Saturday & Sunday (1/15)
Saturday was an exciting day for Lisa & Wendy! They boarded a
plane in DC and flew to Managua via Miami! They had a great flight down and were greeted at the airport by Halle, Amanda,
Sami & Anthony! It was a nice surprise to see Amanda and the kids. With just Lisa & Wendy at El Salero
things were a bit different. The buzz of anxious team members was missing! On Sunday we went to church at ICF
and enjoyed watching Halle share his enthusiasm for the Lord with those of us who were there. We later made turkey rice
soup and went shopping for the groceries that were for the week. Shopping was a very interesting experience! We
enjoyed seeing all of the fresh produce and shopping for the best prices on everything that we needed! After loading
up the wheelbarrows, all of the groceries were taken to the Ranchon. We enjoyed some of the soup we created earlier and watched
the second Narnia Movie! The bed felt good that night because we finally went to bed around 1:00.
Monday
Lisa & Wendy found that there were still 15 curtains to be made for the entire library and computer room.
As is customary at El Salero....a beautiful bright blue fabric was waiting for them! But, first the men's dorm
need to be prepared for the rest of the team's arrival. Sami & Hazel lent Lisa & Wendy a hand and helped make
beds, hang curtains and wiped down the rest of the beds. A trip to the airport was necessary at about 12:30 to pick
up the remaining team members. They had a nice flight down from Baltimore. It was great to be together as a team.
A restful afternoon was enjoyed ..in anticipation of a hard working day to follow. One of the main projects is to lay
a new walkway/patio that will connect the library, computer room and ranchon. The natural stone is very attractive.
It is tones of light brown and beige. Luis will be brought in to help with the laying of the stone. A great dinner
of fried chicken, creamed potatoes and corn was made by Farmina & Adriana. We all took time for some devotions and
looked at our fears and anxieties that we may have been experiencing prior to arriving here in Nicaragua. Songs were
sung and Sami showed us how to "Sign" Jesus Loves Me. Tomorrow will be a hard working day so much sleep is
required!
Tuesday-Saturday
I apologize for
the delay in getting this information out here! With a team of just 6 people this year, we are very busy all day long!
The stone continues to be put down on the patio job and the backpacks & notebook bags are being packed at lightning speed!
It is so amazing to see the patio take shape before your eyes! Luis & Mary are busy selecting and setting stones
while Halle & Kevin take care of the cement mixing and delivering! On Saturday, the final stone was put into the
patio! Now the top will need to be grouted and wiped off! This will pose for a very busy week 2 also!
The final backpack was packed on Saturday morning also! I believe that the total school bags packed were around
760. I will get the final number from Amanda! So far we have only delivered 50 backpacks. We made our way to the
small church in the middle of a neighborhood that we have been to many times before. You can see some pictures on the
2011 photos link on the first page of this website. When we go to this church we always know that the children will
be extremely excited and appreciative of their backpacks. The parents are also very appreciative. Many of them
often Thanks us with a big hug and a prayer. This small church is a very special gift to all of us on the team.
During this week we have been able to rekindle some of the friendships that
we have forged with the people who work and play at El Salero! We have also met many new people during our visit.
Many of you reading this will remember Amalia, Fermina, Adriana, Miriam, Carlos, Fernando, Hiro, Luis, Josenia, Rosemary,
etc! They are all here and are such great assets to the ministry at El Salero. The Library has been painted inside
and is currently empty. There is much need for desks, furniture and books for this area.
A highlight of the week was chatting with Bob and Bonnie Johnson
via Skype one night! We all miss them very much but understand that sometimes you need to tend to business at home first.
Bob and Bonnie you are here with us in spirit!
