Day 39- Finally home!

It has been a very long day!

This morning I woke up at 6:30am. I got a shower which was absolutely freezing but I enjoyed my last cold shower in Nicaragua! I got ready and finished packing everything up. I then had to finish some work for VISEDAL before I left such as writing for their blog. I was able to get everything done that needed to be completed and then sat outside of my room soaking up the morning sun waiting for Esmir and the taxi.

Esmir came with the taxi at around 9:30am to bring me to the airport. I said my goodbyes to Brad and Jessie and was off to the airport to head home. I sat in the taxi just thinking about how blessed I am to have been able to go to Nicaragua and be able to come home to see my family. I thought about all of the good times I had in Nicaragua and thought about every scholar and how I will miss them and how amazing each of them are.

We got to the airport and I said my goodbye to Esmir and thanked him for everything and he walked me in and brought me right to the bag check-in. He has been great, all of the VISEDAL staff has been so great and supportive! I was able to check in my bag and thankfully it was only 44lbs! Not overweight thank goodness! :)

Getting through security in Nicaragua was not a problem. They did stop me to check my book bag because my chargers were setting something off, but not a problem. The one guy who checked my bag asked me how old I was. When I told him I was 19 years old he was so surprised and told me how young I am. I thought about that and yes I am very young and to think that at my age I have been given the opportunity to travel and work like I am is such a blessing and I truly feel honored!

The flight from Managua to Houston left at 12pm and was almost a 3 hour flight but went smoothly. I was able to sleep for the majority of the flight and then read my book, the one in spanish, for the rest of the flight. I landed in Houston at 4pm and I was happy to be back in the States. It was then time to go through customs!

I was very nervous about going through customs because I remember times when I was younger where my family got pulled to the side and had to wait and then had all of our bags and checked bags fully inspected. I prayed that I would go through with no problem. Thankfully God answered my prayer and I went through customs with absolutely no problem and didn't get stopped at all! I was in my home country! It was weird to see english everywhere and not spanish but I was happy to be in familiar territory.

I got through customs in a little over 30 minutes and had an hour and a half of waiting before my next flight to BWI. So I grabbed a sandwich and a banana! I was able to text my friends and family too without having to use wifi! It is crazy the things you miss when you don't have it all the time even if it is something so small. I was also very cold in the airport because of the AC! I missed the heat and the feeling of being hot. It's crazy to think that I miss cold showers and no AC! I never thought that would happen! :)

I got onto my final flight which took a little less than 3 hours and slept the majority of the way and read some more the rest of the way. On the flight there was a church group and when taking off they all raised their hands as if they were on a roller coaster! It was pretty funny and they were a fun group!

The roller coaster plane!

I finally landed in Baltimore, Maryland at 11:20pm. It felt good to be in my home town. I headed towards the baggage claim and right when I passed the security point I was greeted by my mom, dad, and brother with a beautiful arrangement of flowers! It was the sweetest thing! I received big hugs and screaming "Hi Mekaila, Mekaila is home!". It was great! I missed my folks so much and was happy to see them! I finally got home and my mom made me her yummy nachos and am now sitting on my folks bed watching tv and just relaxing.

I just want to share with you all what my intern project was while in Nicaragua. My intern project, thanks to the help of a volunteer Yvy, was about giving the older girls ages 12 and up the encouragement they needed to accomplish their goals as well as helping them understand the importance of making good decisions in their lives. I gave each girl a journal to keep for whatever they wanted it for, but wanted them to also write in it like a diary. I also expressed the importance of not bottling up your feelings, dreams, and goals, but rather sharing them, whether it be on paper or with a friend. Then each friday we had a "Girl Talk" session to show them that they aren't alone in how they feel about certain things in life and also to help give direction. I let the girls know that I would be there for them and that I feel and think like they do. Encouragement, love, and instruction is what I wanted to give these girls. If the girls learned nothing else, I pray that they learned how much I care about and love them, as well as God's love for them. 

It has been such an amazing journey these 5 weeks that I have been here! This most certainly won't be the last time I am here that's for sure! Once you come you can't just come once! It has been a wonderful learning experience for me and I treasure every day that I had here. The VISEDAL staff is incredible and the kids are terrific! I am so blessed and honored to have served as an intern in Nicaragua and worked with this staff and group of kids!

I am happy to be home but I will not forget the kids in Nicaragua nor will I forget the impact that Nicaragua and the kids had on me! I feel truly blessed and thank all of you for supporting me, reading my blogs, and helping me while in Nicaragua!

Well I am exhausted! I am off to bed in my own bed! :) That's all folks! :) Mekaila signing out! 

Until next time, buenas noches

Day 38

What a nice and relaxing last full day in Nicaragua!

This morning Jessie and I got up around 9am and got dressed for our day. I got to talk to my folks a little this morning and congratulate my brother on becoming an orange belt today! I am so very proud of my little brother! He is such a great, intelligent, talented, and anointed young man. He is my best friend and at times my worst enemy but I love him all the more because of that. He knows which buttons to push and knows what words to say when I am feeling down. My brother is a true blessing from God! I am so proud of him and can't wait to see where God will take him! :)

So we got ready for our day and then went to meet Esmir at the bus stop at 10am. He was taking us to the market! This time we shopped on the tourist side because I wanted to get a few little things for my folks, which I always try to do whenever I travel. My family means a lot to me and I know gifts and material things don't truly show love but at least it shows them that I think about them. No matter what I do I don't think I will ever like bartering! I am really bad with how much things should cost so I'm either way too low or settling too high. I don't know, I think I will just stick to buying non-negotiably priced items for now and study how to barter. Anyone own a copy of "Bartering for Dummies" that I could borrow? :)

We were at the market until 12pm and decided to have lunch there. We ventured over to the non-tourist side of the market and ate lunch at one of the many food places. The food was very delicious. After we finished eating, we headed back to the bus stop to catch a bus home.

Once Jessie and I arrived back at the hostel, we just relaxed. It was such a beautiful day today! It was almost like Nicaragua was saying goodbye with a sweet gesture of gorgeous weather this afternoon. I packed all of my stuff up and got it ready for the morning. I then watched a movie on netflix and just relaxed, laying in my bed with the door open.

Yesterday, Rocío had asked if she could come over tonight because she had something to give me. She said she would be here around 8pm. Esmir had asked if Jessie and I wanted to have dinner out for my last night. I invited Rocío to come as well and we would leave for dinner at 8pm when she came to the hostel.

At around 6:30 close to 7pm the power on the entire block went out! It was insane! Poor Jessie was showering when it happened. I was working on work for VISEDAL that has to be done before I leave and wasn't able to finish it because the power shut out, so I have to finish it in the morning. It was out for almost an hour. It finally came back on just 5 minutes before Rocío arrived at the hostel.

When Rocío came she brought me a beautiful journal with Nicaragua written on it as well as a beautiful leather wallet. In the journal she wrote a very sweet little message. It was so sweet and thoughtful of her to do that for me. I was so touched and thanked her so much! She is such a nice and funny woman. I have really enjoyed getting to know her! We said that we would continue to be friends and would continue to talk on Facebook.

Shortly after she arrived, we all took a taxi to meet Esmir at the restaurant. We went to a place called "Asados, El Patio", which in english is "The Patio Grill". It was Esmir, Rocío, Jessie, and myself at dinner tonight. Brad and Bethany were going to join us but they then decided to call it an early night. We had fun though, the four of us. I had beef with rice and french fries. The food was absolutely incredible!!! The meat was so tender and the french fries were perfectly crisp. This was almost like Nicaragua's way of making up for the power outage. :)

After dinner it was back to the hostel and now here I am sharing with y'all my day. Today has been a nice day! It has also been exciting and saddening. I am excited to see my family in friends, but I have this feeling like I shouldn't be leaving because my work here isn't finished! I am sad to leave my friends behind but if God willing I will be able to come back. I have a lot of different emotions in my head about leaving tomorrow. Esmir and the taxi are going to pick me up at 9:10ish right in front of the hostel to bring me to the airport. I look forward to seeing all of my friends and family!

Well I am off to bed! I have to be up early to finish some work and then get to the airport! The next time you read my blog it will be from the United States of America!

Untile next time, buenas noches

Day 37

It was an emotional day at the office today.

I woke up this morning at 7:30am and got dressed. I headed downstairs and prepared my lesson for the 'Girl Talk' session today. I worked for 2 hours and then we headed into the office at 10am. We cleaned the office as usual and then set up for the day. Shortly after Rocío and Esmir showed up. I then started preparing some more for the session. It takes so much preparation and time in prayer etc to lead a a session for young people. The preparation is necessary to know what you are going to say and the prayer is for there to be a move of God and for Him to be the center of it.

This morning Rocío had asked for the moms to come in so she could meet with them. A lot of kids hadn't been showing up to Casa VISEDAL and they had signed a contract when brought into this program saying they would do things like coming into the facility on their scheduled date. So Rocío was just trying remind them of it. Hopefully this helps and more of the kids start to come and we want them to enjoy it too and eventually do it because they want to and not because they have to.

Some of the younger kids came with the moms and it was good to see them. It was also sad knowing that that was the last time I would see them this year. Many relationships have formed here and it's hard to just leave them. But I will at least come back for the 4 day volunteer trips to see the kids next summer.

We went to lunch and Rocío had me decide where I wanted to go since it was my last day. I thought that was really sweet. I chose to eat at our usual spot right around the corner from our hostel. I don't know why but I just love eating there! The food is great, you get a lot of it, and it is very inexpensive! So it was my last lunch with them and I kept thinking where the time had gone. I knew that this would happen. It would just rush by and no matter how much you try to slow the clock down you can't. That is why it is so important to live every day to the fullest and don't waist your time because it will be gone before you know it.

The session was at 1pm again and the girls came around 2pm. We again only had three girls. This time it was Belén, Winny, and Joseling. I was ok with our group though. These three girls are the girls that I have had the most time with and have formed good relationships with them. So I was happy to see them before I left.

Today's session was discussing the questions I had given them last friday. There were questions about their talents, interests, dreams, definition of success, their plan for their education, their goals, what love is, and what God's love is for them. I wanted to focus on goal making and understanding the importance of having goals in your life and using your talents and interests to achieve those goals. I also wanted to share with them how great God's love is for all of us. I gave many scriptures about His love. I gave scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Jeremiah 33:3, John 3:16, Psalms 40:1-3, and many others. I wanted them to know that no matter what happens in life God will always love them. I also wanted them to know that we are to live our lives according to God's word and that God gives us gifts and talents to use for His kingdom. I had each of the girls share three goals for their lives and how they plan to achieve it. It was really great that the girls were very open with me about all of the questions asked and were willing to answer. I learned that Belén wants to become a doctor and Joseling wants to become a reporter. It was so neat and I really enjoyed just getting to know more about them.

Leading the 'Girl Talk' Session

After I had finished my session and was done with what I had to say, I gave Rocío the floor as I always do. She had each of the girls and herself say a few words to me since I am leaving on Sunday. The girls said some sweet things to me and Belén while talking to me and telling me how much they will miss me she started to cry which of course made me cry and we were all getting emotional. Their words were so kind and I will treasure them in my heart! I love these girls and we are all friends on Facebook now, Rocío, Joseling, Belén, Winny, and myself. So we are going to keep in touch and continue to build the relationships I have with them. You see when you have a job that involves people it never ends. My dad sent me this quote a few days ago and I want to share it with you all. It says, "Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time." You see working with these kids is what I am here to do it is why God has allowed me to live these 19 years of my life, for this time, and I know He has more in store for me, but my point is that my service to these kids will never stop. I was sent here for a reason and not just for my spare time. I was put on this earth to serve others and that is what I plan to do and will be there for these girls and always support them. 

Rocío, Winny, Belén, myself, Joseling, and Jessie

After the session I said goodbye to the girls and hugged them so tight as if I was never going to let them go. I told them this wasn't goodbye forever just see you later for now. We were able to leave the office an hour early since everyone had left. We left at 4pm and I got to come home and took a 30 minute nap. I then got showered and dressed for our VISEDAL dinner tonight.

You see Dylan wanted to have a dinner to thank everyone who was involved with helping VISEDAL becoming recognized in Nicaragua just to say thank you. It was a really nice dinner and we had a great time being with each other and enjoying each others company. Rocío and Esmir came too and I enjoyed just laughing and talking with them. I have become friends with them and will miss them very much. We are all going to keep in touch though and I will enjoy continuing to grow our friendship. 

After the dinner, Esmir took Jessie and myself for a night out to hang out before I left. Esmir told me it was a treat for me because of all of my dedication. I thanked him tremendously but honestly I pray that my impact here was a lot bigger than I feel it was. Yes I came here to work with these kids but like the quote said it is what I have been put on this earth to do, to serve. So of course I am going to do it and I don't need to be recognized or celebrated every time I do, but I appreciated the recognition and his kind words. 

We had fun tonight and got back to the hostel and Jessie and I just got settled in. We are ready to go to bed! I am exhausted after a long day full of emotions and fun. It is hard to think that I no longer will be working at that office but I pray that I am given the opportunity to come back. We shall see. 

Well I am off to bed! We have to be up in the morning to head to the market! 

Until next time, buenas noches

Day 36

It was a slow day today at the office.

This morning I had to make sure I was up and ready to go at 7:50am to make sure I was at the office before 8am. Brad had given me the keys and I didn't want Rocío to be waiting outside. Brad didn't come in today because his girlfriend is here for ten days and he wants to hang out with her. So it is just Jessie, Esmir, Rocío, and myself. Esmir has been taking care of Jessie and I and making sure we are getting around fine and bringing us where we need to go. He is really great when it comes to looking out for us.

So I met Rocío at the office and unlocked the door and got everything set up for the day. Jessie and I had been given a task from Dylan yesterday. You see VISEDAL is hosting a virtual 5K to raise money for the scholars. The thing with a virtual 5K is that you register online for $30 or so and then on the scheduled day you can either run 5km, eat 5 cookies, read 5 chapters of a book, do 5 pushups, and so on, you get the idea. Anyways, and then you post a photo of you doing it and post it on social media with their hashtag. I believe it is in October. I am definitely doing it! You also get a shirt sent to you and some other things too for registering! It's really neat! So Dylan had asked us to make videos to help get the word out instead of having just a text for people to read. He asked for three 15 second videos. The first one we filmed for yesterday and today because I wanted to help with at least one video before I leave. It has been really neat to see my idea for the video coming to life. Dylan really liked my idea that I gave so we have been going for it! It has been fun that's for sure! :) I can't wait to share it on my Facebook page for everyone to see and then hopefully to register for it! :) This has definitely been a fun part of my day!

We had one scholar, Kevin Antonio, come this morning and he met with Rocío and then sat down to leaner some english. He is a really bright kid and has so much potential! I pray that he is able to see this and will apply it in his daily life. He stayed with us until noon. He then left when we headed to lunch.

We had lunch on Managua's university campus again. The food is so delicious there. Oh and by the way I had another pupusa for breakfast this morning! I am telling you I need to learn how to make the dishes down here so I can make them back at home! So delicious! :)

After lunch we headed back to Casa and waited and waited and did some more waiting. No kids came this afternoon. It was really disappointing. To be honest I was upset and hurt, I started to think of how much energy and effort I put into coming here and preparing lessons for them and then they don't show up! But I know that the greatest love a person can give is love after being disappointed by the one they love. I claim to love these kids and I questioned myself if even after this sad day if I still loved them and there was no doubt or hesitation! I love these kids! I understand that life happens and things get in the way and so I can't stop loving them. Besides, how could I ever say that I would stop loving someone after they disappointed me when so much of my life I myself have disappointed loved ones and most importantly God. I am not perfect but God's love is and if He can love me in-spite of the disappointment and hurt I cause him, more often than I should, then who am I to stop loving someone because they have disappointed me! My daily prayer is that God give me your heart, so I can love like you love, give me your eyes, so I can see what you see, give me you ears, so I can hear what you here, give me your hands, so I can touch like you touch, and give me your feet, so I can walk like you walk. I love these kids and will love them no matter what!

So we just hung around in the afternoon. Esmir, Rocío, and myself watched movies that Esmir had brought, on one of the laptops. We watched two of them and of course both in spanish! :) It was really fun to hang out with my co-workers and just talk and laugh and enjoy each other's company. I was also able to Skype my mom and sister at work and was able to say hi to a few of my mom's co-workers which it was really great to see them. I also had fun chatting with my mom and sister and just laughing and being girls! It was fun and I miss the old times where my mom, sister, and myself would hang out and do girl things just the three of us and talk about girl things! Well we are grown up and have our own lives but I still want that to happen again and so it shall! :) I love my family!

We left the office to head back to the hostel and Jessie and I had to film one more thing for our video. So we went across the street to the fields and did what we needed to do…no I'm not going to tell you what we did! That would spoil the surprise of what happens in the video! :) So anyways while at the fields there was this statue that had writing on it in spanish about the love of God and the creation of man etc. It was really neat and so beautiful to look at. Every time I think of the goodness of God and His love I am just in awe of Him and get so excited! Also thinking about the power of God to create life so intricately too is just so incredible! :)

The front side of the statue and myself

It is just so great to think about how amazing God is! You know ever since I was born I have been in the church and have known of God and when I was eleven or twelve I began to want to get to know who God really is for myself. My walk with God hasn't been perfect trust me! I have fallen more times than I can even count! But the point isn't that I have fallen so many times it's that I never stayed down I always got back up even though sometimes it wasn't right away. Before coming on this trip, to be honest, my relationship with God wasn't where it should've been. I had hit a rough patch in my walk with God. Since I have been here, my relationship with God has gone back to my first love. I feel as though I am falling in love with God all over again! It is such an amazing feeling! I just want to be in His presence all the time and never want to leave. I think God needed to uproot me out of my comfort zone and out of my regular habits of life to show me how much I need Him and need to rely on Him especially when I have others relying on me. I don't know I just thank God for bringing me back to my first love with Him. You see when you love someone for awhile things can turn into habits and then your actions aren't really out of love but out of a habitual need to fulfill. Sometimes you need to be taken out of your habitual actions so you can love again instead of fulfilling that habitual need. I am just so in love with God, He has touched my heart immensely these past few weeks, especially when the enemy has been attacking left and right with different situations. Throughout this trip I have been brought to my knees crying out to God. I feel that it is those hours, the hours when you are at your lowest or things are coming against you when God begins to bring you to a different level in Him. In order to shoot an arrow it must be drawn back before it can fly forward. Just some food for thought and wanted to be transparent tonight.

Before we headed back to the hostel, a man with his two kids stopped us because his little daughter wanted to know where we were from. She was learning about Orlando, Florida in school and thought maybe we could be from there. I talked with the family for a little bit telling them where I was from and why I am here. It was really neat because I was able to have a conversation with the family in spanish and did fine! I can't tell you how exciting it is to be improving every day! I love languages so much, especially spanish! :) 

I showered and then made myself dinner, my pasta and vegetables stir fry. It was delicious of course! :) I watched a movie and just relaxed and am getting myself organized and semi-packing to head home on sunday. It's crazy how fast the time went by and to think tomorrow is my last work day with the kids makes me sad but it has been a good trip and I have had a great time with the kids and everyone here. :) 

Well I am off to bed, I need to wake up early tomorrow to finish preparing for my last "Girl Talk" session tomorrow! :) 

Until next time, buenas noches

Day 35

What a great day!

Sorry about yesterday's blog post y'all! It was my shortest post for two reasons, the first is yesterday was a very slow day and also I fell asleep while waiting for the photo to upload and woke up at 12:30am to quickly finish it so I could go to bed. So sorry about that!

Anyways! This morning I woke up and headed to the office at the usual time to be there for 8am. As each day gets closer and closer to me leaving I am trying to slow the days down just a little bit so I have some more time with the kids. I am excited to see my folks and friends but I'm sad to leave my new found friends behind. I wish I could just put them all in my suitcase and bring them with me! Well that just means I will have to come back and visit. :)

This morning Yahoska was there on time and met with Rocío and then had to leave to head to work. We then had Kevin Davíd and Génesis Valesca come and hung out with us for a little while. It was fun we have seen Génesis Valesca every day this week! We love it though! We want Casa VISEDAL to be a place where the kids can come and hang out, do homework, etc. A safe place for them.

Génesis Valesca and her mom

The rest of the morning was a relaxed morning. We all just hung out at the office and talked. It was Esmir, Rocío, Jessie, Brad, Brad's girlfriend, and myself. We also had more pupusas again today! I am in love with them! I wish I would've known about them so much sooner! :) It was fun to hang out and eat pupusas and I enjoyed going from english conversations to spanish. You see Jessie and Brads girlfriend don't speak spanish so we had to translate a great deal. But I always enjoy talking with Rocío and Esmir! I am going to miss them but I will definitely keep in touch with them to keep using my spanish all the time but also because we have become friends throughout my time here.

The mosquitos today in the office were awful and Brad's girlfriend, whose name is Bethany by the way, was getting eaten up really bad. They were going to buy bugs spray but I had two bottles, one I had brought and one that was given to me by one of the volunteers. So we decided to head back to the hostel quickly to grab one for Bethany. I had to go with them because it was in my suitcase. Bethany wanted to come too because well you know to be with Brad, duh. So we decided instead of walking to take Brad's motorcycle! I was nervous because there were three of us, but that is how they do it down here. I have seen a family of four fit on one bike. But I wasn't too worried because the hostel was only two blocks from Casa VISEDAL. So it was Brad driving, Bethany behind him, and me in the back. It was an interesting experience. I would never do it driving on a busy street or further than the two blocks of back roads to our hostel. It was a little nerve racking though.

Brad, Bethany, and myself on the bike

Lunch was at the usual spot again. I found out today that here in Nicaragua it is very rude to have your feet up on a chair and knees above the table while eating. Bethany was sitting like that at lunch and the guy who is the owner came over and told her to put her feet down. It was very interesting, I never knew that was an insult here. It is so important to learn the cultural norms if you plan to travel, because you never want to be in a place where you are insulting someone unintentionally. But anyways, lunch was good as usual. 

When we got back to the office we sat around for a little and then had Belén, Jostyn, Génesis Elizabeth, Sonia, Sonia's son, Carlos, and Winny come to the office. Sonia only stayed for a little bit and then left. Belén and I talked a lot more today and each day we see each other we talk more and more. It's really great and she is such a sweetheart! Winny stayed for awhile and I was able to chat with her. She was also excited to see Bethany so I served as the translator for her and Bethany's conversation. After awhile of translating, Winny and I just kept the conversation going and having fun talking to each other. We then took a "photo shoot". We took a lot of photos together, Jessie, Bethany, Winny, and myself. There are so many so check on Facebook sometime on Saturday for the photos! 

Winny and myself

Later on I played with Jostyn and Génesis Elizabeth for awhile and I served as their horse or 'caballito' as they called me. :) It was fun but exhausting. I carried them on my back and ran around the facility with them on my back. They were constantly changing who went on my back. It was fun and they both are such sweethearts! Génesis Elizabeth looked at all my bracelets on my arm, the ones the kids gave me and told me she was sad that she didn't have any. I decided to give her this bright orange one that I had made because I didn't want to give one of the ones from the other kids so I let her have the one I made. She was so excited and so happy and showed her mom and everyone. It was precious. I don't want these kids to forget me, not just by giving them gifts, but also by the love and attention I give them. I want them to know that no matter where I am I am here for them and will always love and care for them. I hope to come back even if just for the volunteer trip. They are my kids too now and I care about them so much. I want the very best for them and want to see them succeed in life and will do what I can to help make sure that happens.

So today was a fun day with the kids and I keep telling the girls to come back on Friday at 1pm for another session. They are also all now being alerted that Sunday is my last day here in Nicaragua. A lot are sad and don't want me to go and asking when I am coming back. I tell them maybe next summer to come visit and they perk up knowing that I want to see them again and that I am not just leaving them for good. I have a lot to think about when I go home about what I want to do with my life and if this is something I would do as a profession or working in governmental offices overseas. I am not sure, I just loved having the relationships with the people of Nicaragua and would love to have relationships with other people from other countries as well. It's so hard. I want to do so much but I am only one person. That is why my prayer is that God puts me where I am needed and where He can use me. If I am being used by God then that is all I ask and I will be so excited no matter where it is. 

We came back to the hostel and I did my usual netflix watching, showering, making dinner-tonight I made quesadillas, writing for y'all, and then getting ready for bed. Well I am off to bed! I need rest so I can take in all I can tomorrow! Three days left…..

Until next time, buenas noches

Day 34

A day full of tasks that needed to get done!

Today I woke up and got ready for the day and was ready at the office at 8am. Last night I had put together a list of things that I needed to get done today. The list contained things such as fill out time sheet for VISEDAL, update photos on Facebook, email employment application, etc. A lot of busy work, but stuff that had to get done today. I was able to accomplish all of it except one thing. We didn't have very many kids come today. This morning José came because he would be unable to come tomorrow. So we were able to talk with him for a little while and then he played some Christian music in spanish and we sang praises to God together. It was a lot of fun and really great!

This morning Rocío had bought herself and I what is called 'pupusas' for breakfast this morning. It is a Salvadorian dish that is something like a corn tortilla and is filled with cheese and then you put cabbage and chile on top. It was absolutely delicious! We are planning on getting more tomorrow! :) For lunch we went to the Managua's university campus for the second time. We went to the same place that we did before. It was so good! Afterwards we went to this little shop and there we got Chocobananos which is a chocolate covered banana and I got nuts with mine. It was absolutely delicious!

In the afternoon we had a few of the younger kids come like Génesis Valesca, Isaac, Angely, and Josué. We also had Joseling come as well. The little kids always have a great time playing and coloring. Joseling and I have a great time just chatting and decorating photos on Facebook. It's always a good time with her.

Isaac and Josué enjoying the computer

Today was a slow day but hopefully it will pick up tomorrow. For dinner I just made eggs and tortillas with cheese. I apologize for a short explanation from me, I actually had fallen asleep, that is why this post is later than usual. You see the photo I was trying to upload was taking forever and I had fallen asleep while waiting for it! Sorry about that! I am exhausted! I am off to bed and will definitely have more to say tomorrow about a few things that happened today!

Until next time, buenas noches

Day 33

A very long day!

This morning we woke up at 6am and had to leave at 6:30am. We left the hostel and had to walk a good 10 minutes to the Ferry, but we walked along the beach so it was really peaceful and nice. Then we road the Ferry for a little over an hour, we got to sit on the very top deck and look at the beautiful view and soak in the sun which was so great! Once we left Ometepe and got back onto the mainland of Nicaragua we took a 2 hour bus ride to Managua. Then, once in Managua, we had to take another bus to get to our bus stop right by the office and hostel we are staying at. It was definitely a long morning!

We finally arrived at the office at 12:30pm. It was good to see Rocío and Brad! Jessie and I headed to go get lunch after dropping off our bags at the hostel, because we hadn't eaten all morning. Lunch right around the corner was good as usual and then it was back to the office to get to work!

I found out through Rocío that this morning none of the kids showed up which was disappointing but we are hoping after a little while things will start to pick up as the kids get used to the schedule and the idea that we have a space for them.

I was able to get onto my computer and phone to get on our wifi and let my parents know I was alive. The wifi at the place we were staying at in Ometepe was awful! I couldn't connect on my phone and my laptop would only connect some of the time. It's a good thing I have this blog because I think it was the only way my parents knew that I was doing alright.

A few of the kids arrived shortly after I got settled into the office. It was Belén, Génesis Elizabeth, and Jostyn from Tipitapa. It was good to see them again! Although I had a great time this weekend it was nice to be back in familiar territory with the kids, they are the reason that I am here! So although this may sound selfish and bad, I was somewhat pleased that none of the kids came this morning when I wasn't here. You see I have less then a week left and I am trying to get as much time with the kids as possible before I leave. Jessie and Esmir originally wanted to come back late tonight but I said no because I am here for the kids and am here to work, I can have fun on the weekends but once Monday comes I am here for the kids! We would've come back Sunday night but there was a huge celebration in Managua to continue on the Santo Domingo holiday that I went to on August 1st. They celebrate every 1st and 10th of August. So there was a lot of traffic coming into Managua all day yesterday, so we stayed away from that. But I really do hope the kids start to get accustomed to coming to the office and enjoy it as well, even after I am gone.

So it was really fun to have these three with us and I can definitely tell a difference in my spanish even after the weekend, because I only spoke spanish the entire time except for when writing my blog and I didn't talk much with Jessie so I barely used my english at all. But anyways, today I was talking a lot more with the kids and Rocío and understood after they first said something, it was great. Belén asked me when I leave and she was so sad when I told her I leave on Sunday. She asked if I would come back, I told her hopefully I will be back and that I definitely want to next summer, maybe not as an intern but for the 5 day volunteer trip I don't know we shall see.

I am definitely going to pray about it and wherever God wants me, I pray that He opens the doors that need to be open and closes those that need to be closed. I won't let my desires get in the way of His will, I have seen so many people who say that what they are doing is of God but in reality it was what they wanted and made up signs for themselves to say that God was speaking to them, when it was really their flesh. That is why it is so important to be in the Word and prayer everyday. You see that is what gives you the ability to discern the voices of the enemy and flesh versus that of God. So many times we ask for discernment from God when God is saying if you would just pray, fast, and read The Word and listen you would know my voice and that of discernment. God speaks and we have to be able to hear it and to do that we have to remove all of the other voices of the world, our flesh, and the enemy. How do I do that Mekaila? I'm glad you asked! You see it is for that very reason that in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says "Pray without ceasing". This verse doesn't mean that you can never leave your room or the church, but to always be in prayer and constantly having God in your heart and on your mind. Prayer also isn't just you talking to God but it is a lot of listening too. Prayer is a form of communication, isn't it so annoying when you try to talk to someone and they talk non-stop and all you can do is listen and maybe once in awhile throw in a few words. Can you imagine how God feels with us sometimes. I know with me alone I probably talk His ears off! But if we could sit back and just listen He will speak, just have to give Him the chance. That's why He commands us to pray without ceasing, not to always talk talk talk 24/7, but also to listen and let God speak for Himself. That is how you are able to remove all other voices and solely hear God's, when you are always connected to God it will be difficult to be fooled by the voices of the world, your flesh, and the enemy. Sorry I got a little carried away just some food for thought. What I wanted to say is God and I will be talking. :)

Today was a lot of fun with talking with Belén just about simple things like friends, school, favorite singers, etc. Later I was able to help her with the Rosetta Stone english program. I helped her with pronunciation, words, and figuring out how to work the program. She had enough english after a little bit and let Génesis Elizabeth use it because she had been begging to try. Génesis Elizabeth is 7 but will be 8 in December. I had to teach her how to use the computer first and then I taught her how to use the program. I sat next to her as she began and helped her with words and pronunciation and it was so cute that every time she passed a level she got so excited. You could see the interest on her face.

Génesis Elizabeth learning how to work a computer and learning english

We then had Génesis Valesca come with her mom simply because she missed us. It was so sweet to see her, and her mom told us that she insisted on coming here to see us. I love that! The fact that the kids want to come even if it's just to be with us, because I certainly want them to come to be with us. It was precious and definitely made our days.

We wrapped things up at 5pm and headed back to the hostel. I am not going to lie, I was happy that the day was coming to an end. It has just been a tiring day is all. We got at the house and then headed to the grocery store, one so I could get more Oreos but also for more produce and food to cook with in the kitchen. We got back and I made myself quesadillas for dinner. They were very good and I watched a movie on my laptop while eating dinner. The night has slowly come to an end and I am exhausted and ready for bed. Right now it is down pouring which will be great to fall asleep to! So I am off to bed for another day tomorrow! Trying to enjoy my last 6 days here in Nicaragua! And so let the countdown begin…

Until next time, buenas noches