Homeward Bound

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you so much for journeying with us via our blog for the last three weeks. It is evident that God has worked through and in our team during our time in Nicaragua and we look forward to sharing our stories with you upon our return. Please continue to uphold us in your prayers as we travel back home tomorrow. Our plane will depart from Managua, Nicaragua at 12:10 pm and we are scheduled to land in Portland at 9:07 pm.

Also, keep our transition process in your prayers. The team has been exposed to a significant amount of poverty and injustice and we have absorbed a lot of sights that will not soon leave our memories. What we have experienced for the last three weeks is drastically different from the life we have grown accustomed to in the U.S. Please be patient with us as we continue to process our experiences and as those experiences cause change within our hearts and minds.

Love and Blessings,
Kristine

fOtoS..... =D

Our team playing chess at the resort

Playing basketball in the pool
Enjoying the beach at sunset
Happy Birthday Jenna

Horseback riding on the beach

Laura and her caballito

Mark and Kaitlin riding
Granada
More of Granada
and more...
Half-way through the Safari ride and still surviving

Kelly, Jessy and Violet excited for the adventure

Irena loving the zip-line =)

Waiting on the platform

Laura coming to the end of the line

Post composed by Violeta :)

Winding down....

Hi Friends and Family!!!

I'm sorry we haven't updated you. Our team left Monday morning for the beach to debrief. We were there two days and spent lots of time resting, playing and processing. On Wednesday, we arrived to Granada where we will be staying for the remainder of the trip. 

Today we went on another zip-line tour. The most thrilling part of the adventure was bouncing around in the Safari for the 45 minute ride on a bumpy, rocky road while singing songs. Tomorrow, we will be enjoying a boat tour and kayaking. Please be praying for our team as we continue processing the last two weeks and as we transition back home and move forth with our summer plans!          ~Violeta

Picture Update

One of our many crazy bus rides

Some kids at the school in the dump

Crisbel y Jessy

Wendy y Kelly

The team

Brittany y Kristine

Mark, un amigo y Kaitlin

Betty y Laura

Perla, Elisha y Kristine

Violeta y Martha

Post composed by Violeta :)

It's Jessica!

Hey ya'll,
So we have gone to La Chureca to do research these past two days. It has been both growing and challenging, but God has helped make the process smooth and helpful for all of us to get to know the girls that are still living in La Chureca better. It was really hard for me to leave them today knowing that it was the last day that I would be with them for the rest of our time there. I feel uncertain about most of their futures, but I feel hope for some of the girls there who might be coming to the Villa once the next houses are built.
After going to La Chureca we came back, ate dinner, and spent time with the girls dancing on their porch. Kelly taught them to hula, and I got to dance with Monica, Martha, and Perla to their traditional music . They taught me a foklorical dance that they had made up. They love to dance here! It is one of the best outlets they have for expressing themselves. After our great night with the girls, a few of us gathered together for a devotional. It was another great day in Nicaragua!

Babies, market and research

Yesterday, we went to a baby orphanage. Initially, we did not know what to expect but were pleasantly surprised by the conditions of the buildings and children. There are current 28 babies there and most have some kind of malnutrition issues. There was one three month old baby who still only weighs 5lbs. It was fun to play with all of the kids and try our best to make them laugh and smile.
In the afternoon, we went to a market to see what we could find. The market was huge and there was a lot to see. It was honestly a little overwhelming but fun to look for treasures as a group.

Today, we headed back to the school in la chureca. We set out to begin our research with some of the girls there. Unsure of how the girls would respond to the questioning, we prayed for God's hand to be over our time. God really showed himself today and the research went well. The girls were willing to share with us and they really seemed to understand some of the more difficult portions of the assessments. As a group, we are overjoyed that the Lord seems to be blessing this time. Tomorrow is anothey day of research and we pray it will again bear fruit.

Posted by Christa

Day 9, you are so fine.....

We had a "day off" today which means we got to do several super fun and exciting things that weren't work related. First on our agenda was the Potter's House, which about 1.5 hrs. south east of Managua.  The man there gave us devotional using clay and the process of pottery as an illustration. Many team members found this to be encouraging and insightful. After that we moved on to a canopy zip-line tour. It was great to see all of the team members gliding through the jungle.  There were even monkeys! We closed the day by spending time talking and playing with the beautiful girls here at the Villa.  Friendships are being formed, relationships are being strengthened and ignorance is being challenged. Today has been a blessing. Thank you for all the prayers ad support.    :) Buenas Noches! (this post has been brought to you by kaitlin wood)