¡hola
A busy day in Managua! Today was to be our 'learning day'. We didn't really have any idea what that meant when we started out this morning but we learned many things today.
Our day began, after breakfast, with a tour of the Nehemiah Centre. They have a school here as well as a vocational/trade school. We were given a tour of the shop where there students are taught welding and blacksmithing. One of the teachers gave us a blacksmithing demonstration with Jerry providing the bellows power for the forge. He (the teacher, not Jerry) had amazing skill with the hammer and anvil and quickly formed a beautifuly intricate leaf from a blank piece of steel rod.
After our tour, we hopped into the van to see two projects that Edudeo had helped with in the last few years. At the first school, Martha, the principal took some time and sat down to tell us her story and the story of her school. Again, they had a very humble beginning with little or no money but, more importantly, they had a vision and a calling to start a Christian school. She told us that her teaching staff consisted of dedicated individuals who work at the Christian school making somewhere around $90 US a month, about a third of what a public school teacher makes.
After touring Martha's school, we visited another school in a poorer area just outside of Managua. Edudeo had helped them buy a piece of property and restore an old building so that it could be used for classrooms. We met the pastor, his wife (the principal) and some of their family and we heard their story. They were sincere, hard working people who have it in their hearts to provide Christian schooling for the children in their area. Both of these schools had over 300 kids attending.
We had lunch at a resteraunt in Managua and then headed up to a historical park where the old presidential palace once was. We had a short guided tour and learned some of the history of Nicaragua. The park was on a hill near the centre of the city and the view was fabulous.
After the park, we stopped for an hour or so at a market. Wow. Everyone hold onto the rope!! The aisles were narrow and crowded and we were not exactly inconspicuous. Thirteen Canadian men walking through a Nicaraguan market tend to draw a crowd of kids and vendors.
Once we were done at the market it was time to give Ron Bergshoeff a treat. We stopped at a firehall and the chief was happy to show us his brand new (one year old) Russian fire trucks. He and Ron swapped stories and Ron presented him with a hat from the Grimsby fire department.
Each night we have small group devotions together. We each take a turn telling our story and sharing what we saw and heard through the day. This is the time when we really get to know each other and to grow together as a team.
Tomorrow will be another busy day. We plan to visit Masaya volcano, the city of Grenada and have a boat tour on Lake Nicaragua. Looking forward to it.
¡hasta mañana
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