing day and we all thank God for it.
Upon arriving and after a team meeting we all decided that it would be best to spend one more day at AOL here in Jinotepe and we are all so excited to get that extra time with the kids!
Thanks folks! We will post again soon! Tomorrow we head back to Managua to do a service project but in the mean time we hope you enjoy our posts!