Today was packed full of so many fun and exciting
opportunities to serve Jesus, and the team did an awesome job of taking
advantage of each chance God put in front of them. Once again the group split
into two separate teams to serve at both Verbo Leon and Las Chacaras. The Verbo
Leon team returned to complete their painting and cleaning projects in the
morning, braving the sun to serve in such tangible ways. After filling
countless garbage bags and finishing some trim work on the painting project,
the Verbo team headed back to the church to serve lunch to the children at the
feeding center. It’s been a joy to see so many meaningful relationships grow in
such a short period of time. After finishing their own lunches, the Verbo group
started the second day of VBS, teaching the children about the importance of
prayer and how God really wants to connect with them. As part of the craft to
help the kids remember the lesson, your sons and daughters got down on the
ground to help the Nicaraguan children trace their hands onto construction
paper. What a sight to see . . . our team literally getting on the kids’ level
to serve them and teach them about God’s love! A smaller section of this group
also continued the discipleship training they started yesterday, helping these
young Nicaraguan leaders grow in both their skills and their own faith.
Meanwhile, the team at Las Chacaras began their morning by
continuing the Health and Hygiene training at the local school, instructing the
children on the importance of washing their hands. The team had even written an
original song to help the kids remember the lesson. It was heart-warming to
think that the things the kids are learning can really have an impact on their
health and future. After the training session, the Las Chacaras team helped
serve a nutritious meal to the children at the feeding center before eating
their own lunches together. Afternoon activities at Las Chacaras consisted of
soccer, tag, and other fun games with the kids. Jump rope was also a big hit.
Just like the Verbo group, the team at Las Chacaras has also developed many
significant connections with the children in the community, overcoming the
communication barriers through the international languages of service and love.
Once the afternoon activities were finished, the Chacaras team picked up the
Verbo team to get a little rest before the evening event.
After heading back to the hotel for a brief rest and dinner,
the entire team returned to Verbo Leon to pick up a group of kids from the
church and take them to enjoy a fun night of devotion and competition. The
packed bus found its way to a local sports center, which our group had rented
out to host the kids. The team and the children all sang a worship song together
and then listened to the youth group leader from Verbo Leon give a brief
devotional thought about God’s love in our lives. After the lesson was
finished, the soccer competition began. The first game was between the younger
Nicaraguan kids and the ladies on the Chapel team. Despite a valiant effort on
our girls’ behalf, the home team had the advantage and came away with the win.
Next, it was the guys’ turn to take on the older Nicaraguan boys. A packed
grandstand cheered them on as the epic battle raged. But once again, home field
advantage proved to be too much to overcome, and the guys fell to the
Nicaraguan powerhouse. Who needs to watch the World Cup when you have
incredible opportunities like this to have fun AND serve Jesus in the process!
The night was a huge success, and the joy on the bus ride home was tangible and
made the team feel truly alive.
Once back to Verbo Leon, the team gave many goodbye hugs as
they dropped off the children. After returning to the housing site, everyone
gathered around for tonight’s Porch Time. Lex shared a message about “The
Secret of the Poor,” encouraging us to live a life of compassion instead of
competition. We finished the evening with what we like to call “sweet fellowship,”
enjoying each other’s company as we finished winding down for the day.
Tomorrow (Saturday) will be our final day in Leon. Please
pray that God would continue to give us energy to serve faithfully, that we
would be filled with joy, and that our travels to Somoto tomorrow afternoon
would be safe. Buenos noches!
