Hot and dry in Matagalpa

Day 3 is now coming to a close and we have had an excellent day.  When we arrived yesterday, Principal Carrie asked our kids to spend some time every day volunteering in classes.  Initially many of us thought it a suspect idea, but it turned out to be a big hit for our team.  Woodlanders were forced to try a little Spanish and the elementary kids we were working with had the opportunity to work on their English.   Sadly, the Grade 1s and 2s showed greater proficiency in English than we did in Spanish.  Oh well.

When working, our team split up into two different work crews.  The boys got the job of digging down to the foundation of the first building of the school and sealing it since water has been seeping into classrooms during the rainy season.  It was heavy work, but good and necessary since few things are more destructive to a building than water.  The rest of us worked on preparing the new sports field for grass seed.  Many tons of rock were hauled off of the field with the hope that eventually there will be a good base for grass.

One of the highlights of the day was Lizzy's arrival.  She and Mandy Wiebenga arrived at around 10 a.m. making our team complete for the first time since Pearson.

We continue to meet and marvel at many of the deeply committed people we meet at NCA.  We are being exposed every day to different forms of both mission and development work, and it gives us a lot to think about as a team.

We are grateful that we continue to be in good spirits and health although we are surprised at how hot and dry it is during this rainy season in Matagalpa.  Tomorrow we travel to 'the top of the world' to meet the people of the New Jerusalem land bank.  It promises to be a great day.