After landing at the Managua airport yesterday (Tuesday),
the team headed straight to the Casa Bernabe Orphanage to begin our week of
service. We jumped right in with the older children at the orphanage by having
dinner together to help them work on their English skills. What began as shy
conversations soon turned into high-volume games and shared laughter. After
dinner, we said goodbye to the kids, had some brief announcements, and then
headed to bed to get some rest for the week ahead.
The team awoke this morning (Wednesday) to a Nicaraguan
sunrise and breakfast provided for us at the Casa Bernabe Orphanage. After breakfast, we went to the ORPHANetwork
headquarters in Managua where we toured the facility and dropped off the
donations that the team brought down. Being able to actually deliver the
donations to the staff who will be distributing them to the community was a
rewarding experience. After leaving
ONET, we traveled to Leon where we arrived at the Local Church Initiative that
the Chapel sponsors through the Verbo Leon Church. The team met with Philippe, Verbo Leon’s
Youth Pastor, and Pastor Chepe, the man in charge of both feeding centers/churches
that we will be serving at this week.
Our students helped serve lunch to about 100 kids at the feeding center
and were able to spend some together during the meal getting to know each other. After lunch, we began our first VBS lesson
with the kids at the church, where we played organized games, taught a Bible
lesson about obedience based on Jonah and the “Whale,” and then lead a craft
time where the kids were able to make whales of their own to serve as a
reminder of the lesson. We then said our “see-you-laters” to the kids before
heading out to our housing site in Leon.
We all gathered for another delicious meal followed by worship and porch
time. Alexis spoke to the team about “How not to be a Pharisee”. This was a
great opportunity for the team to hear some practical and spiritual guidance to
frame the rest of our trip. Lex encouraged the team not to let anything come
before serving and loving the people that God has put in front of them. After a day of serving in Nicaragua for the
first time, it was great for the team to be able to begin processing all the
ways that they have seen and will continue to see God working in this country
and in the lives of each other.
Tomorrow (Thursday) part of the team will head back to Verbo
Leon, while the other half of the team will get to work with the church in
Posoltega. Please pray for us to serve with open hearts and to prioritize the
people that God places in front of us. We are grateful for all your support and
prayers.
