Our plan for today was to go to a local school, Escuela Ruben Dario, and paint some of the classrooms. We arrived around 8am and painted until noon. We ended up painting 4 classrooms with the teachers of the school, and some of the children. Painting in Nicaragua is a little different than the painting we do in the USA. They water down the paint so much that it runs down the walls, forcing us to go over it a few times, still showing some of the underlying graffiti in some spots. We did, however, have a competition to see who got the most paint on themselves rather than on the wall. Your winner is....Sarah Heralda! Congratulations Sarah! haha...Oh, and the winner for "Teachers Pet" is Senor Gregorio Scantlin! Nice job Greg, i think! Overall, it was an exhausting morning of hard labor. However, it was totally worth it and rewarding to see the smiles on the teachers faces.
The next plan on our agenda was another Pack distribution. This distribution was in the most depressing area so far. We even had to drive by the local sewage treatment plant to get to this community. After navigating through the off-road terrain, we arrived at our location on the side of a street where a mass of both children and parents gathered to wait for our arrival. Unfortunately, the need for these Packs was far greater than what we could provide. It made us all realize how huge the need is here, however, we were extremely blessed knowing it was the neediest children that received a Pack. The photo of the little boy with the water bottle is just one of the many familiar faces we saw who were unable to get a pack. Lets pray that this boy, or others, will be one of the children that receive one of our Packs in the near future.
The last thing that happened today occurred tonight while most of the team was at dinner. Dave Waters and Pastor Mike approached Joe this afternoon asking if he wanted to go to the church we will be attending in the morning, to speak to the youth. It was fairly last minute but Joe decided it would be an incredible opportunity. Karla joined Joe to translate, and Sarah went along for support, and they experienced things that cannot be summed up in this blog. They got back to the hotel with enormous smiles and what Joe calls "Spirit Bumps". :) Joe will be writing a separate blog tomorrow along with some photos from his experience so make sure to check it out tomorrow!!!
We would also like to give an extreme shout out to our ministry leaders Dave and Pam Waters. This couple is simply amazing, and this trip could NOT have been achieved without their incredible leadership. God bless you both so much!!!
Good night all! Thank you for all of your continued love, support, and prayers. Keep the comments coming! Buenos Noches!
Courtney "CoCo", Greg "Gregorio", Joe "Chepe", and Craig "Craig-O"
It sounds like another fulfilling day with a multitude of help and the spirit of giving. I can only imagine the gratitude these people must feel. The painting experience sounds like work with a bit of fun thrown in. (Congratulations Sarah and Greg on your painting effort awards...lol)
ReplyDeleteI would like to personally thank you for helping Joe while he had his bout of "under the weather"(ness), or whatever it was. In answer to our prayers, I guess he has recovered fairly well. But, as his parents, we truly are appreciative that you got him what he needed and quickly on the road to recovery.
I am anxious to read about the "Spirit Bump" experience with the youth, and know what a truly rewarding feeling it must give you.
Thank you all again from the bottom of our hearts for what you are doing. Again, stay safe AND healthy and we are looking forward to seeing many pictures upon your return.
Mike and Carole