June 24, 2007

Hola FCUMC,

The day began with the sounds of roosters waking us.  The sun was already bright in the sky, but the heat had not set in yet.  The night was cool and it felt nice to just lie in bed and ponder the day.  We were all surprised when we got up to realize that it was 5:30 a.m.  I am not sure if we are all still set on Chattanooga time or if it was just the glory of being in a wondrous God-filled spot. 

We had beans and rice for breakfast then walked to a Methodist Church a few blocks away.  The service was contemporary, led by an incredible young lady of maybe 15 years of age.  Some of our youth went with the children and taught Bible school.  I am not sure who had more fun - our youth or the youth they were teaching.  

After church we had lunch and a siesta - with the heat rising there is not much else you can do but take a nap.  At 3:00 we went to a children’s home and did crafts and played outside with about 20 orphaned children.  We returned to a great dinner, devotions and now it is time for us to have a little fun playing games and singing. 

The heat is now gone and
it is okay for us all to take a shower.  We shouldn’t sweat anymore tonight and before we know it, it will be time to go to bed again. 

We send our love and feel your prayers. 

In his name, Tricia Schobert for the Youth Mission Team

June 25, 2007

Hola - from Hannah Schobert

Today was the first day of real work.  We split into two small groups this morning.  One group went to help with children’s programs and the other group did construction.

I was a member of the group that went to help with the children. This was a wonderful experience for me that began with a bumpy ride and ended with laughing children.  Some helped out in the clinic and prosthetics-making.

Altogether today was a long and weary day, but we couldn’t think of a better way to spend it.

June 26, 2007

Hola, FCUMC!

Today we again woke to the beautiful sounds of birds and the roosters in the yard.  We had for the first time, French toast, along with rice and beans, pineapple, papaya, and watermelon.  Soon after, each team went to their designated places.  Some of us went to work with children, while others went to construction and the medical clinic.  Everyone had fun and worked hard to help lots of people.

The construction team worked on a wall, while others worked in the clinic with prosthetics or with a dental or regular physician.  The group that went to work with children handed out coloring books and crayons, snacks and drinks, and played games.

We all came back to El Audante for lunch and for a siesta (a time to rest).  Afterwards, we all left for the jobs we had started earlier today, except for the group working with children, who went to another school to work.  We then came back to dinner, which consisted of fruit, beans, rice, and a vegetable stew.  Soon after, we had devotions (which was about 20 minutes ago) and shared our highs and lows of the day.  

We are now working in an assembly line to put together care bags/packages for the people we will work with tomorrow at the dump.  

We are really close to being done and will go to bed in about an hour after we take our showers and put out pajamas on.  So, goodnight!

Adios, Tiffany Jagger

June 27, 2007

We woke up early this morning to get a head start on our busy day.  First, we hiked up Cerro Negro (The Black Hill), which is the most active volcano in the Pacific.  It has erupted 21 times since 1850, most recently in 1998.  It took about an hour to get to the top, and then we were able to go inside the crater to take some pretty cool pictures.  We walked around the edge of the crater and then hmmm we fell down the other side.  Really we just slid on volcanic ash all the way down.  It’s sort of like snow skiing without skis - on rocks. 

After a speedy lunch, we went to the landfill.  There is a ministry that goes to the landfill every week and gives out food.  We helped hand out plates and we also took bags filled with rice, beans, coffee, oil, matches, and candy to give to the families. 

Straight from the landfill we went to visit the Compassion children sponsored by the youth at First-Centenary.  We got to meet Kevin and his family, and Katerine who had come from Managua to meet us.  Some Compassion children had prepared a special dance for us.  They showed us around the Compassion Project, where the children have after school care.  Then we sang songs with the children, gave them goodie bags to share with their families and then headed to dinner. 

After dinner, Living Water Int. came to sell things to raise money for their well-building projects throughout Nicaragua.  Now it’s time for our devotional hasta luego! (see you later)

Emily Roberts and Jessica Rogers

Friday, June 29, 2007
by Jason Rogers

When we arrived at the school the children were very excited. We colored with them, brought arts-and-crafts to make bead crosses and balloon animals for them. We also taught the children how to play Frisbee and baseball. It was very funny watching them learn to throw the Frisbee; there were many laughs. We brought textbooks, crayons, coloring books and other supplies for the teachers. Before we left the students and teachers presented us with a box full of fresh picked fruit that they and their families had grown. There were bananas, pineapples, mangos and small limes used to make a type of lemonade.

After lunch we packed up into two buses for a trip to the beach. Many of us had not seen the Pacific Ocean. The beach sand was not white like our beaches. It was a mixture of volcanic sand and beach sand. It was still very smooth. The ocean was very rough and we could not swim in it. After the beach we walked to a restaurant on the beach and had a great meal together.

We also had a surprise. Addison Nanney celebrated his 16^th birthday and we had a big cake. Then right after cake, there were fireworks on the beach. We all think the residents knew it was Addison’s birthday too!

Tomorrow we are going to get up early and cook breakfast for all the workers that have treated us so well this week. They will sit and relax while we cook, serve them and then clean up. Then it’s off to Managua for a day of fun before we leave for home. Thank you for praying for us this week. We shared the love of First-Centenary and served well. These remarkable people have inspired us with their spirit and faith. We return to FCUMC changed and assured that God is present here as he is in Chattanooga. Thank you for this opportunity to serve God’s people.