Thursday morning some of us (8 of
the girls and 2 of the guys, as well as Mario) decided to get up at
4:30 to walk down to the lake and watch the sunrise. The view was
definitely worth the effort it took to get out of bed! Mario kept
saying how it was so much more beautiful on days when it is less
cloudy, though personally I don't know if you could improve it.

     One thing God has been putting on
my heart over the past year is younger girls, and it's been exciting
to see how He is using the desire He's given me to minister here in
Nica. Monday and Tuesday afternoons most of the group is teaching
English at a girls' orphanage called Sisters of Charity. We are
leading a class, as well as doing some tutoring. I quickly realized
that teaching isn't one of my strong points, so I was taken to help
two girls, Lilah and Lizet, with their homework.. which soon turned
into just talking. The girls are 16 years old and full of energy. One
hour with them is not long enough, as I realized on Tuesday - close
to the end of our time, Lizet pulled out a book she had been reading
with different questions kids have about life and religion.. I am not
sure the viewpoint the book was written from because my Spanish
doesn't really extend that far yet, but it was interesting to flip
through and see what kind of questions were included. I asked Lizet
what her favorite section was so far in the book and she immediately
turned to the section on sexuality and morals. Oh how I wanted to be
able to take that further, ask her questions, see where she stood on
different issues... but time was up for the day and I could not stay
behind without my team, so I am holding onto my questions for next
week.

      Friday morning was spent with
about 40 kids ranging from ages 2-6. The orphanage also acts as a day
care for the young mothers in the area, and while I've never been a
huge kid-person, it was a blast to just be silly with some of God's
little ones. Toddlers don't mind if you can't speak their language,
as long as you can pick them up, swing them around, tickle them, get
down on their level, and make animal noises! My team stayed there
through lunch and left so the kids could settle down a bit and take a
nap. (Side note to my mom: I get it now.. the nap wasn't for my
energy level, it was for your sanity!) Again, this is an opportunity
I think we'll have every week, and I'm looking forward to playing
with all those kids again. Next time I will remember my camera!

      Time is going by so quickly I can
hardly believe it. We celebrated our one-month "anniversary"
on Wednesday evening with a cake and a song. One month ago, we met
for the first time at training camp. What a difference one month
makes in relationships - this group, which started out as complete
strangers, has now become the only "family" I have in Nica.
We have our disagreements as any family does, but it is so exciting
to see God through each and every person here.

      I pray everyone at home is doing
well, and that God is pouring out His blessings in ways you never
imagined. To my church family at Palmyra Grace, I miss you dearly and
am looking forward to being with you again in December!