Today was our first full day in Somotillo. This morning we saw a little bit of Don’s Marine Corps past as he woke us up by banging on the door and yelling “Wake up, Gringos!” Brent led us all in a devotion of Acts 2:42-47 before we ate a delicious breakfast prepared by Mama Maria.
After breakfast Jackson, Austin and Hunter went to the radio station “Principe de Paz” (which means Prince of Peace) to share their testimonies. They spoke in English while Nidia and Tita (our wonderful translators) translated into Spanish. The rest of the group was back at the home base huddled around the radio listening to our friends tell their story.
Once the three had returned we prepared to go out to the first village of the day, Pascuala. Again, on the way there we threw the donations off of the back of the truck and shouted “Christo te ama!” which means “Jesus loves you!” It is incredible to see the joy on each of their faces as they see our truck approaching. The people here are in such desperate need for basic needs that it is truly humbling to understand how different our lives back home are from their lives here. Yet even though there are many differences between our backgrounds, it is amazing to see how we connect over common ground. The most basic common ground being our intense need for a Savior’s love. But first we meet the people’s physical needs and then from there we are able to transition to sharing the Gospel.
Meeting a physical need is what we did in the morning at Pasquala. We helped patch a family’s home and then paint the outside a vibrant teal blue. This was another humbling experience because the team was able to see inside the family’s home and realize how little they had. These simple contributions to their home made them very happy.
Once the house was completed the team returned to home base for lunch and ate a familiar food of hamburgers! After lunch we ventured out to Villa Esperanza with a doctor. While we were there the doctor was able to see many patients. Emily and Alana helped to distribute some of the medicine to the people. Austin and Carrie helped to prepare the meal for the villagers. The biggest surprise of the afternoon came in the form of a pinata! The children were delighted to see it. Before the fun began, Brent was able to make a wonderful connection between taking down the pinata and taking down idols in our life. With the help of Roger (another one of our wonderful translators), Brent was able to share this with the kids and further present the Gospel to them. Later in the afternoon the boys played soccer with the older village boys. One of the funnier moments happened when a timeout was called due to cows passing through the field. Before they had fully crossed, Derek attempted to score a goal and in the process hit a cow in the head with the soccer ball. Derek would like everyone reading this to know that he did in fact score a goal while doing this. After each soccer game, the boys sit in the shade and cool off. This time is a great opportunity to share with the kids about the Gospel. The kids are always very attentive and seem to want to know more. The girls usually like to connect by painting their nails. This allows for us to be able to connect with them on a one on one level and share Christ with them. Another funny moment happened when one of the little girls asked to paint Michael’s nails. Being the good sport that he is, he agreed. Now he is very stylish with beautiful purple nails.
Upon returning to home base after the afternoon in the village, the team had a little fun competition with a watermelon eating contest. The unexpected winner was Miss Pam! Who knew she had such watermelon eating skills. Hunter represented the Mids well with a close second. At the end of the afternoon the entire group had very red faces, but not due to sunburn but the juicy red watermelon!
The rest of the afternoon and evening consisted of another delicious meal by Mama Maria and relaxing. The team debriefed from the day and shared their “God moment’s.” Tomorrow we will do a 2 hour hike up to Cacau! Please continue to keep the Mids team, Because We Care team and Nicaraguans we will meet in your prayers!
