My Tale: Sight Seeing

After spending a long week doing the various projects, it was important to take a day to have fun. I was told, a fun day helps you adjust back to normal when you go back home. The first place that we visited was Catarina Lake. It is basically a crater lake, and it is absolutely beautiful. It’s more of a scenic stop, but it is worth it to go out and look at it.

Catarina Lake (Photo by author)

The second stop that we took was in Granada. Granada looks like an older colonial town. It is more of a touristy place, so it is one of the safer towns. Driving through it, you can see all of the beautiful colors of the buildings. The main attraction is the cathedral there. We went up to the bell tower and could see most of Granada. We got a special opportunity to sing in there. The people working there actually took us to the front under the rotunda to sing. There wasn’t very many of us, but under the rotunda, our voices echoed and filled up a lot of space. It actually sounded very beautiful.

The Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral in Granada. (photo by author)

The main thing that we got to do was zip lining through the jungle on a volcano. The place that we went to was very safe and kept to American standards. They spoke English, which was very helpful. It was a lot of fun, especially with the group. There were about eight lines that we went down, and we finished with a 45 foot drop.

Zip lining at the natural reserve at the Mombacho volcano. 9photo by author)

The land in Nicaragua is very beautiful. It is filled with tropical plants and animals. However, it is facing problems involving land rights, water access, deforestation, and pesticide use. Many people use the land to farm on, while many other companies use it for logging and mining. This has caused a majority of the ecological loss.

According to the Foundation for Sustainable Development, “Around 75 percent of Nicaraguan forests have already been transformed into crop and pasture land, and at least 50 percent of that deforestation has occurred since 1950” (Environmental Sustainability Issues in Nicaragua). Loggers and miners are the main reason for this. However, pesticide use is a big problem too. Mainly used by cotton farmers, pesticides have been causing health problems for the last forty years. Laws are trying to be passed that will protect the "Land of Lakes and Volcanoes."

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

-   John 8:12

Place to Stay	Cost/ Night	Amenities	Food Availability	Parking	Distance to Activities	Comments and Recommendation
Best Western Las Mercedes Hotel	$70	2 Pools, Free Wi-Fi, Complementary Breakfast, Tennis courts, A/C, hot water, Cable TV	Complimentary breakfast, open restaurant	Free parking available	Across the street from the Managua International Airport	The grounds are kept well with lots of tropical vegetation
Hotel Ometeptl	$35	Free Wi-Fi, 24- hour desk service, A/C, Cable TV	Open restaurant  with cheap prices	Some parking in court yard and on the street	Short walk from the ferry. Twenty minute drive from Volcano Concepción	Very beautiful and relaxing. There is a guard out front, so it is very safe.
Hotel Dario	$70	Pool, Free Wi-Fi, Complementary Breakfast, Free Gym, A/C	Complimentary Breakfast, Chocolate Cafeteria	Minimal parking	Only 100 meters from the central park and within walking distance of the grand cathedral	The neoclassical style blends in with the beautiful architecture in Granada

Place to Eat	Cost/ Meal	Food Type	Wait Time	Formality Level or Setting	Distance to Activities	Comments and Recommendation
Tip Top	$7	Fast food (chicken)	5 minutes	casual	In town	Tastes like regular American fast food
Pupusa factory	$3	Authentic Nicaraguan	15 minutes	casual	In town	A big and wonderful meal for very little
Ranchito’s	$7	Sit- down family style	30 minutes	Semi-casual	In town	The food is well worth the wait. The Hawaiian pizza is worth the trip

Work Cited

"Environmental Sustainability Issues in Nicaragua." Environmental Sustainability Issues in Nicaragua. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2017. <http://www.fsdinternational.org/country/nicaragua/envissues>.

"Explore Ometepe." Explore Ometepe. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2017. <http://exploreometepe.com/HotelOmetepetl.html>.

"Ometepe Island Map - Google Search." Ometepe Island Map - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2017. <https://www.google.com/search?q=ometepe%2Bisland%2Bmap&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjFyI_K-urSAhXpsFQKHRHvCVAQ_AUIBygA&biw=1829&bih=890&dpr=1.05#spf=1>.

My Tale: Jinotepe

Back on the mainland, we had several projects that we had to complete. We stayed at the old orphanage that our church supported called Los Niños Del Rey. After the current president took over, he shut down places like this and sent the orphans back to any possible family that they had, even if it was a horrible situation. Thankfully, we have been able to find several of them and keep in contact. Several are doing well and are even going to a university, but unfortunately there are a few exceptions who got caught up with gangs.

We got to meet with several of the kids, and we even got to take one family to a pupusa factory. Pupusas are created by using Rice flour to make the dough, and they are usually stuffed with chopped pork, cheese, beans, zucchini, and other vegetables. The Pupusa factory was super cheap. You could feed nine people for $27.

A traditional plate of gallo pint (rice and beans), a cheese pupusa, and a Madura (fried plantain) from the pupusa factory. (photo by author)

The greatest opportunity to make an impact on someone's life happened at a village outside Jinotepe. It was by far the poorest place we visited. The houses are made of cinderblocks and tin. They have dirt floors, and their community bathroom is held p by tarps and rope. Livestock roams around freely, and most of them are underfed. For the village, we got to provide a meal for all of them. There was a grandmother there who had several grandchildren that she had to take care of. We took her to a store to get her the things that she needed. Some of the girls decided to buy a bunch of clothes and toys for for the kids back at the village. The most satisfying moment of the trip was seeing the kid's faces when they realized that we had got the toys for them, and their laughter was pure joy. One of my best memories will be getting to blow bubbles for them. They taught me that the Spanish word for bubbles was "burbujas."



Blowing Burbujas for los ninos (Photo by author)

The saddest project that we were involved in was visiting the children’s’ hospital there. Most of the kids there have cancer or some other illness. I was not prepared for the fact that they do not have the money or resources to properly treat the children. If this hospital was in the U.S. it would be shut down in less than five minutes. It was hot in all of the rooms, and it didn’t seem very comfortable. It is a sad fact that most of the children go there to die. Nonetheless, the parents rarely leave their child’s side.

We brought the kids handmade pillow cases, bags filled with hygiene products and things for entertainment such as crayons and a stuffed animal. For a special item there were capes for the boys and headbands for the girls. Furthermore, we passed out Bibles and storybooks in Spanish for most of the kids. We were able to reach about fifty kids. While we were visiting, we would sing to them in Spanish and pray with them. Sometimes you could look back in their room five minutes after visiting them, and they were still smiling over their things.

We had plans of visiting someone, but they ended up having tuberculosis. Despite this, an opportunity presented itself to us. We got to visit a family of kids who were orphaned. We brought them food and tried to encourage them the best we could. Three of them were trying to go to a university, even though their struggles. It was inspiring to meet them. We got to see a church that was being built there. It had walls that were halfway built and half dirt floors. However, there are about forty active members attending there, despite the conditions. It’s amazing how Nicaraguans can be so happy and joyful in any condition that they find themselves in.

Providing food for the family at Jinotepe (photo by author)

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

My Tale: Ometepe Island

After flying into Managua, the first place that we visited was Ometepe Island, more specifically Moyogalpa. We took an hour long ferry from Revas to the island. The island is made up of two volcanoes, and it seemed cooler and more tropical than the mainland. We stayed at Hotel Ometepetl by the ferry. It was clean, safe, with a guard at the entrance, and the breakfast there was very good. My only complaint, however, is that they did not have any hot water, but most places in Nicaragua do not.

Ometepe is located in Lake Nicaragua and is made up of two volcanoes. It take about an hour to take a ferry from the mainland to the island.

The congregation in Ometepe has grown tremendously in the last few years. Interacting with the people there gave me my first real glimpse of the culture there. Everyone greets one another with either a handshake or a hug. Even the kids were not too shy to introduce themselves. They are proud to show us what they have to us and are very generous with what they have.

One morning we hosted a vacation Bible school at the church. There were about 55-65 kids there. Many of them attend there, but for others the church is an important part of the community and an opportunity to interact with others. With the kids we put on a skit, a puppet show, and did various crafts with them. I did the mouth movements with one of the puppets, and my muscles were hurting by the end of it from the position I had to maintain. However, the kids loved it so the soreness was worth it. All of the kids listened surprisingly well and were really patient. It was obvious that their favorite part was the piñata. They are not afraid to fight for their candy. Some of the ladies spent a couple of hours cooking food for everyone on an open fire stove. Food really does taste better when it is slow cooked, and I admire those ladies for working so hard and long on one meal.

There were about 60 kids that attended the VBS on Ometepe Island

(photo by author)

I am thankful that we got to meet so many people on the island. It’s hard to put in words the things I learned from them just by watching them. I am thankful that we got to bring them support and encouragement for the things they are doing there.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” and I said “Here I am. Send me!”

-Isaiah 6:8

My Tale: Preparation

There was a lot of preparation that took place the group left. There was twelve of us that went, and we all took on a piece of the work. We had to bring at least a dozen carry-on bags that were filled with all of the stuff we brought for our packages. At the airport we had to take stuff out and move it around so that the bags were under fifty pounds. The Bibles were the hardest to pack. Our projects included:

Evangelistic

-        Pass out Salvation bracelets and Bibles in the square

-        Put on a VBS for the kids on the island

-        Preach on the Island and Village

-        Prepare a meal for people at the village

Service

-        Bring clothes to the kids

-        Deliver funding to the congregations

-        Deliver laptop to Ometepe

-        Deliver Bibles to the Bible Institute of Central America

Kindness

-        Make Children’s hospital kindness packages

-        Bring toys to the kids at the village

Mentoring

-        Visit Los Niños del Rey kids and give clothes

The project that I partly took over was the kindness packages for the children’s hospital. I was in charge of having 40 pillow cases made. The hardest part was letting people help. Sometimes it is easier to do it all yourself, but by letting people help, they will feel more involved and supportive for your mission. I held a small workshop with some of the younger girls (age 7-14) at our church. I had to teach them basic sewing and how to make the specific pillow case that was being made. Even though it was a lot of work and I had to have a lot of help from the parents. It was a valuable lesson for them to learn. It got half of the pillowcases knocked out, and they will get to see pictures of their good work. With the pillow cases, there were bags filled with hygiene products and things for entertainment, such as crayons and a stuffed animal. Also, one of the girls made capes for the boys and headbands for the girls. Furthermore, we passed out Bibles and storybooks in Spanish with it.

Tip: A bucket line will help get projects packed up quickly and in an organized manner.

Making a pillow case for care package

These steps are for anyone wanting to make a pillow case for a care package to send somewhere. Anyone with basic sewing skills can make this pillow case. It only takes about thirty minutes to do all of the steps. For the Nicaragua mission, there were forty pillow cases that were made. By making a pillow case, you can make each one different so the kids will have something customized.

There are three pieces to each pillow case. For the body you need ¾ a yard of fabric and the cuff takes 1/3 yard.

Materials

Cotton Fabric (1 ½ yards)

Fabric Scissors

Thread

Pins

Sewing Machine

Iron

Steps

1.      Gather all of your materials.

2.      Mark the dimensions for the body, cuff, and band.

Body: 27” X 41”

Cuff: 11” X 41”

Band: 3” X 41”

3.      Cut out the body, cuff, and band.

4.      Fold the band in half and iron.

5.      Place the cuff on the table with the pattern facing up. Then place the band (folded in half) at the top of the cuff. Then, place the body on top of the band and cuff, with the pattern facing down. Make sure the top of each piece is lined up evenly with one another.

6.      Pin the top edge, placing the pins about 3 inches apart. Be careful to keep the fabric even.

7.      Roll the body until it is about 6 inches from the top.

8.      Fold the cuff over the rolled up the body and band.  Make the edge even with the others.

9.      Replace the pins so that all of the fabric is pinned together.

10.   Sew along the top at ½ inch seam allowance. Take the pins out before you sew over them.

11.   Turn the pillow case right side out.

12.   Fold the pillow case in half, placing wrong sides together. Make the edges even and pin.

13.   Sew along the edges at 5/8 inch seam allowance.

14.   Turn right side out.

15.   Iron the wrinkles out and press the seams open.

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him.    

    - Luke 14: 28-29