Day 7

Hola from our new home in Nicaragua hosted by Marshall and Alex.

We started the day with an iconic performance of vocal excellence from Koenraad and the miraculous sign of God for healing all the sun burnt tomatoes in our midst (Alex blistered). We gathered around for a nutritious breakfast of eggs, bacon, beans with rice, and an arrangement of tropical fruits.

We hopped into the white van (not sketchy) onto our first day of painting and concrete work at Centro de Fe. Upon our arrival Nicaraguan students led songs and devotions. We split into 3 painting groups and 1 tiling group. Some started downstairs scraping the walls, others started sifting sand for the concrete - all of us were sweating like the dickens. Without fail, Saúl (Mr. Carvajal), somehow was always one foot away reminding you to hydrate. Painting groups were scraping the walls, washing them and brushing away the ever present dust before starting to paint. As Alex was staring at the wall in agony, lunch arrived. We sat, alternating with Nicaraguans and Canadians, enjoying our scrumptious feast of rice, steak with Chimi Churri sauce, thoroughly mashed potatoes, and a puffy bun. In a battle between plastic utensils and tough steak, we persevered into victory.

The second half of the day was blood, sweat, and a lot of dirt. While young men (and Keziah) carried heavy buckets of concrete up and down the stairs, others were slacking off in front of a fan. Before the end of the day, finishing touches were taking place: the last buckets of concrete were poured and the final strokes of paint were brushed in the rooms and on the mural. Let's just say the team had some unique methods of cleaning off the dirt on our legs.

We headed back and took a quick stop at La Union, the local grocery store, to get snacks. On the drive home, we inhaled our cold snacks and saw a couple cows walk past us. At the Nehemiah Centre, some took a much needed shower and we headed into dinner. After dinner, we gathered for our group meeting with a devo led by Lyra and Brendan. Many cried after a heart felt group discussion (especially Roy).

Thank you all for continuing to read the blog. Make sure to view Instagram for more updates.

P.S. Mom, your responses have brought great joy to the group despite my embarrassment, but now everyone loves you so much! Bet you are looking down and laughing to yourself right now - and dad, I've definitely been "going with the flow" during the trip.

P.P.S. Hi Mom and Dad. I love you and I can't wait to come home and see you all.