Good-bye Nicaragua

Well here’s our last blog of the trip. Today was a great day! But it was also very sad. We went to church this morning at 9:30 at Centro de Fe and saw our Nicaraguan friends! We all worshiped together. After the service things went a little crazy. We had planned to say our good-bye’s and leave quickly after the service, but we ended up going to a youth bible class at the last minute. Because of this all our good-bye’s were very rushed which was really unfortunate. Many of us felt very strong connections with the Nicaraguan students and found it incredibly difficult to say goodbye. Many tears were shed.

The rest of the day was a great opportunity to wind down and relax while soaking up the salty water as a team, and playing and jumping in the waves. It was great getting to know the culture and the people here in Nicaragua, it was truly an amazing experience, and many memories were made! We will miss Nicaragua very much!

Now that we have reached the end of the trip, I have had many opportunities to reflect on how this experience has impacted myself, the team, and the people we came in contact with. Having been a first time leader I have had my eyes opened to the amazing abilities of 17 and 18 year olds. As a middle school teacher, it is incredibly encouraging to see what my students will one day grow to be. Each and every day I found myself astonished by the depth of faith that some of these students have. The way that many of them can eloquently express their relationship with Christ is inspiring and humbling.

Overall, I was most impacted by the incredible relationships that students developed with the students at Centro de Fe. Throughout the week, the other leaders and I continuously made comments about how quickly our students connected with the Nicaraguans. Our North American hosts expressed the same sentiments. They have helped with many school groups in the past, and they said that they have never seen a group jump right in and develop friendships so quickly. From the very first activity, students were actively engaged in conversations with students their age, despite a language barrier. I was concerned that this level of engagement would not be able to keep up all week, but each day they continued to integrate themselves and soon found that teenagers are the same no matter where you go. It was heart-wrenching to watch some of the goodbyes today, as there were so many tears and long embraces. I still find it hard to believe that in one short week, these kids really came to love each other. Tonight we had our last devotions/debrief together as a group. We did an activity called a “Pow-Wow” where each person had an opportunity to share one “pow” and one “wow” (one negative and one positive from the week). For the past two days we did some very touristy things like zip lining, boating, looking into a volcano and swimming at the ocean, and yet not one single “wow” had anything to do with those things. For every person on this trip, the most meaningful moments were those shared with the people here. I truly believe that our team has come to understand what it means to serve God by loving others. One student said something that will probably stay with me for a very long time. He expressed that even though our plan was to come here and do missions through loving others and helping with development of Christian education, he felt that the people here were the true missionaries and we were the ones learning. He said that he felt that the people here are the ones who really know how to love. They know what it means to welcome you with open arms and to show God’s unconditional love and he hopes that when he arrives back home he will be able to love others more like the people here. To me, that thought is a true testament of what this trip was all about.

 

~Bethany

Adventure is Out There

Today felt a bit like a whirlwind, filled with many different adventures and lots of driving from this place to that.

Our first stop was at a small in-home pottery shop which many of the team members have been looking forward to since day 1, especially Steph Stoker! We were greeted by a precious little monkey named Oliver and then headed downstairs where we had the opportunity to observe the precision, skill and patience it takes to create a masterpiece in pottery. He was truly amazing. Jenna then had the chance to try it and let’s just say the potter made it look super easy! We then went upstairs to the store and were amazed by the time and care that went into every item from a cup to an engraved vase.

 

I was personally quite excited for this stop at the zip line as I’m always up for a good adrenaline rush. We were harnessed up, thrown in the back of a van and then driven to the first line as the tension was building.

 

 After a short lesson on how to brake we whipped through all 11 lines in what I think must have been a record amount of time! Some went upside down, did the superwomen or even bounced all the way down all of which were very fun.  It was incredible to be able to see God’s creation from a different perspective in an unknown environment.

After draining our energy in the hot sun we were ready for lunch, which consisted of fried chicken, fries, coleslaw and Coke at Tiptop. Everyone was quite thrilled to have some “normal” home food.

 

Soon after lunch we headed to Lake Nicaragua for a boat tour. We carefully walked out on a makeshift pier and when turning around we saw horses freely galloping along the beaches. It was a blessing to have the time to take in the surroundings and witness that interaction between creation. We boarded 2 boats and headed towards “Monkey Island,” which is actually a grouping of islands where some of the wealthiest Nicaraguan reside. The boat ride included many laughs, feet dragging along in the water and yes we did also see some monkeys.

We then return to the city centre of Granada and took in the beauty held within the architecture and culture, especially the elaborate colours of the buildings.

 We then drove to the top of the Masaya Volcano, which is active and erupted one year ago. It was incredible to look down into the crater and see how smoke was continuously spewing out of it and occasionally thinned out allowing us to see the other side. It was in this moment when Wes asked me if I wanted to go to prom with him and I said yes! (Sorry I couldn’t resist) We all stood in awe of our Creator as we engaged with nature and felt His presence.

Our busy day wrapped up at an authentic Nicaraguan restaurant called Pupusas. We enjoyed our meals and headed back to the Nehemiah Centre ready to unwind. 

 It was a joy to feel the warmth of the sun beating down on us all day as we enjoyed a variety of activities and experiences within God’s world. Through these many adventures and time spent at Centro de fe our team has grown so much together and through our different weaknesses we have found strength as a whole and a love rooted in Christ.

Stephanie Keis

 

 

 

 

 

Day of Saying Goodbye

Today is the 10^th day of our trip and this is the day to say goodbye to our friends in Centro de Fe. It is always hard for me to say goodbye to people who are very close to you. Even though we are from different culture background and we speak different language, our friendship that we built in six days is incredibly strong.

The day started at 6:30. We quickly had eggs with ham and fresh fruit for breakfast and headed for Centro de Fe right after that.  The school held a closing chapel for us to have an opportunity to say goodbye. Every grad prepared its unique talent show for us. For grad 3 and 4 children, they painted 7 cards to make up the word “friends” and gave each letter a special meaning in Spanish. Like “F” stands for faith to the end, the meaning of “R” is breaking all barriers, “I” is always unconditional friends in every moment, “E” is extending your hands with love, “N” is don’t expect anything in return, “D” is they give all their love for you, the last letter “S” represents only a friend gives everything for you.      

 

For grad 8, five girls prepared a wonderful dance for us along with a Christian song, expressing their passion to God and their love for us.

 

Our team also shared some bible verses with the whole school and did our school theme song “Build Your Kingdom Here” and another Spanish song. We were so thankful the big welcoming from Centro de Fe and all the students’ full participation. Through God’s love, we were able to bond together and share our love.

 

After lunch, we did some desk painting with students from grad 11 and we also painted a mural on the wall in the school as our special memories. We drew the national flag of Canada and Nicaragua on wall and everyone wrote name and left footprints. Every piece of drawing was our precious memory.     

God’s love enables us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. We teach, encourage and rebuke. We weep and rejoice.  After we’ve experienced God’s love, we then can learn to give love” let us love one another, for love one another.” The love we give and receive is tender, tough and supportive.   God is big on relationship. I will not forget this trip in Nicaragua and these students and teachers we met and loved.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wet

 

Today was another beautiful day spent in Nicaragua. Getting to sleep in an extra hour is a thing of beauty. After eating a delicious breakfast, we made our way out of Managua to a museum in a crowded bus that didn’t quite fit all of us.

 

 

 

 

 

 The museum was really cool but difficult to understand at times as everything was in Spanish. We watched a video about turtles which was also in Spanish, so that was interesting.

 

 

 

We then travelled to a beautiful waterfall with all of the Nicaraguans and ate delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. And then came the swimming and sunburns! Some of us thought it would be a great idea to burn because of course after the burn goes away it turns into a tan… real great idea guys.

 After a long day of swimming we headed back to the Nehemiah Center, ate dinner and did devotions. It is amazing to see the work and relationships developing here in Managua. Although it will be bittersweet to leave the friends I have made here, I will cherish those relationships and will never forget this experience God has blessed me with.

~Mariah

 

Red Paint White Paint

After a long day of painting, I am here, sitting in the courtyard, just trying to recover from my burns. I don’t feel as tired as I have been recently, and that is probably due to the extra hour of sleep we all received this morning. Waking up after six would have been considered a blessing, but waking up after seven was just phenomenal.

 

 

 

 

After a quick breakfast of eggs, ham and fresh fruit, we jumped on the bus and travelled about 20 kilometers out of Managua to a small town where we were to paint three classrooms of a rural Christian elementary school.

 

We started off just cleaning up the classrooms, and a small group of us went to paint the gate, which proved to take more time than anticipated. The red tattoo around my neck and on my shoulders is a testament to the time spent in the sun today.

Once the gate was done we headed over to the classrooms again, where the second, larger group had already made excellent headway, almost having the walls covered. Very quickly it became very packed in there while we waited for the walls of the second classroom to be prepared. When the walls were done, some of us got on our knees to clean the floors, while others continued on to the next room. This pattern was replicated for the second classroom, and suddenly it was lunch.  

We had some delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, as well as some frozen orange juice. Only after some pretty hilarious acrobatics with our juice, we finally were able to get some out. It, being the consistency of a slushy, was incredibly refreshing.

We quickly powered through the next classroom, and began working on the office, but soon we were out of paint, and out of energy. We were all feeling a little buzzed from the fumes of paint and thinner, but we still felt good after being able to bless the community in a very practical way.

Everyone else seems to be relaxing in the hammocks, so I think I’ll join them.

Lukas

day of talents

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today was day 5 in Nicaragua, or otherwise dejectedly known to our team as, the halfway point. We feel as if we’ve just settled in and have started to make solid friendships, but the awareness of our limited time here creeping in on us has been blocked out and pushed to the side. As a team we’ve decided to focus on what we’re doing in the moment or in the day rather than dwelling on the unwelcome thoughts of leaving.

We spent the entire day at Centro de Fe today, and really got a feel of the school and what classes are like. We started out in the grades 3 and 4 classrooms, teaching them how to make beaded cross keychains, which was really fun. Trying to communicate without words can be incredibly hard, especially with young children who know very limited English. Fortunately, we had our fantastic translators and comic relievers, Lenin and Lester.  After our time with the kids, we headed downstairs to watch a drime that the grade 11 students had prepared for us. It was about how we sometimes see the sins of the world as pleasing to our eyes and succumb to them, but we later realize how much it ruins our lives after the initial novelty wears off. “Chains” are put onto our backs, and we are held captive by sin (the chains were the metaphor that was portrayed), and the only way to be free is to run back to Jesus. John 8:36 says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” The drime was done extremely well, and beautifully portrayed the truth of the gospel.

 

After that, the students went home for lunch while we stayed and ate with the teachers at Centro de Fe. Through the help of our translators, introductions were given from both sides, and many kind and welcoming things were said from the teachers towards us, which was very encouraging. When we were done lunch, we had a break for about an hour, and most of us slept, while others did some worship or played volleyball. Free time can be really nice to have, especially when we’re driving off of adrenaline and makeshift energy all the time. When the grade 11 students gradually started to come back to the school, we started preparing for the talent show.

The talent show is something that we as a team have been thinking about for a long time prior to this trip. It was an opportunity for us to express ourselves, show our talents, and dive completely out of our comfort zones. We were able to give the students a brief glimpse into our own lives and what we love to do, and even though many of the “talents” were more just comedic acts, I took a lot away from it. It was amazing to see both the Canadians and Nicaraguans bond together through things like music, magic, and humour. We were surprised, however, at some of the acts. Who knew that two guys of complete different cultures and backgrounds could be so similar? Nelson sits down with his electric guitar, and Wes sits down at the drums, and without even a minute of practice prior begin to spontaneously play together for a good three minutes. Roslyn displayed a magical side when she pulled out a deck of cards, a simple elastic, and a disappearing penny, and completely blew our minds. She got the entire audience engaged and did a great job of making us incredibly confused. Also, Bethany really portrayed her “awfully” good talent with cups, a story I’m sure she would love to share with you some time. To sum it all up, the talent show was an awesome way for us to bond and grow together as not only a team, but as a community made up of two different cultures.

 

 

The love that is being shown to and from both sides fills my heart so much, and I feel incredibly happy. It will be extremely difficult to say goodbye to these friends, but I will treasure the moments that I’ve had with them forever, and I will cherish the memories that have been made and are still waiting to happen.

 Jenna

                                                                                                                    

               

Monday Madness

            

 Today was another exciting day in Nicaragua. After the restful day we had yesterday, we came into this day with all the energy we had. The day started at 5:45am, to be able to leave by 6:45 for Centro De Fe. When we got there, the school gathered together for some daily announcements, and did some devotions. 

 

After chapel, we joined the grade 11’s in a Spanish/English class. We got paired with two Nicaraguans, and answered questions such as, “How many brothers and sisters do you have,” or “when did you become a Christian.” We had to answer them in Spanish, and they had to answer them in English. After class we had a forty minute break. At this time, Casey and I got a tour of Centro De Fe.  The Bottom floor of the school is where grades 1, 2, and 3 take place. Once we entered the area, all the kids ran up to us, hugged us, and wanted to take pictures with us. After we got through the crowd, we made our way upstairs where all the other grades took place. The classrooms were small, and there was only one wall separating the classrooms. After the tour, we made our back to where all the younger kids were to get to know them more. It was so loud, so crowded, and so hot; but we all loved every minute of it. After the break, we went to another class with the grade 11’s and discussed social media. This discussion was…interesting. It was a little difficult to understand the goal and to hear people talking.

 

After lunch, we made our way to a park where team games where played. We were all divided into eight different teams, and did a bunch of relay races. We did races such as the wheelbarrow race, Frisbee throw, a volley ball pass, and a beanbag race. Of course, it was probably the hottest day we have had yet. After the games, we snapped a few pictures and said goodbye until tomorrow. This team has bonded extremely well. We have made nick names for each other such as Slurps (Danica), Straws (Wes) and Sprouts (Casey). Each day brings something new into our lives, and we are always so excited to see what the next day has to offer.

~Danica

Reflection

 

I think the appropriate word for today would be relaxing. You’ll soon know why. We got a bit more sleep this morning than we normally do. The breakfast was delicioso, as per usual. Meals are always enjoyable; somehow we find a way to make each other laugh so early in the morning. Chris is not a morning person but we can all agree that here in Nicaragua, every morning is spectacular. After breakfast we all jumped in the van and headed to church. This church was very special. They were very welcoming of us and all the other people visiting. I say this because they made sure to say welcome at least 10 times. It was really cool to see and our team was really impacted by it as we think about how we greet people in our churches is an interesting contrast. We could definitely learn something from them. And there worship was powerful. It was joyful and the musicians were extremely talented, especially the drummer. Chris and Wes especially appreciated his style because he was absolutely extraordinary. But more than that, the passion that was behind the music was inspiring. It seems like a good picture of what worship should be; a true call to God.

 We went home for lunch which again was delicious. We then spent the day at a pool which was very relaxing and also provided us with the opportunity to reflect. We have been working really hard to connect with the students at Centro de Fe which is so rewarding, but is also a lot of work. We have been doing God’s work but today we got a chance to reflect on what that’s done for us. I thought about what God has been doing in my life here and I questioned how much I’ve been involving him in what I do, which I think is important. As we swam and talked we got to experience God’s amazing beauty through his creation and through each other. It was really just a good time.

 Over this trip so far we have come to fully understand what our efforts have done in this place. The pastor at the church this morning told a very powerful story. A boy spent his morning everyday picking up starfish that got trapped on the beach and throwing them back into the water. An older gentleman saw this and asked the boy “What are you doing?” and the boy answered, “I’m getting these starfish back into the ocean before the sun rises and dries them out.” The man looked confused and said, “Why are you doing this? This beach is huge and the world has many beaches, filled with starfish! How could you possibly think you’re making a difference?” The boy said nothing; he picked up another starfish, walked up to the water’s edge and tossed him in. He then turned around and said, “Now why don’t you go over to that starfish and ask what difference it made for him.” From that day on, both the man and the boy came to that beach every morning to pick up the starfish. The relationships we’ve made already mean a lot to these Nicaraguan kids and means the world to us. And we believe that our actions in missions should be to fix the problems that they have but that’s not true. Simply talking to them may seem like a small act but God reminds us that through him it can be a strong, impactful experience that can make a big difference for everyone. Tomorrow we’ll be waking up at six. It’s gonna be a hard morning for Chris.

Community Service Day

  
           The first day was really awkward and new. We were going through a lot of things. We were meeting tons of new people and adapting in to a new country. Everybody was so tired. However, today was a new day filled with new experiences!  Compared to yesterday, people built relationships more easily. God is working through this process. Even though there was a language barrier, we were able to connect.

 

             There were some things that I learned today that others might have learned too. First of all, I learned that we are so blessed. Well, I kind of had a glimpse of it when we had to use “clean water” (which tastes gross) to brush our teeth. I was showing pictures to my Nicaraguan friend of my home. Some were clean washrooms, beautifully wrapped Christmas presents that my homestay gave to me last Christmas, delicious food. My Nicaraguan friend did not say anything but I felt extremely sorry about showing them about my life. I did not think hugely about how wealthy we are. It is so easy to take things for granted unless you really know how people live around the world. Whatever we think is a norm is extremely luxurious to most. At some point a thought that there are poor people around the world became a cliché, which makes it so dull that people don’t really care (like when someone says something over and over again it is not very powerful anymore, I was one of those people). Furthermore, our teammates are growing day by day experiencing the joy and pouring love that Nicaraguans have. It is really cool to experience God’s love in the other part of the world. In our culture we are so caught up with distractions such as objects, video games, families, and conflicts that we often feel alone, neglected and not good enough. Nevertheless that is not true. We are created to have relationship. We are going to continue growing in relationships as the days go by.

~Alice

One of my favourite inevitable results of this trip has been learning about my new friends, especially including the members of our team. Last night, a group of 8 of us play a “game” called the Hot Seat, where there is one person in the hot seat and we all take turns talking about and complimenting that person, then someone else is in the seat and we all compliment them and so on.  The game was both meaningful and hilarious, all of us were sent into hysterics at some point and it was one of the best nights of my life.

Today was also full of incredible opportunities to learn about others. The grade 11 students of Centro De Fe have been amazing in the way they are so willing and eager to make us feel accepted and comfortable. This morning we picked up garbage at a local park and painted some of the benches with the Nicaraguans. Though we were performing a service, it wasn’t entirely about just cleaning, it was about being a team with them and being selfless in God’s name. The day wasn’t all work though, afterwards we ate lunch and the games began. We played volleyball, soccer, basketball, human knots, name games, and even rock, paper scissors. I am  sore, dirty and exhausted and having the best time of my life!

-Casey

First impressions

HOLA AMIGOS!!!

                Well after a long 18 hours without sleep we arrived at the Nehemiah Centre in Nicaragua at 11:30 pm Thursday evening.  We woke up in the morning feeling very rejuvenated and ready to conquer the day!  After an amazing breakfast featuring eggs, toast, fresh delicious local fruit, and of course beans. We hopped on a 40 year old bus, which we named “The Aligator,” to head to Centro de Fe, a Nicaraguan Christian school. We were warmly welcomed with an amazing poster with pictures of us and lots of cheering. However, the poster had some pretty hilarious spelling errors!!  The pictures in the blog will illustrate those funny mistakes.  

 

           They had a whole chapel planned for us and it was super awesome! Some of the Centro de Fe girls did a really cool traditional dance for us and after they were done they made us Canadian girls join them, and don’t worry parents it was caught on video for you to see.  ;) J J J J  After the chapel we got to really meet the grade 11 students. We sat in a big circle and just chatted. Although there is a language barrier, we still had tons of fun. Wes, and his new friend Nelson realized that they both had a beat boxing gift. So right there in front of us all they had a competition. It was super fun.  Lunch was served soon after. It was very delicious too. We also sang happy birthday to ALICE!!! It is her birthday!!!! The school Centre de Fe bought her a cake and she was so excited!!  

 

          We have begun to realize that the food in this country is truly phenomenal. Except the beans, some of us, especially Wes, are going to really have to teach our taste buds to like them. Sorry Mom.  In the afternoon we headed to a lake. We chilled on the walk way for a bit. That was a great time to just chat with the students. A lot of laughter happened at this point in the day. We also went on a boat and toured the lake. Lots of “selfies” were taken at this point. The boat was fun for most of us. Amanda, didn’t have the best time. Haha The combination of big waves and an empty stomach weren’t the best.  A bunch of us went to the front of the boat and had a blast we got soaked by big wave after big wave. Later they found out the water covering them was actually sewer water!! Let’s just say a bunch of us were desperate for showers. We headed back to the school, and dropped off our new friends, with a cheerful, “hasta manyana.” Meaning, “see you tomorrow.”

         
 
 
 

 

Our evening now has consisted of a delicious dinner, and planning for a game day tomorrow. We have also enjoyed bonding together just as a team. As we write this a group is signing praise songs together. Others are journaling, some playing games, and others resting. It is truly a great atmosphere.  We thank you so much for praying for us. We are truly thankful for all the support coming from home. Blessings to you all!

From the 2014 Nicaraugua team.

Written by Amanda, and Wes.

Arrived safely

 Good Morning Abbotsford from all of us in Nicaragua.

the adventures (more stories to share) of travelling have come to completion and we have had our first night rest (perhaps not sleep) and have woken up to the beautiful, and I mean really beautiful sights and sounds of Nicaragua.

All the students are well and so eager to meet the students of centro de Fe.  Our day is starting early as we have had a few late evenings. I am currently sitting in the lovely courtyard of the Nehemiah center while the students grab a few more minutes of rest.

God has been faithful as our emotions, energy and problem solving abilities have been tested and challenged along the way.  so many team members speak the right verse at the right moment to encourage each other, to ask God for strength and peace.  It has been a joy to start this adventure and with eager anticipation seeing it all unfold!

Thank you for all those who have prayed our way here. continue to appeal to the throne room of God for health, strength, encouragement and an abundance of boldness to share the love of Christ in all the students and leaders.

Buenos Dias

Dios de bendiga

Angela

Preparation, Anticipation and Organization

The 2014 Nicaragua Team is in the final stages of planning, preparation and detailed organization.  Coupled with a growing anticipation and overwhelming excitement we eagerly look towards next Wednesday as our departure date. 

These past few months, we have been focused on: 

• discovering and learning  what it means to "serve with our eyes wide open". 
• gaining a better understanding of cultural sensitivity 
• developing an understanding for what it may mean to be transformed.
• challenging ourselves to learn Spanish
• getting to know each other a little better
• planning various activities and devotionals we will be doing while in Nicaragua
• led a fun-filled chapel at the ACS elementary school
• praying for Abbotsford Christian School, Centro de Fe, EduDeo, and the Nehemiah Center
• video taping different aspects of our students and school here in Abbotsford to present to Centro de Fe
• participating in  a Skype session with the grade 11 students from Centro de Fe which was filled with smiles, cheering, laughter and joy.  
• learning about Nicaraguan history and culture
• understanding the Nehemiah Center roots and vision
• planning our middle and high school chapels scheduled for March 7th
• and so much more...

Through all of this planning, students and leaders alike are formulating a better understanding of why God has them placed on this team for such a time as this...