Today was the last day that we would be spending with everyone at the school. Knowing this was difficult for us as we drove towards the school … the relationships quickly built are powerful!
Our morning started with devotions with all of the High School students, led by Gateway. We played Bible Pictionary, using two whiteboards, in a race between the Nicaraguans and the Canadians (in Spanish and English). We finished talking about Bible verses that highlight unity and togetherness.
Then we divided into groups and discussed social issues including human trafficking and the effect of video game technology on individuals and communities. We shared and compared statistics from our home countries. Students from both schools had a lot to say!
We again together on another service project: painting Bible verses and the school’s mission and vision statement on the school walls. Using a stencil and spray paint in a windy courtyard is much harder than you would think!
After lunch we took part in a closing / farewell presentation. The pastor came to share a message of blessing with us and the students and parents of the community. The school presented gifts to us, paid for with money that some of the parents raised through a school fundraiser. We were also presented with their school t-shirts.
After the service we gave gifts to our partner class from Canada and team t-shirts as well. We also presented letters to the school from our other partner classes at Gateway. We knew that we would be spending Friday with our partner class. However, saying goodbye to all of the other staff and students at the school was very emotional!
After we left we returned to the marked to finish purchasing souvenirs and items for our school sale.
In the evening we watched a movie called Reparando, where we were challenged with the reality of the unfairness in the disparity in the world, and what our response should be.
Student Response to Today:
Jordan
I enjoyed seeing the students at Bautista Libertad again today. I really like the activities that we do with students in the playground. We also did a lot of talking and visiting. I felt very tired again today, because we have been getting up early and it was a long day - but it was a fun day. I’m glad that I’ve made some friends here. I plan to come here again in the future. Hopefully the near future, but the future. The people are what make me want to come back - they are friendly, accepting even to tourists and the culture is very rich. There is a lot to see in this country.
Jenna
I felt pretty sick today. I wanted to stay home. I got a lovely letter from a student in grade 10, written in Spanish. When I got back to the Nehemiah Center I used Google translate to find out some of what it said, “distance doesn’t matter”. All of the younger kids, in grades 1-3 brought their notebooks to us to get us to sign them. They gave us a lot of stickers. I love all of the kids at the school, they are all so friendly, even though they don’t have a lot. They are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I would consider coming back on another mission trip. Funny things happen when you travel, my legs swelled up, and felt weird when I moved my ankles around. I’m loving it here!
Daniel
It’s hot over here. Today it got up to 38 degrees celsius. I’m really enjoying the food, which I thought would be good. My favourite part of the day is going to the school and visiting with the high school students and playing with the younger ones. They’re more similar to our culture than I expected. The boys have the same interests and hobbies as I do. It’s really easy to communicate even though I don’t speak much Spanish. It is easy to get along with them. It was hard to say goodbye to the younger students because of their hospitality and the shared experiences we have had together. I’m looking forward to the pineapple farm to see how they grow and learn a little bit more about Nicaraguan culture.
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