Exhausted after a long day of traveling, we all slept like babies in our bunk beds despite the inescapable, sticky heat that clung to us. When we awoke to the sound of an alarm at 6:30am, we were up and ready for a full day of adventure. Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, rice and beans, fresh watermelon and pineapple.
Lathered in sunscreen, water bottles filled, we rolled out in our “party bus” at 7:45am and headed for Centro de Fe. After an hour long bus ride, we arrived outside the school and were instantly greeted by Sandra, the principal of Centro de Fe. For the first time ever on the trip, each one of us (even the boys) were speechless as we were overwhelmed by all the little faces peeking over the balcony, staring at us as we stood huddled in an awkward blob.
We were taken on a tour of the school, led by Sandra, and Lester our translator. Visiting each classroom individually, we were formally introduced to all the students and teachers. Crowded into a small classroom filled with the grade 1’s, we were all taken by surprise as they suddenly all made their way towards us with open arms to give us hugs. Another class prepared the song “Baby Shark” to sing for us, along with actions. Other classes had prepared songs to sing for us, or a short welcome presented by some of the students. We all felt so at home after being welcomed by the students and teachers.
Once we’d completed the tour, we gathered back together with the grade 11 class and slowly but surely began making conversation with them. Or at least what little we could with the limited Spanish we’ve learned. Despite this, the students were so open and willing to talk to us, which made the language barrier unimportant.
Once we’d spent a little bit of time getting to know the grade 11’s, all the students from each grade gathered together in the main room downstairs where we watched different presentations that they had prepared for us. One class performed a traditional dance in costume, the girls wearing dresses and flowers in their hair, and the boys wearing straw hats. This was a great way for us to witness their culture. Another class danced with pom-poms, some of which they gave to us after they were finished. A younger grade, sang King of My Heart, and Waymaker for us, both in English and Spanish, which we were all touched by. Other students recited poems, and two students danced for us to a popular contemporary song. Speeches were made by different staff, all sharing their thankfulness to God for us being there, and that we would all feel at home in Nicaragua.
After the presentations, all the students wanted to say hi to us and take pictures with us. It’s not every day that they see gringo’s (white people), and it was obvious that many of them were fascinated by us. Especially Tom. Who was constantly being swarmed by students who wanted to take a picture with him. He had his own paparazzi. After school was let out at 12:00, and all the students went home, the grade 11’s stayed to have lunch with us. We sat mixed together at tables as we shared a meal together of chicken, rice, beans (surprise, surprise), and French fries.
At 2:00, we all walked to a nearby park to spend time with the grade 11’s. We played basketball, volleyball, and soccer on a cement court. It was SO hot, about 36 degrees celcius. Despite the stiffiling heat however, we were able to have lots of fun. We also brought the game Spike Ball along with us from Canada and taught it to them. Eventually, we started a big game of soccer and basketball, Canadians versus Nicaraguans. As expected, the Nicaraguans beat us in “football” 4-0, however, we were able to redeem ourselves by beating them in basketball. As we played sports with them, it became apparent to us that we didn’t need to rely on language to communicate with each other. Rather, we could have fun together by sharing in sports and even by singing songs that we all knew. In-between our play, we also bought some delicious popsicles to help cool us down, from a mobile street vendor.
At 4:30, after a long day of having fun in the sun, we hopped back on our party bus and headed back to the Nehemiah Centre, sweaty and flushed. We were all grateful to be back, rest, and take a cold shower. We had some down time and then had dinner at 6:00.
After dinner, we gathered for devotions and spend some time discussing how our day went, sharing a ‘highlight’ and a ‘low-light.’ We were also given information regarding the COVID-19 situation and how it may affect our trip, with the potential of us having to leave earlier, possibly Monday or Tuesday. After we were given this news, we spent time together in worship and prayer and we were able to offer our concerns to the Lord. We are thankful to God for giving us peace and reassurance as we were reminded He is in control and that we don’t have to fear what tomorrow brings. We believe that the Lord brought us to Nicaragua for a purpose and that He is at work in us no matter where we are.
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