Nicaragua Day 3

If the school we visited on our second day was the "city school", then the one we visited on our third day was definitely the "country school". The road we traveled on was dirt and full of huge ruts from the rain. We had to stop once to let about 30 cows cross the road. The building where we met had a roof, a stage with a few classrooms attached to the back. While we sat there, we watched 2 men cut grass in a huge field using machetes. The houses that we saw on the way to the school were basically shacks that were barely standing. It was so hot, but it was really hard to complain when you saw how happy those kids were that we were there.

We did the same things as the day before, only I didn't have to teach the sewing class. I was so impressed by the youth group at our church. They were so awesome with the kids. They never complained about the heat and there was no drama, like you would normally expect when you have that many kids together for a long period of time. I really enjoyed this day more than the others because I was able to sit with the kids and watch the puppet show or help them make a craft. I was so frustrated that I didn't try harder to learn Spanish before I went. The kids were trying so hard to talk to me but I had no idea what they were saying! Luckily we had some translators with us, so we were able to communicate a little. Those kids were so awesome. They had no idea how little they had! They just wanted to play and to be loved and to be happy.

We went to a small restaurant for lunch. When I say small I mean really small. You walked in the door and picked out your food in a room about the size of a large closet. On the other side of that room is a covered patio with tables and chairs where you ate your food. The only thing that looked appetizing to me was some rice and beef. Bailey got the last helping of that so I just sat and had a coke while they ate.

We returned to the school that evening and had a movie night for the kids. The movie was a Veggie Tales movie, "Jonah" and it was in Spanish. It was so dark out there. The only lights were the ones under the little patio that we were sitting under and then they turned those off for the movie. I have to admit it was a little creepy. There are things crawling around out there that I don't want to know about! Anyway, after the movie we were able to give the kids things to read to learn more about Jesus.

It was a long day, but so rewarding! When we got back to the guesthouse it occurred to me that the movie was the first time I had seen any kind of television in several days. And I didn't even miss it. It's amazing how clearly you can hear God's voice without all of the distractions we put in our way.