Day
3
Sunday
Funday
On
Sunday we started off as most people do with our church service. The Church
service started with some Spanish singing followed by the class singing a
couple songs for them. After that our class separated from the rest of the
people for Sunday School, and then came back together for a service in Spanish,
which we got “so much out of” considering the language. After the service, we
headed off to Joel and Jody’s house for a lunch of rice topped with pork,
followed by an ice cream dessert. One of the highlights of the afternoon was
when a couple of the guys who had found and killed a tarantula the night
before, thought it would be a good idea to get Miss Martin’s reaction to the
furry creature. She practically flipped a kidney, but she claims it was a mere
twitch, and we have video evidence. You can ask her about it. After we were
done at Joel’s house, we all went back to our houses to change for the evening
of activities in the park with the youth. We then headed to the park to play
soccer and volleyball with some of the youth. We all went to the church for a
very wholesome meal including rice, hot dogs, raisins, corn, and other things. After
supper, we just hung out at the church and played foursquare, spike ball,
spoons, and some other fun games. Then we headed off to our glorious abodes for
bedtime.
-
Dexter Zimmerman
Day
4
Work
hard Play hard
You never expect to wake up in the morning to the
sound of scratching and frantic moving on the roof of your abode, however at
three in the morning there was quite a stirring. Some thought it was a burglar
while others thought it was the end of the world, but in reality it was just
some cats tussling with each other.
Today was the day that the guys would do their work
projects at the different houses. Half of the girls went to an elderly lady’s
house to deliver a stovetop (purchased with EMS Senior project money) that she
had prayed for a few years, and the rest went to a retirement home to help with
different duties such as clipping fingernails, serving snack, and peeling Yuka.
After all those activities had ended, we were free to go to the beach for a
relaxing afternoon of soaking in the sun and swimming in the Pacific ocean. While
on the way to the beach, our group leader, Gary, hit a record speed of 72 mph with
all the guys holding on to whatever they could grab ahold of in the back of the
truck. In the evening, we enjoyed a taco restaurant and smoothie bar all in
sight of central park and the cathedral. Then we headed back to the church to
spend the rest of the evening playing spike ball and listening to Gary impersonate
Napoleon Dynamite.
-
Kendall Copenhaver
Day
5
Not
Your Typical Touring (but almost)
Today we did our souvenir shopping in the morning. A
few of the guys bought machetes and some people bought other souvenirs and trinkets.
After our shopping, the girls went to the hospital to hand out baby bundles to
the pregnant mothers and the guys got haircuts. The barber was very good and
very cheap. Josh had the best cut by far. When the haircuts were done the guys
went to the park and we played a form of baseball where we used our hands as
the bat. Hitting the ball was harder than it looked.
Hi all, Shanda here, relieving Patrick of his undesired
duty of blogging. His summary was
accurate, although I would like to add some feeling into those simple
sentences. This morning before we went
souvenir shopping in Central, our class entered the narrow stairways of the
cathedral (official name is currently unknown) and climbed carefully to the
top. Once our elevation was increased,
we were given a few minor instructions which included “don’t climb on the domes.”
and sent to explore. The sights of Leon,
below, were far and wide. The Hospital Escuela was distantly insight as us
senior girls eagerly anticipated holding some new Nicaraguan babies. Once descending the cathedral, which was
built in Leon by accident (it’s true), we split into our groups and began the
shopping. My group started the shopping
at Casa del Café or “House of the Coffee” with some refreshing drinks. We
explored some stands and the market. Seeing the large lizard waiting to be
finished off and eaten was definitely interesting. I can’t say much about the
guys getting their haircuts, other than the fact that I’m sure their heads are
cooler than they were before. But, the
hospital experience was once in a lifetime.
Imagine getting ready to deliver your long awaited baby, you go to the
hospital and find the conditions, less than what Americans would call
ideal. The windows are either broken or
open, there is no air conditioning and pigeons strut around the waiting
rooms. You’re placed in a room with four
other moms who have recently delivered, yet you expect nothing better. When the care is free and you don’t have the
means of paying for a better hospital, you’re just thankful and content that
you have a bed in the room. I can’t
imagine wanting to do the best and provide the best for my child, but only being
able to deliver in a rather unsanitary building with birds.
I loved the hospital experience! Holding a Nicaraguan
baby that was only hours old was one thing that I’d do again in a heartbeat. No hesitation! One of the moms that we gifted
with a baby bundle was fifteen. FIFTEEN! I can’t imagine.
The rest of the day went well and I thoroughly enjoyed
my trip to a textile/weaving shop. Yes,
people actually run these looms, not robots.
Can you believe it? Anyway, my time is running out. Enjoy the updates!
If for some reason I don’t make it back to the United States, maybe you can
find me hanging out with Rachel and Sadie at the Olive Branch Mennonite
Mission, or holding newborns in the Hospital Escuela. Buenas Noches!
Patrick Zimmerman
& Shanda Nissley
Before
After
Man those haircuts look good. Looking really suave...
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