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

Day 32

What an incredible and interesting day!

I did not sleep well last night at all, for some reason. It took me forever to fall asleep and then I woke up at 3am, 4am, 4:30am, 5am, 5:30am, 6am, 6:30am, and finally at 7am I got out of bed and got ready for my day. I don't know why I didn't sleep well but today being full of exciting new adventures made up for the lack of sleep.

We got breakfast at the hostel and then got packed up to head to a place in Ometepe that has a natural spring. We were going to fish this morning but plans changed because we wanted to go to the spring when the sun was high in the sky. The name of this spring is Ojo de Agua, simply in english The Water's Eye. The water was crystal clear and cold even though the sun was blazing hot! It was so beautiful!

Ojo de Agua

It was such a beautiful sight to see and what was even more amazing was a scripture verse that they had right as you entered the springs. It was Psalms 24:1, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." What a beautiful scripture! Also it is very suitable for this place, because it is a natural spring, no man made it, only God. It stands in truth that no matter who makes what the earth is the Lord's! The world and everyone in the world! How awesome to be claimed by the King of kings! 

Psalm 24:1

We were able to swim for awhile and just relax and soak in the sun and the beautiful scenery. After we were ready to leave we were off to lunch and this was around 1:30pm. We went to this place right near the spring and it was on a beach! It was a cute little restaurant with a beautiful view of the beach. We saw so many horses and cattle that would be brought down to the water to drink and cool off! It was pretty neat! The food was also very good! I had a fish filet and it was so delicious! :) Just a great lunch experience all around!

View from the restaurant

Restaurant view of horses

After lunch we headed back to the hostel to rest a little and then we were off again! By now it was around 4pm. We then headed off to go fishing! This was my first time ever fishing in my life, so it was definitely an experience! I had to be taught how to first of all work a fishing pole! It was pretty funny to watch me the first time trying to launch my bate into the water. Not the best first go, but on my third try I had gotten the trick and technic of it. It was so much fun and a great time of learning for me. It is also a very patient activity! We just sat there and waited and waited and waited some more until….. NOTHING! We caught nothing in the boat! So the captain took us to a little tiny island off of the big island and we stood on the beach for a little bit and did the same thing. Launched the bate into the water then waited and waited and waited some more until….NOTHING AGAIN! It was kind of disappointing but definitely worth the learning experience. So no fish for dinner for us tonight, but I learned how to fish and had great company! Also it was really neat to fish until the sun went down. We were able to see the sunset and the sky light up with lighting as we were riding back to the island.

Our fishing boat

Our captain

Fishing!

It was a lot of fun for us and Esmir had a great time as well. He and the captain helped show us how to launch the bait in the water. They were great teachers. Overall our day was a wonderful one! We finished it off with dinner at the place we ate last night that is right next to our hostel. It was a lot of fun and I am so grateful that I could come on this little getaway and experience all the beauty of a different part of Nicaragua! 

One of the volcanoes

The other volcano

You can't see from these pictures but the volcanoes are connected by land that was formed by both volcanoes. It was a pretty amazing view! Also both of these volcanoes are active! Crazy right! :) Nature is so fascinating how things form and how life is created! God is so amazing that He created life but then created it to flourish and grow in its own unique way! 

Well I promised a lot of photos for y'all, I hope that this is enough! :) I am off to bed! We have to be up at 6am to leave and be back to Casa VISEDAL to start work again! :) Thanks for reading! 

Until next time, buenas noches

Day 31

Ometepe! The name of the volcano island is Ometepe!

This morning was a very early morning for Jessie, Esmir, and myself. Brad didn't come with us because his girlfriend is coming to Nicaragua on Tuesday and he wanted to make sure everything was set for when she comes. So we were able to go with Esmir! I am very comfortable with him if not more because he is a native and knows Nicaragua.

We woke up at 6am and had to leave the hostel at 6:45am to meet Esmir to catch the bus. We took a bus to one of the markets in Nicaragua and then we got on a big bus for two hours to come to the port in Nicaragua. Once we arrived at the port we took a two hour Ferry ride to Ometepe island. It is a volcanic island meaning that there are two volcanos that formed the land. It was definitely a long and very crowded and cramped space in the bus and on the Ferry as well. However I enjoyed every bit of it! I want to see what it is like to travel like a Nicaraguan and I love to experience new ways of transportation and in different forms as well. It was long but exciting.

We finally got to the island around 12:30pm and met up with one of Esmir's friends who lives in Ometepe. He took us to get lunch and then we headed to the hostel that we would be staying at. It is very neat because we are right on the beach front and breakfast is included! It is a nice little place and we have nice beds too! I am telling you, being here has made me appreciate the little things in life so much more and for me these things don't feel so little.

We then headed down to the beach and took a hike on a trail in the woods and got to a place where we could see both volcanoes side by side and they were so beautiful! We also saw a great deal of monkeys too! They were so close to us, it was amazing! I am sorry I don't have any photos tonight, I forgot to take my camera! But tomorrow I will make sure to take a picture of everything so y'all can see what I am experiencing here! Nicaragua is so beautiful! There is so much to this little country and it is such an interesting place with such interesting people!

After the hike we went to one of the beaches nearby and were able to swim until it started getting dark. We left before it got too dark because we had to hike out of the woods and wouldn't be able to see if we left too late. The water was so wonderful! Come to find out in that water there are many sharks! So technically I was swimming with sharks! :) But not to worry they are only small sharks not Great Whites or anything like that. But still it was a little nerve racking and Jessie decided to play a prank on me while in the water. Esmir and his friend were talking, in spanish of course, about the sharks and I was listening and Jessie went under the water and grabbed my leg and I freaked out! It was pretty funny but I was scared at first! :) All in good fun though!

After we hiked back to the hostel we are staying in, we got dinner at a restaurant right next to our hostel. The food was delicious of course but I enjoyed the company. I also have been enjoying the constant spanish. I only let Esmir talk to me in spanish and his friend speaks some english but he knows I speak spanish so that is what he speaks to me in, unless I don't understand something he says. It is really great! I can tell that from the first day I was here, my spanish has come a long way! I am so much better now then I ever have been when it comes to understanding and speaking, and definitely so much better than the first day I was here. I now have an ear for how Nicaraguans speak and understand them. I also am learning so many new words, phrases, etc. It is so exciting! Not only do I love to learn in general, but I love to learn about different countries, cultures, and people, as well as always improving my spanish!

Well it is somewhat late and I have to be up early again tomorrow morning because we are going fishing in the morning! I'm excited! It will be my first time fishing! So I think I am off to bed and need to post this before the spotty wifi goes off! Again, apologies for no pictures but I promise there will be some tomorrow! :)

Until next time, buenas noches

Day 30

Today was the first day of seeing my intern project being fully implemented with the kids!

Today I got up a little bit later than I wanted because I was up late last night trying to get my work finished and then I couldn't sleep because there is this club down the street and their music is so loud and obnoxious! Thankfully tonight it was on for about 5 minutes and has now stopped. Hopefully I will be able to sleep well tonight because I have to be up super early in the morning!

I got up this morning and mentally and spiritually prepared myself for the session with the girls. I was ready to leave to head to the office at 7:50am. When I got to the office I looked over my notes again and gave them to Rocío to look over as well. She was going to be there in the session with us and I wanted her to know what I would talk about so she could be prepared to talk also. We worked as a good team, I think! She made two or three corrections to my spanish and that was it. She really liked what I had to say.

This morning we had no kids come. None of the kids were scheduled to come but we called those that didn't show up Monday through Thursday and told them to come today this morning but they didn't. So this morning was spent in preparation for this afternoon for me and just relaxing at the office as well. We then went to lunch at noon and after lunch waited for the girls to come at 1pm. The girls were very late in showing up and unfortunately only three of the eleven but only eight that could come actually came. It was kind of disappointing, I was hoping for a majority. But I knew that everything happens for a reason and trusted that God knew what He was doing. After what happened yesterday I have no right not to trust Him! The three that showed up were Belén, Winny, and Aura. They are all three very sweet young ladies! Also we didn't get started until 3pm waiting to see if others would come. It was a lot of waiting!

While we were waiting to see if other girls would come, Belén taught us girls and Rocío how to make the rubber band bracelets that we had been getting from the kids. Belén made half of one and then let me finish it and keep it. I then made her a bracelet since this was the second one she had given to me. It was really neat to learn how to make them and also just to talk with the girls and have some fun before the session began.

Belén making a bracelet

Today's topic was solely for the older girls. I prepared to discuss 4 major things. The first was the importance of the diaries. Rocío told me that in Nicaraguan culture a diary is not common like it is for us, so I loosened the reins on that and discussed the importance of maybe writing but also talking to a good friend. I gave them 7 loaded questions that they either needed to think about, write about, or talk with a friend about, for each day until next friday and we would come back together to discuss the questions and a few other things related to the questions I had given them.

The beginning of our session

The second topic was drugs. I wanted the girls to be aware of things that could harm their bodies and what it could do to their bodies. I went over the definition of a drug and then provided examples of different types of drugs. I then told them the physical, mental, and emotional harm that each drug could have on their bodies. I told them how God wants us to take care of our bodies, because we were created in His image so I gave scripture in Genesis that told us this. I told them that it is important as children of God to care of ourselves.

The third topic was that of boys, sex, and sexual relations. I discussed with them how boys are great but to be careful of those who want to harm them and want them only for sex. I also talked to them about the consequences of sex with multiple partners and before marriage. I told them about STDs and AIDS and how people can die from these diseases. I also shared with them how pregnancy could happen too. I did mention that being pregnant is a wonderful thing and babies are a gift from God but that if the baby was unwanted and they weren't able to take care of the child then it can be bad because babies are human beings and need to be given the necessities in order to live. I also told them that God created sex to be between a man and a women and the union of that man and women for marriage.

The fourth and final topic of discussion was that of self esteem and modesty. I talked with them about the importance of modesty and that being daughters of God that we need to present ourselves in a way that is modest by wearing clothes that don't reveal too much of their body. Self esteem was our biggest focus today. I was able to talk with the girls about what it means to have self esteem and what it really means to be beautiful. I broke down the societal norms of beauty and told them that God created us all unique and are all individually beautiful and that it is important not to compare ourselves to other girls. I shared the scripture in Psalms 139 that talks about God forming us in our mother's womb. I told the girls that it was important to know that God created you to be who you are and that is beautiful. I told them that we are unique and because we are daughters of God we are beautiful.

It was a really great discussion. For each of the topics I was able to share personal stories with them and I wanted to be transparent with them and let them know that it's not just them who have these thoughts and feelings. By me sharing personal stories, Rocío was then able to talk about how they aren't alone in their situations and that even though I am from a different country I can still feel the way that they do. We are all human, no matter where we come from. The girls then shared some personal stories with me and things got a little emotional for one of the girls and seeing her tear up was difficult. I tried to encourage her as best as possible about God's love for her and that she is beautiful, etc. It went really well today and although there weren't a lot of us I know that God does everything for a reason and maybe it was meant for these girls, I don't know only God knows. I do know that some of them wouldn't have opened up like they did if some of the other girls were there. We then prayed in closing and I was going to have Rocío pray but she told me to and I began to pray and at first couldn't form the words to say in spanish but then it just all came and I was able to pray in spanish. The whole discussion was in spanish and it wasn't translated but I had my notes and the prayer was not written down. It was pretty exciting.

Winny(yellow shirt), Rocío, myself, Belén(black shirt), and Aura(blue dress)

We finished a little after 4pm. We spent an hour talking but it felt more like fifteen minutes! The girls stayed with us until 5pm and then left to head home and we had to pack up and head home too. We got back to the hostel and had to go pick up our clothes that we dropped off to be washed two days ago and then had to pack for our trip this weekend. We are going to go to a volcano island in Nicaragua. I would tell you the name of it but I don't know how to spell it so when I go tomorrow I will make sure to put in tomorrow's post the name with the correct spelling. Anyways, so we are excited about that and have been getting ready. 

We had dinner tonight at the house. I taught Brad how to make my pasta and veggie stir fry and then I also made quesadillas. Dinner was very good tonight! It was then off to our rooms because we have to be up super early tomorrow morning to catch the bus and then take a ferry ride. So we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I just wanted to thank y'all for your prayers for the session and for me in general. I really appreciate it and now my prayer is that God I have planted now send someone to water and He will give the increase. It is now in God's hands! I will continue to talk with the girls and be there for them but I'm trusting in God's plan. 

Well it is getting late and I need to get some rest! Thanks for your prayers and thanks for reading!

Until next time, buenas noches

Day 29

It has been a very long day, but a good one!

This morning I finally did it! I got up at 7am! Well technically 7:01am! Woohoo! But then I just sat in my bed and texted my dad and was on Facebook until 7:15am, so I think I still need to work on this! :) It's going to happen though!

Anyways, after getting ready, we headed over to Casa VISEDAL and to our surprise one of the scholars, Kevin Antonio, was outside waiting for us with Rocío! It was great to see him on time. He was able to meet with Rocío and then after stayed with us until noon practicing english using Rosetta Stone! He was doing so well! His pronunciation was very good and he kept improving and would repeat the level if he didn't do as well as he wanted. When it came to the writing part he had me help him because when trying to spell in english it is very difficult compared to spanish. You see, in spanish each letter of the alphabet has one sound and that sound doesn't ever change in words, however in english the sound of letters change depending on where they are placed in a word and what other letters are around it. So I was able to help him and he greatly appreciated it. It was really neat to see him excited about learning and wanting to do better! :)

Kevin Antonio learning english

We also had Davíd come today and was able to meet with Rocío and enjoyed coloring and watching Kevin Antonio learn english and when he would hear Kevin say a word he would repeat it. It was really cute. We also had Everth come today and he talked with Rocío for a lithe bit of time. It was great to see Everth, we weren't sure if he would come because he works and finds it very important to work. So we were happy to see him. The morning was a successful morning. 

Brad and Davíd on Brad's bike

We headed off to lunch a little after noon. Well we usually lock all of the computers and book bags inside the office so people can't see them and try to break into the garage area that we use. Well I decided to leave my notebook, that I was writing in planning my session for Friday, on one of the tables near the fence and not in the office. We were at lunch for no more than 5 minutes and it started to pour down rain. The rain here comes hard but passes quickly. It was crazy how hard this rain was coming down. Immediately I thought about my notebook. The last time it rained that hard the entire garage area was soaked. So I was afraid that my notebook would be ruined and that all of my notes for Friday would be destroyed. Brad told me to have faith and ask God for mercy. 

You see just earlier that morning Brad had gotten pulled over by a cop on his motorcycle for going the wrong way in a one way. The police officer took his license and said he would have to pay a fine. Well he left to get money for the fine and the police officer was gone with his license. But a lady who works near where he was pulled over told him she had the officers number and called her and was able to get his license back for him as well as convince the officer not to fine him. So Brad was so thankful for God's favor in that situation! 

So Brad told me to have faith. Well, not going to lie, I was nervous! So on our way back to Casa after the rain calmed down, I prayed, God please let me find favor and give me mercy for my notebook. Well we opened the gate and let me tell you I looked on the table where my notebook was and I kid you not, there was rain water on the table but not a drop of water had hit my notebook! I am telling y'all I almost cried! I couldn't believe my eyes! God is so good! I would've lost all of my notes for Friday's session and I thank God that He didn't allow that to happen! Rocío looked at me and said "like the fleece of Gideon". I laughed to myself. Judges 6:36-40 is where this story is in the Bible. You see the Israelites were being punished for their sins and had been delivered into the hands of the Midianites. Gideon was raised up as a warrior for God and His people. After seven years of captivity of the Israelites, God told Gideon that He would use Gideon to save the Israelites out of the hands of the Midianites. Gideon doubted God and used a fleece to ask God to prove himself. The first time, Gideon said God if you will do as you have said and I am to save the people of Israel then put dew only on the fleece and let the ground be wet. The next morning it was so. Gideon, one more time asked God to prove what He had said to him by asking Him to now put dew on the ground but let the fleece be dry. So the next morning the fleece was completely dry and the ground was wet. 

After reading this story in detail, I was just so in awe of God and still am! I believe that God took me right to the second step of Gideon's test, so I wouldn't have to question anymore whether or not He has sent me here for a purpose and a reason to reach these kids. I am at peace now about tomorrow's session. Thank you God for your mercy and signs and wonders and let me just tell you God is still working! :) 

The rest of the day was really good! We had three more scholars come, Isaac Israel, Nadiuska, and Brad Dylan. They were all able to meet with Rocío. Isaac Israel was able to learn some english and I was able to teach Nadiuska how to use a computer. The little kids here don't know how to use computers and even some of the older kids and adults don't either. Technology here in Nicaragua is a luxury for the wealthy and not a necessity for almost everyone like in the states. But it was really neat to show her how to use it and how to write her name too. They were great and also enjoyed coloring with Jessie. 

Isaac Israel learning english and Nadiuska using her newly taught computer skills

Brad Dylan playing with Brad's motorcycle helmet

It was a great day full of great times with the scholars and wonders performed by God! :) I would call it a very successful day! At 5pm we left Casa and headed back to the hostel. I came from work to get right back into more work. I had to finish my notes for tomorrow's afternoon session. I will discuss it tomorrow morning with Rocío and make sure she knows what I will be discussing and can add onto what I'm saying as well as reinforce it. I am so happy to have her that is for sure! She is really great and such a sweet lady. 

We went to dinner at McDonalds tonight and then after dinner I was able to finally complete all of my notes and update my time sheet that I have to fill out everyday for VISEDAL. Today was definitely my busiest day just in preparation and non-stop work. I am going to enjoy my sleep tonight and then it's up again for another early morning. 

Well I'm off to bed! Thanks for reading!

Until next time, buenas noches

Day 28

A day of games, english, and new friends!

Today again I didn't get out of bed until 7:15am! I really need to work on this! Well I was able to get some cereal for breakfast, which was nice. It was then time to walk over to the office which is only about a 5 minute walk from the hostel we are staying at which is very convenient. We got everything set up and then came the waiting again. This job takes a lot of patience, because being on time isn't something these kids are very aware of all the time and you have to be very flexible, because things don't always work out the way you plan for them to. This is a good lesson that I have had to learn and also I am working on my ability to be patient, sometimes I feel like I have it down but other times not so much. But it's good that I am working on it now especially even when I think about my walk with God, at times He requires a waiting period. So not only learning to be patient with people but also with God and His timing.

So we had 3 out of the 4 kids for this morning show up which was good! We are excited that the majority of the kids have been coming! Hoping eventually for all of them but we are taking it one step at a time. It was a lot of fun this morning because Jessie and I were able to teach one of the scholars, Kevin Davíd, how to play the card game 'Uno'. Jessie had to re-teach me at first because I haven't played in forever! It is really sad that card games and board games aren't as common with this generation with all of this technology, well not here in Nicaragua, but in the states! It was great how Kevin was excited to play card games and was willing to put away the laptop and the Mario game he was playing on it to play a card game. That would almost never happen in the states with this generation of kids, if anything it would be the other way around. So it was just nice to go back to the simple things in life. He was great! It took us forever to end the game though! The longest game of 'Uno' I have ever played in my life! But it was fun and Kevin Davíd had fun and that's all that matters.

The morning went well with the scholars that came. I was able to share more with Yahoska what I wanted her and the other girls to do with their journals and letting them know they need to come on Friday at 1pm for our 'Girl Talk' session. Pray for me, I am very nervous about it and am praying that I am able to say what needs to be said and that the girls will receive it well. Also that I don't get too nervous that I freeze and my mind blanks on spanish. I also pray that God will just have His way during the session. So yes your prayers will be greatly appreciated!

Two of the scholars stayed with us until lunch time and then they headed home and we headed to lunch. Lunch again at the usual spot and same thing I had yesterday for lunch. I am definitely going to miss the food here when I go home but I am going to be happy to have some food I have been craving, such as, popcorn. :) I might start going to the international food stores to pick up items that I can get down here in Nicaragua and making food etc. I will first have to find one of those stores. :)

After lunch, we headed back to Casa VISEDAL. Oh and I have some very exciting news! So when we got back to Casa, we were able to make a new friend! I don't know if ya'll remember who Larry is, you know the lizard Jessie and I had in our room! Yes him! Well we met his twin brother at Casa! Everyone I would like for you all to meet Lenard!

Lenard, Larry's twin brother!

Our afternoon was a lot more waiting and we only had one out of the three come this afternoon. I say, at least we had one! We had Winny come. She is a sweetheart! She definitely is unique and likes for people to know that and that she isn't like the other scholars and doesn't like doing what the others do. She is great. So she stayed with us for over 3 hours of the afternoon. She met with Rocío and then we have Rosetta Stone for english on one of the computers, so she was able to use that for awhile. Later she was able to use the computer to get on Facebook and I was able to talk with her and just hang out with her and it was so nice. I was also able to share with her about the girl session on friday as well. In-spite of the nerves, I am excited to see the girls on friday!

Winny enjoying the VISEDAL computer

At 5pm we packed up and said goodbye to Winny and Rocío and headed back to the hostel. Today, I would say, was a successful day. We had fun, made a new friend, and enjoyed time with the scholars. I am telling you if you ever get the chance to intern or even go on a volunteer trip with VISEDAL, do it! It is such a great experience and this organization is great and the kids are so amazing! Well if you want to find out more about the organization you can go to their website at www.visedal.org, or to see more pictures go to www.facebook.com/visedal or www.instagram.com/visedal, and lastly they have a blog that I have been able to write for and it's www.visedal.blogspot.com. But yea, feel free to check it out! 

Well we had dinner at the house tonight, quesadillas and eggs with cheese and green peppers and onions! DELICIOUS! :) It was really neat because Brad and I sat down at the table, Jessie went to eat in the room, and we talked just about God and how great He is and he told me about his girlfriend and talked to me about waiting on the Lord, and it was just really nice to talk about how good God is! We also talked about some of the men in the Bible who had done wrong but were still blessed by God, such as David, called by God as a 'man after God's own heart', yet he was an adulterer, murderer, etc,  and it's so great to know how no matter what we do and when we fall on our faces, God is always right there to pick us back up and dust us off. I want the scholars to know that God will always be there and will pick them up when they fall and mess up. It's amazing what an incredibly loving God we serve! When talking with Brad, I just got so much more excited about God and I mean I have been but I just wanted to run around the place singing praises…I didn't but I most certainly could have! :) So I was able to have a small worship time with God on my own in my room while Jessie was in the shower. It was great! I love praising God! :)

Well I am off to bed! We have another early morning tomorrow! :) Thanks for reading!

Until next time, buenas noches

Day 27

Another great day!

It is so great to have an office space! We had more scholars come today and every time each kid comes they always are so excited to see us and spend time with us.

This morning was another day of waking up at 7am but not getting out of bed until 7:15am. I really need to change that so I have more time in the mornings for myself. Anyways, this morning was a pretty slow morning. We only had one of our scholars come in the morning, Miguel Ángel. So I was able to work on my spanish and just reminding myself of grammar rules by writing them down in my notebook. I was also able to talk with Miguel Ángel and it was neat hearing about his likes and what he enjoys doing and he has also been learning english and really loves speaking english. I was also able to help him with his english which was a lot of fun and really neat. During this, Brad and Rocío had time to go over the contract more after Rocío had her session with Miguel Ángel.

Brad and Rocío going over more of the contract

Lunch was at the usual spot again and I got the same thing, bistec de res con arroz y frijoles con una Fresca, but this time I also got tojadas fritas because I was really hungry since I only had a granola bar for breakfast. So in english, for lunch I had beef strips with rice and beans a Fresca which is like a lemon lime soda, but better than sprite or 7-up. I also was able to get fried plantain chips. It was very delicious as always and it was my first time having the fried plantain chips at this place so it made lunch somewhat more exciting.

After lunch things picked up immediately. We had four of the young kids come, Isaac, Josué, Génesis Valesca, and Angely, and we also had one of the older girls come, Joseling. The four little ones had a fun time playing and running around as well has coloring. They are all so adorable and Jessie kept them busy with the crafts and also running around with them. They were also able to meet with Rocío throughout the afternoon as well.

The kids and Jessie drawing and coloring

Isaac and Josué teaching Rocío how to play with a spinning top

Watching the kids play and have fun was really neat. My afternoon was spent with Joseling! It was great! I love her so much and she is such a sweetheart and I can definitely see us being good friends. She had homework to do today so she was able to use VISEDAL's computer and complete her homework. She had another assignment that was for her english class and she had me help her with it. She had to write a paragraph with verbs in the past tense. She said what she wanted to say in spanish and I helped translate it to english. It was definitely helpful for me to translate like that but it was also just fun being with her and helping her as well. We were able to complete the assignment and after that it was time for us to have fun and just be girls. So we got onto Facebook and I was able to show her and Rocío pictures of my family and they did the same. Joseling also showed me this app on Facebook where you can decorate pictures and she decorated my profile photo for me and it looks really cute! It was fun just hanging out with her and laughing and having fun together. I was also able to explain to her about the journals and told her about all of us girls meeting on friday. 

Joseling working on homework

Overall it was a great day! We had six out of the seven who signed up for today come! So it was really exciting to see almost all of the kids who said they would be there come. It just makes me more excited for tomorrow! 

After work we headed home to drop our book bags off and then headed to metrocentro to go get some dinner. I had pizza tonight this time and it was very delicious! After dinner I treated myself to a Mcflurry from McDonalds. It was a nice treat! We came back to the house a little after 6pm although it felt like 10pm. I showered and got ready for bed. I definitely am going to call it an early night! Working 8am to 5pm is very exhausting but it's so worth it being able to see the kids every day! :)

Well until next time, buenas noches