Shawtys fiah is burnin’ in Nicaragua by Jon, Nick & Thelma

  Monkeys!!!!!!!!!!! So the CDCA has this fantastic monkey that has been around for a while that I got to play with today. Sadly she is tied up to a few trees outside of where we are staying, and we were asked not to interact with her more than feeding her. Things like that never quite stop me though So I went over and let her climb on me, and we took pictures and had a fairly novel time. Shhh don’t tell anyone. It was an interesting break from reality to be able to just play around with the monkey. Kind of a live in the moment type of thing. We have seen a lot over the past week, and not all of it has been particularly pretty. Managua is a huge city with people just packed in, and the poverty is very visible on almost every block. It is a very humbling experience when you think about it. Let’s not even get started on the history lessons we have had along the way. The perspectives offered by several of our speakers have been quite colorful to say the least, but they certainly have reason to be. So with all the seriousness we come back to the monkey, and perhaps how it is important to enjoy the simple things along the way. All the other blogs I am sure have expressed in more detail our crazy experiences over the past few days, and so I am just tossing that thought out there as a way of summing up a fun yet sobering trip. Never forget to stop and play with the monkey along the way It has been a fantastic trip, and now I’ll turn it over to my cowriters. That way they can stop giggling over my shoulder at all the innuendos they think they are reading on the page above. Off to the disco!      -Jon

Teeeeetthhhhh!!!!! So Rock Hill has this fantastic dentist that theyve been dragging along for a while. His name is Dirk Anderson and I’ve had the unique privledge of assisting him with dental procedures for most of the week! The clinic has an interesting process of giving out what they call “bonos” (short for probono) to people who either have a turn or do communit service for the clinic. A bono is basically a pass for one free visit to the dentist or whatever service the person needs at the clinic. So while Dr. Dirk is in town, aout 10-11 people a day are given one of these passes. We’ve don work including pulling teeth, adjusting bites, and filling cavities. I got to setup for each patient and got to find tools as well as getting to help with some more up close work like using mirrors to hold mouths open and and suctioning (Narcie would be cringing by now). I think one of the best parts of the whole experience was having to learn enough spanish to communicate effectively with patients. We’re running out of time to write so I’ll pass the writing over to Thelma!  -Nick

Concretttttttttttttttte!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So the battery on this laptop is about to die, so I sadly do not have much time (Jon and Nick took too long).  So I will talk briefly about my experience here.  So I have never done any construction work from scratch.  Here in Nicaragua, everything, and I mean everything is made from scratch.  This week, part of our role here was to help with the JHC center, and to help around their property.  Specifically, they had us make path stones for the entrance and help repair a sidewalk at the Health Clinic.  Let me tell y’all, I have a full appreciation for the work ethic these people have down here.  They work so hard and the processes they have to go through to achieve a result (in this specific case a smooth driveway and sidewalk).  And the crazy thing is they still have a smile on their face while they undergo the hard labor.  I have to tell you, managing a smile on your face while you are working in heat is not an easy task.  It has truly been an inspiration for me.  I have such an apprecaiton for the things I have back home.  I think if I saw the labor that went into every road I drive on, and every sidewalk I step foot on, I would appreciate things back home alot more.  I hope to take this reflective thought with me when I return home, and I hope to think about these people and their hard labor the next time I complain about something.  I adore everyone in the group, and I look forward to coming home and telling everyone at home the things I have learned about Nicaragua and also myself.  LET’S DANCE!   -Thelma

Nicaragua by Jordan

Hello lovely followers,

Our trip has been a very life changing opportunity for most of us. Today we continued to make wonderful cement blocks for the soon to be pathway to the Jubilee House. I think many of us have a new respect for construction workers; I know I do. I have found myself many times pondering the conversations and observations of these wonderful Nicaraguans only to come to a conclusion that many of their points of view, I agree in. The second part of our day was filled with more cement making (luckily not blocks) for a sidewalk. It was very encouraging to make this sidewalk because it was the entrance to Nueva Vida’s clinic. I think most of the Wesley group has learned that cement making is not easy!!!!!!!!!!!! As we worked we also experienced the poverty around us including children with no clothing, no toys, and no food. It hits your heart when you know you eat three meals a day while an average child in Nicaragua may only have one meal. I have had a wonderful week and I think that most of the group has reached outside of their comfort zone. One main point I want to take from this trip is this; though these people have nothing and some of them literatally have houses built of trash, they take care of each other. Many Nicaraguans have mentioned that it surprises them that the richest country in the world could let so many people be homeless. Though it saddens the heart to see the conditions that these people live in, most of them are happy! Nicaragua has truly reached in my heart and made me realize that no materialistic lifestyle HAS to be the pathway to happiness. I have seen everything from kids filling dirty water into a hole at the dump and swimming in it, to naked children running around and playing. But every child enjoys waving and smiling and it brings a new sense of joy and respect in my heart. I hope that everyone who reads this can take a step back and think about this blog.  I don’t think complaining about air conditioning in my car not working will cross my mind after I have been on a hot bus all week for transportation. I won’t complain about washing clothes in a washing machine because here, they scrub them on a washboard and hang them to dry. With all the worries in the world, mine are little to the ones that these people face everyday. Keep us in your prayers as we head back to the States tomorrow.

Love and peace to you all -

Jordan

Nicaragua Days 6 and 7 by Angel and Leslie

This trip has been amazing so far! Over the past 2 days, we have been working on the front entrance at JHC. Before we started, the entrance was very bumpy and had many holes. All of the work trucks that come in and out of here had a difficult time driving through the entrance because the bottom of the trucks would hit the ground. After much tedious labor, the entrance is pretty smooth (like butter!) – let me tell you, we are SUPER proud of that entrance! There is still plenty of work to be done, though! We are now in the process of making the bricks that will be used for the entrance. This process is pretty stressful, but we get it done because we’re all about some teamwork! Plus we have Jordan, who just happens to be a BEAST at brickmaking!!

Yesterday, we have had the opportunity to talk with members of the co-op here. They told us their stories and about the situation with Coker. (For those of you don’t know, 2 years ago, the co-op took out a loan to get machinery from Coker. Coker received the money, so they sent the co-op a bunch of pieces of machinery. The co-op members were very excited because they thought they would FINALLY get to begin the work they set out to do. However, the machinery was not the same equipment that Coker agreed to send them. The women from the co-op told us that all of the pieces put together would not even make one machine. The pieces were broken and rusted, and the people here were very disappointed. They are now in the process of trying to get all of their money back or to get the right machinery from Coker.) Anyways, we got to hear about how they got involved here, their families, what they do, etc. One thing that stood out to our group was their faith. After everything they have been through, they still have hope and faith that God will get them through this trial. It was such a blessing to all of us.

Yesterday we also visited the local dump, where over 100 families live. It was heartbreaking to see so many people living in such poverty, having to eat whatever they can find (which often is literally trash). We got to play with some of the kids from Los Quinchos (a children’s center in the dump). Some people from our group colored with the kids and played different games. And some of us played in a small pool with about 2 inches of water, in which they wanted us to slide them across the floor to the other side. They absolutely loved it, and we all had a lot of fun! Andrew brought a rubber chicken to the center (don’t ask why, the only answer is that…it’s Andrew and he’s crazy!) and the kids thought it was hilarious! They actually fought over the chicken; I think it was their favorite part of our visit. They used it as a sort of water gun against us in the pool…it was awesome! It was kind of sad to see that these kids got so excited over that rubber chicken when most kids in the United States sit inside all day playing video games and get mad if they can’t do that. The people here are definitely thankful for what they have and I think we need to stop taking things for granted…like clean water and paved roads.

Today, we continued making bricks and doing other yard work- we got a lot done today! Also, some of our group went to a local orphanage and handed out dresses and dolls that were provided by churches. We also heard from the people that are apart of the CDCA and how it all got started.  It has definitely been a great day! Thank you to everyone who has supported us, and to all who are praying for us!!

God Bless!   Angel and Leslie

ANGEL: I want to say Happy Birthday to my mom! Sorry I am missing it, but I love you!!

Leslie- This trip has been very eye-opening and heartbreaking. The first day we arrived, it took a lot for me to not cry when I saw the families and children that lived in Nueva Vida. We hear about people like this and see them on tv, but it’s SO much different having to actually experience it. These people have close to nothing, but they are probably the happiest people I have ever met. This trip has made me look at my life and made me want to change, big time. I get 3 meals a day, I have internet, heat & a/c, a roof over my head, and so much more. A lot of people here don’t have any of that, yet they always have a smile on their faces and they have so much faith in God. They inspire me so much and have made me realize that anything really is possible with God, we just have to have faith. And quite honestly, I don’t think I’ve had a lot of that this past year. I’m so glad that I decided to come on this trip and I will never forget the people here and what I have learned here. I’m going to leave you with 2 quotes that I found on the bus that we ride everyday (all the groups that come here sign their names on the inside of the bus.)  “I hope that God breaks my heart so completely that the whole world falls in.” -Mother Teresa and “A smile is understood in every language. One smile can change the world!”.  So remember to ALWAYS have a smile on your face because that quote is so true   Thanks to everyone that’s supporting and praying for us!