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