Leaving Nicaragua - Coming Home

I write this on Monday morning in the Salt Lake City Airport; sorry for not blogging yesterday, but last night was consumed by sleeping on the plane and hustling through airports. A group of us who slept in the airport are sitting in the airport eating Cinnabon© and waiting for the rest of the group that spent the night in a hotel.  

Yesterday everyone woke up and ate breakfast at the usual time. Our Sunday morning consisted of a sort of devotion/ service.  We sang songs; Jeremiah led devotions, and, besides all the “logistics” of packing and leaving, Mr. Goede pulled our thoughts into the words of Matthew 9: 37 and 38. “Then he [Jesus] said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”

It was rough to say goodbye to our new friends at the Project H.O.P.E. Our bus ride back to the airport sharply contrasted the bus ride from it. The ecstasy and novelty of being in a new place had diminished. At the airport a somber mood settled over the group as we waited in the airport to leave.

Travelling has gone smoothly, but we are beat, tired- some are deliriously tired. “Muy cansado” is how we say it in Spanish. We are almost home.

Jess for the missions team

“I’m so tired I put my feet on the wrong shoes,” I said this morning as I put my flip-flops on after spending the night in the airport here in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Yesterday was a rough day, a very rough day for many of our team members. We woke up yesterday, ate breakfast at our normal time, 7am. This was a new thing for me since I do not eat breakfast normally. J As soon as breakfast was over we gave our love offering to Project Hope. Part of the monies that we gave went to fund the rice and beans that Project Hope gave to the Nursing Home/ Senior Center earlier in the week. The other part went to the staff there at the base.

After breakfast we had an hour or so before the devotional that was led by Jeremiah. Then we had “church”! It was amazing. We sang many hymns in Spanish and English, most I had not sung in years, but I loved it! After our service and a systematic “wrap-up” of the week, we pulled the loose strings together and we closed our service with Alabare (the theme song of the week). Then we took group pictures; serious and crazy!!

After the pictures we said good-bye to the Michaels. It was a hard good-bye to say, but we know we will see them again someday, be here on earth or in Heaven one day. After these good-byes we checked our room one last time for any garbage that we may have left and to make sure they were in order and then we loaded our bags and luggage on the bus. The ride to the airport was a very different one compared to the one from it just one week ago. Sure we laughed and joked, but there was a somberness presiding over the students and adults that could not be shaken by laughing or joking.

The walk from the bus in to the airport to check our bags was extremely difficult. We were told earlier this week by Freddy that it was too early for tears, but when we got to the airport and checked our bags the tears began to flow freely and in abundance. Saying goodbye to the people from Project Hope was one of the hardest things that I think I have ever had to do in my short almost 18 years. The girls, including me, shed tears. Two of us blubbered.  Freddy, one of our translators, cried as well.

The wait in the airport for our flight, which was supposed to leave at about 1:50 pm ended up leaving at 2:30 pm, was painful and taxing. (for some) Looking out at the landscape and remembering what we would be leaving behind was very hard.

We were finally told that we could board and while we were waiting in line Trina, Mrs. Kneeland, and I ended up talking to a man who was doing philanthropic work in Nicaragua by putting solar panels on houses for the people. He had a very skewed perspective of the way to get to Heaven and the God of the Old Testament.

We arrived in Atlanta at approximately 8 pm, ate dinner, talked, cried, and walked around. We then boarded our flight to Salt Lake City and got in to the airport at a little after midnight. From there we got our luggage and we split into two groups. All of the women, minus Trina and me, went and slept in a motel and all the men plus Trina and I slept in the airport. It was hard, cold, loud, and dirty, because we slept in the baggage claim. Right now we are in the airport eating Sun Chips©, Wheat Thins, and Delta airline junk food (given to us by the wonderful steward named Nathan).

We will be leaving in about an hour for Bozeman. We miss you all but not the snow or the homework!!! :D (Some of us miss the snow. Eeehhhhheeemmm NATHAN! Lol)

~Jessica for the 2011 Project Hope Missions Team

Hola como estas?  (Hello, how are you?) Today we had a tourist day.  First we started our day going to the volcano! We took the bus up to the volcano and then took a hike to see into the volcano.  We climbed up about one hundred steps to get to the top and then we could see into the volcano.  We could see the smoke and could smell sulfur from the active volcano.  It was so amazing to see an active volcano and we all got together and took a group picture.

After visiting the volcano we went to the museum at the volcano park.  The museum was all about the volcano and the animals that live there.  Everyone enjoyed reading and learning more about the volcano and more about Nicaragua.  After the volcano we went out to lunch at a local restaurant.  We all had the chance to pick our own drinks and we were all surprised when we saw that the soda came in bottles.  The natives all thought that we were crazy because we were so excited by such a small thing.  The lunch was so good.  It was chicken, French fries, mashed potatoes, fried plantain, and cheese. 

After the amazing lunch we took a few steps outside and went to some of the stores.  They had so many amazing things to look at and enjoy.  We all had a fun time taking a look at all the different things that Nicaragua has to offer.  After looking around for a while we got on the bus once again and then went to the market.  We dispersed into small groups and went to look at the amazing things that we could buy.  There was a plethora of things to look at.  Everyone had a great time looking at all the jewelry and fun things that the market had.  Landon, Nathan and Caity all bought hammocks.  Some of the students had more fun bartering with the people in the market than they had buying things.

After having a blast in the market we went back into the bus and headed back to the base.  When we returned all the girls went around and showed each other what they bought. We all had a fun day of just relaxing and having fun with each other and it was a great way to end the long week.  This week has been such a blessing to all of us and God has blessed us so much with such an amazing group.  Thank you all for the prayers and support! J

                Dios le bendiga (God bless you)   ~Sami Reiner

The Day of Tears

Hello, this is Gringo Landon,

Wow, another long adventurous day is complete and God still showed us things today.  We again traveled to the village we have been working with all week.  However today involved less breaking out of posts and concrete and more mixing concrete and filling up the holes we had made.  The work was tedious for those filling the holes and grueling hard for those mixing the concrete by hand.  Also today a few of us got to go find a basketball and play with some little kids and Eduardo. That was great!!! 

Thank you for all of you who gave gifts to the team to deliver to the people of Nicaragua. Last night we divided the gifts up evenly and packed them in plastic bags. So after all the work was done we gave the bags of gifts to all the different families that we got to know this week.

 Then the emotions started to flow. The people were so grateful to us and you; and strangely enough, though they had nothing and needed these things, they tried to give them back. We each gathered around our families and prayed for them and started to say our goodbyes. This was very hard to say goodbye to someone that we knew we would probably never see again.  This was especially hard on Madison and Jessica as they were granted the day to only interact with the children and play and love on them all morning. They climbed trees, sprinted up and down the paths, played tug-o-war, played on the playground equipment, shared the gospel, picked flowers, and CRIED. At some point today I think everyone was struck with some emotion of love and compassion and the desire to take the kids home with us.

This afternoon we traveled to an orphanage where we saw many very young children without loving parents.  This was the place where we all saw Mrs. Gardner’s and Mrs. VanWinkle’s love and compassion for small children.  At this place Mrs. Kneeland shared the story of Jesus calming the storm with all the little children, and then Mrs. VanWinkle shared the gospel with them too.

During devotionals Nathan shared about not being selfish and shared some of his random thoughts and his favorite Bible verses. Then Mr. Goede had us all share one thing to encourage the person next to us and something we saw in their lives this week that we appreciate. When it came to Jeremy’s turn to share about Rachel from Missouri he compared her to his orange pop saying, “You’ve got a bubbly personality; you remind me of home but with a little bit of an accent.  This pop tastes like Sunkist and is bubbly.  It reminds me of home but it’s got a bit of twang.”  J

For the team Landon Gossack

Hola! Esta muy caliente aqui! (Hello!  It is very hot now.)  I am sitting outside in the compound where it is still way to warm to even think about putting on a sweatshirt.  Once again, today we were awestruck at the way God has been working through us to minister to these wonderful people.

                We started out working on the houses again – mixing cement, pounding in rebar, and all that jazz, but before that, we have devotions with our families we have been put into. I love watching the people’s faces and hearing them talk about “Dios” (God). I love being able to share this similar love with people who are so far away and live so differently than I do. Well, after the hard work we came back to the compound and quickly left again for a church where we did our presentation and then painted nails, did hair, and did crafts.

The children enjoy this, and I enjoy working on my Spanish and having small conversations with them. It is always hard saying goodbye, but once we did, we were soon crawling with children again. The second place we went was a small community. The children love to take pictures with our camera’s and love to have their picture taken.

After we did our presentation, we played with the children, painted nails, and gave them balloons- this time we gave them both dogs and swords and they loved to have swordfights. We sadly had to come back to the compound then. I love the children down here. The only hard part for me of it all is the language barrier. Thanks to all who are praying! Your prayers are paying off.

                                                ~Trina for the entire missions team

Today we did a lot of things. We started in the village with a small service of music and preaching.  A couple of the people gave moving testimonies of how they came to the Lord, and how they are now working for God.  After that we split up into groups and gave devotions. We were unprepared, but God ended up working through our chaos.  After the devotions were over, we started working on the houses.  Jessica and Madison played with kids while working, while the rest of us worked without kids. (Those two are REALLY good with kids!)  We continued tearing out the rotten wood and began pouring concrete. 

                Next we went to the nursing home.  It was more of a senior center for the people.  All of the girls started by singing a couple of Spanish songs.  Then Mrs. Reiner gave her testimony and we did the "Chains" play after that.  After Mom (Mrs. Wood) shared the gospel the group painted the women’s fingernails and some toenails.  Nathan, Freddy, Landon and I made balloon animals.  It’s surprising how much the older people liked balloon animals! 

                After this we went to a school set up by Compassion International and the kids were incredibly well behaved!  Sami gave her testimony for the kids after we sang again.  I shared the gospel with them after the "Chains" play.  The kids were really intrigued with the play and they paid really close attention.  We played a game with a soccer ball to see how many bounces we could get.  All my practice as a kid is finally paying off and I won with my partner, a little girl named Nadia.  We gave them candy, then, unfortunately we had to leave.

                It’s amazing to see what God is doing through our group! 

Caity Wood for the team

Well, another day down! I would say that one of the main lessons all of us have learned today was: yo no hablo espanol! "I do not speak Spanish!" Today was a fun, challenging and exciting day!

I wish I could describe what we’ve seen today, but there are no words that can fully express our experiences. The smells, tastes and sounds were all indescribable. One of the smells that remains imprinted upon my mind would be the smell of a river that we passed on the way to and from the village. The smell is at best described as breath-taking. The smell of the river was one of total pollution that could be smelled several minutes from the actual crossing. The stench was overwhelming. It created such a clear analogy for our devotionals tonight about the necessity to resist being polluted by the world, as warned against in James 1:27. The pollution of the river was complete and repulsive, a clear warning of what we should not become.

The families we encountered today were extremely welcoming and understanding. Many of us had the expectation of seeing poverty and suffering, but Madison pointed out that, although we saw poverty, we did not see suffering. The people we saw today were so joyful and full of love that we were overwhelmed.   It has opened our eyes that we are so blessed with all that we have. Their houses were simple, four-walled, open dwellings that allowed dogs, chickens and any other sort of animal to wander in and out freely.

For me, my greatest experience today was with the children that we gathered at the church. We made animal balloons, yarn crafts, and the girls painted fingernails. All those children were filled with such joy that I was overwhelmed. I vividly remember, however, a little girl saying something to me. My response was simply to smile and shake my head. God has been changing and removing my expectation of myself to be competent and comprehensive; I’m learning that it’s okay to be incompetent.

Most likely, one of the most common responses that you’ll get when you ask any of us what Nicaragua was like will be "hot". Nicaragua is hot and humid. Simply by sitting, you can feel the need for a shower within ten minutes, let alone after several hours of outdoor labor. Our job in a village here is to repair some houses that Project Hope built in the past. Many of the corners of the houses have rotted because of termite damage, and in some cases, the support beam was completely gone because of termites. We cut away the old supports and replaced them with rebar. Tomorrow we will be filling them with concrete.

One of the most enjoyable memories I have of working on the houses today was the involvement of Husta. Husta's house is one of the ones that we’re repairing. Nathan was trying his best to be careful of the siding and concrete blocks of the house. Husta simply shook her head, said no, and showed us how it was done. She took the chisel and let the house have it. In a matter of seconds, the old wood was torn away.

Needless to say, our time in Nicaragua has been amazing. Already, we have clearly seen the hand of God in how we have been received. I speak for the whole team when I say that we can’t wait to see what God will do in the next few days! We want to thank you for the prayers you have been saying for us; God’s listening.

Until we meet again,

Jeremiah for The Nicaragua Mission Team

February 28

Well, I can honestly say that I need to get out more! Our first days were filled with me “oohing” and “Ahing” over the escalators and moving stair ways in the airports! Everyone, including myself, got a good laugh out of that! But the thing I was truly in awe over was how smoothly the Lord allowed us to go through check-in and customs! Even with our bags overflowing with supplies we were bringing to the Nicaraguans, God made it so that we didn’t have to pay any taxes on anything! Praise His name! Actually, as we were sitting in our seats on the way to Nicaragua from Atlanta, a stewardess stopped us and asked where we were going and what we were planning on doing. Her face lit up when she discovered we were going on a mission to Nicaragua! She had just gone on a mission trip to South America, and happened to be carrying an evangelistic DVD with her in Spanish! The Lord is so good, and his plans always catch us by surprise!

We flew in, and from the plane, the blue water melted into a mass of mountainous splendor! The mountains were cloaked in vegetation, brimming with life! Very unlike Montana mountains that are bare faced and pale against the sun. We met our translators Eduardo, Micheal, Michel,  and Freddie! Mrs. Gardner also translated for us!

We loaded into a bus, took a ride through Managua, and into our compound, which was not at all what I had expected! Beautiful lush gardens teaming with mango trees, papaya trees, coconut, banana, and lime trees! Flowers sprawled lazily in the humid air, everywhere, scenting the air with their pink, blue, purple, and orange blossoms! We from Montana were in awe because we had not seen a flower in months! SIGNS OF LIFE! A gorgeous fountain trickled just outside the palm hut that we prayed and held our devotion time in.

The flowers continued to radiate their beauty as we took a ride into the village we will be witnessing in. God opened our eyes as we saw the small, old two room houses edged by large sticks as fences. We were told what we are going to be doing: repairing houses and becoming a part of the families there. Pray that we are able to show compassion, and for God to give us humble and servant hearts for this field he has called us to! Also pray that God is able to allow the people in Nicaragua to encourage and strengthen us! He is good!

I cannot describe my excitement! I couldn’t stop talking the entire day! To see the sights, feel the humidity hit me like a two by four, and try to speak the language all in one day while taking in the beauty contrasted with the poverty of Nicaragua was an emotional trip to say the least! I pray that God is able to work through me, and He will show our group how He plans to grow and train us to be better workers for His glory and His glory only!

-          Madison Van Winkle