Hello friends and family in the States!
Praise God for this blessed day in Nicaragua! We've enjoyed good health, the best of company, and many moments of knowing that God is in this place.
The Senior Team spent their first full day in Nica serving children and families from La Chureca (the Managua Dump) and then working with the children at Casa Bernabe. They departed Casa this morning to volunteer at Colegio Esperanza, a christian school that has been planted in La Chureca, by playing with the kids as they took their recess breaks. They enjoyed a meal prepared by a local Managuan woman and a site a little ways outside of La Chureca. After our team lunch, the seniors had the opportunity to serve at two different feeding centers within the dump compound. Their afternoon was spent helping teach English classes at Casa Bernabe alongside their teacher, Regan. They are currently leading four different bible studies with the kids at Casa before they head to porch time at the Rancho with the Juniors.
Our Junior Team had quite a fun day today with children from Verbo Sur. Verbo Sur is a new church plant that ORPHANetwork is working with through a feeding center program. Our juniors had the opportunity to serve at this new feeding center and then teach a VBS lesson for the children after lunch. The greater part of their afternoon/evening was spent taking the children from Verbo Sur to the local zoo in Managua and sharing in fellowship with them. They returned for dinner at Casa Bernabe with the seniors and are preparing for our first porch time before we all head to bed.
Team Sophomore was blessed to work in Nueva Vida, an impoverished community just outside of Managua, for the day today. After their ONet orientation this morning they loaded up in buses and headed to Nueva Vida to serve lunch at several of their feeding center sites. After a team lunch at Nueva Vida they taught VBS lessons at the feeding centers before taking the kids to do swim lessons at a local pool in Managua. For many of these children, swim lessons are a valuable life skill that they would not otherwise be taught without mission teams. They returned to their housing site at Quinta Arien for dinner and a porch time tonight before bed.
We appreciate your continued support as we are away from home. Thank you for the prayers and love that you are sending, because we promise that we can feel them. We ask that you continue to pray for the health of our team, for these students' hearts to be open to this encounter with Christ in Nica, and for all the precious Nicaraguans that we are blessed to be sharing life with this week. Praise God for his blessings as we continue to serve here in Nica!
Tomorrow will be spent completing work projects, serving at feeding centers, and teaching various classes here in Nica. Sweet dreams to you all and we'll talk to y'all tomorrow!
Love in Christ,
SM Staff Team
