Woke at 7am. Many woke up earlier to sounds of some kind of argument on the street, dogs barking, roosters crowing, etc...
After breakfast we made our way to the Verbo School - today is a day off for them in celebration of the 20th Anniversary! I needed to get in to get the school office computer - we were emailed that it was broken before we left. We had to tell them "Do not touch, you are killing it. It will be healed in 3 days if you do not touch it." Must have worked... we have it at the house now. I will be looking at it and trying to get the data off and reinstall Windows 7 as needed.
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| Computer Room - mostly done!!! |
Half the team came with us - I stayed at the school and the rest went to drop something off. They returned and helped me load onto the truck the computers - laptops and school office computer. A quick stop into the computer lab revealed that it is mostly complete. The walls and lighting are in. It needs a final coat of paint and we're ready to go for kids! I was also able to stop in at the carpenter and the tables are well on their way. Table benches are being made and should be ready by Wednesday. Amazing the work they can do in a small shop. It's the person's backyard. Has everything necessary for a full wood working shop.
We returned home for a quick stop. Then off to the school. There we played with the kids and then served lunch. The sun quickly made things hot while playing - rule on the field - DRINK LOTS! Then it was lunch time. All the kids would come to the side of the church - about 150 in total - and wash their hands. Wash basin with soap, then a rinse basin then one towel. You can imagine that it's not the most hygienic, but much better than not washing at all. I'm sure with the right soap and cleanser they use that they are clean (I chose to use some hand sanitizer after the rinse).
The Samaritan's Purse team from the week before had purchased enough plates and cups so that every child could have their own. All the kids sat and waited. Someone prayed and also sang songs with them. Very enthusiastic singing and actions from the kids!
Lunch was served. The kids had put their names on the plates. This made it problematic. We had to collect all the plates and bring them to the serving station. Then when the food came out we had no idea who's plate was who's. We told the kids it did not matter who's plate they got and that afterwards they could swap plates to find theirs. Eventually they got the idea and just ate their food. Very quickly they finished and then went looking for their plates. The big problem was that the plates were not cleaned afterwards! What to do!!! Many kids left with their dirty plate, spoon and cup. They were theirs to take after all - no one could wash them. We really don't know what to do the rest of the week. It would be too much for the volunteers to have to wash all the plates each day before eating and after eating. You could wash them before they leave, but no guarantee they will still be clean the next day. We really don't know what to do. It might be back to disposables to help keep hygiene.
Following lunch was time for more games. Many students left for school; the rest stayed behind for crafts. Throughout the afternoon, other children came from other schools. Izzy and Kat had the chance to do Gimp bands and beads with the kids. Others of us played with the kids. I played football (no, not soccer) with a few kids; this one boy could kick with his bare feet better than most of you (and me!)
From there we left around 1pm for our lunch. Pastor Ed took us on a drive around town. We ended up driving all over town until we came to a little restaurant over the dock at the harbour. Much more native Nicaraguan than Tip Top from the previous day (it's their version of KFC). Nicaraguan cooking seems to take a lot longer than we're used to. It was a good break for Pastor Ed though.
We returned from lunch to Pastor Ed's. I ventured out with Humberto to pick up 1000 ft of network wire. Went downtown - let me say that if you think Chinatown parking is crazy, it's nothing compared to here. We returned and then we all went to a place called Canal. Prepare yourselves....
Canal is a marshy area that has grown up as a shanty town. This is a very, very poor part of town. I cannot imaging people actually living like this, yet they do. It is not an official neighbourhood - rather something that has grown up this way. It's very wet - I suspect that this used to have higher waters and they have receeded. People live in elevated one room shacks above the water. There are thousands of oyster shells. Being in water, there is easy access to oysters - which they shuck and sell. Source of food and income. We went to Rose's house where she had prepared food packs. We carried in 6 packs to give out. Walking in, the government had put in concrete walkways to make access easier. The pictures will speak for themselves. A lot of kids in there. Can you imagine growing your family in such a place? Yet I am reminded that we are all God's children. They deserve the same love, care and dignity as you and me. What is universal in all children is their smile. Even in such poverty, there can be simple happiness. I am reminded that we are made in God's image. There was such happiness in simple things as a little candy, and silly bands. We are reminded in Matthew 25:40 that Jesus calls us to serve the lost and the least. "Whatever you did for one of the least of my people, you did for me." It was odd to have pigs just walking around the way we have dogs walking about. I am certain we all had various feelings as we left that place.
We left and drove around town again. Along the way we saw various children out of school. By 5pm they had left school from the afternoon (typically starting around 12pm) You will see in the photo children using the One Laptop Per Child computers. Even in the Canal area I saw a child with one. You cannot tell from the children at school who lives in the "good parts" and the "poorer parts" of town. This is because they all wear uniforms. Their uniforms all look well kept. One good argument for uniforms - it removes the titles and variances due to socio-economic statuses. From Canal to the regular parts of town, children are learning and using technology. We all know the power that education has. They need education to break out of these cycles of poverty. As we drove we ended up near the airport. You can actually see the runway about 200 yards away. Simple houses, one or two rooms max. Several kids. An armed guard stands by so people and animals do not run onto the runway. The area is fenced off. One house had several children that we went to photograph. The littlest boy started crying! As we talked with them, the little boy said that he was afraid that we had guns and we were going to blow his head off! Oh dear! Pastor Ed went up and showed him the pictures and how it works - then Vern and I went up to show him our cameras and the photographs. He started smiling in the end :)
We then went downtown. Tomorrow is a busy day. One stop will be to the Casa Materna in the afternoon. This is a house where the women who are about to give birth stay. It is next to the hospital (I hear there is a field of sheep in the middle between Casa Materna and the hospital... ask Kat about sheep). Rose asked us to go there and just show these ladies love. We are going to do a spa day for them. So the stop downtown was to buy nail polish, shampoo and other things to make a spa day happen. We hope they will see God's love there. You think that with the birth of children this is a happy time for most - from what I hear it's not a very happy place. It is very quiet and they're not that happy. Some pregnancies are not wanted, maybe teenage pregnancy, or others from abuse. To help us for tomorrow the task for the evening was to practice doing nails. The ladies had a wonderful time practicing on Emran! Don't worry... it's coming off before we leave the house.
While they were doing nails, I was busy working on computers. I had the help of Vern and Jeremy to finish a few tasks on the computers. Needed to install MS Office on about 9 more computers and finish installing the firewall and Adobe reader on the others. They're about 95% ready to go - enough that we will start training tomorrow and the teachers will be able to use them.
Finishing the day on the roof debriefing, thinking of our God moments of the day and praying for the team and others. Please keep our plans for tomorrow in prayer as well as praying for the kids we have met and interacted with. We thank you for your support. We have also been able to support an emergency medical need. Please pray for Humberto and his wife Lizette. About 2 months ago she found a lump in her breast. The doctors here are unable to diagnose it as they do not have the necessary medical equipment in Bluefields. She has hesitated going to Managua - fears as well as leaving behind the feeding program which she started, and for Humberto who does so much around Verbo church. We have been able to fund their flight, hotel and food for 3 days. They leave tomorrow for Managua. We pray that it is benign and not malignant. While she found it 2 months ago, it has grown and is causing pain. Pray for their family and their ministry here in Bluefields. Here is a God moment - just being here and able to fund this. I am amazed that our team of 7 has been able to do so much; really the budget of a team of twice our size and the work to match.
Keep us in prayer - wow... 40% of the trip has passed already.
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