A Look Back: Journaling Day 5 in Bluefields

Looks like we have hit Day 5 in my journal. Like today, it was Friday, and we had the prospect of travel coming up. Our trip was drawing to a close, and you could feel it in our interactions with the kids. It was almost a feeling of desperation, trying to hold on to our last few precious moments. We're doing better today in our diet; we made a hummus-like sauce from the chickpeas yesterday and they went incredibly well with rice. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers this week!

Thursday, August 8th: Day 5 was a tough one. Not because of fatigue or frayed tempers, but because it was our last day with the kids. Saying goodbye was hard to do, knowing that we might never see them again.

We started the day by going to the quarry. We gave out bags of rice, beans, and other food, 10 in all, to families working the quarry. For $10, we fed a family for a week. The youngest children were heartbreaking because their parents kept them out of school to have them work/make money. 

After the quarry, we headed to Verbo church. They were preparing for a wedding, so they were weaving palm fronds and decorating. We all avoided the sanctuary and went straight to the kitchen. We basically just played a ton with the kids, fed them, and played more. A staff member led a prayer for us with the kids, and it was touching to see Logan talk to the kids afterwards on our group's behalf. Saying goodbye was hard, we all took many photos, gave hugs, and generally tried to part on good terms. We made sure not to say "I'll be back in a year" or other promises that, while well intentioned, could cause heartbreak. I'm struck again by how they were such sweet children that need love and care. 

Afterwards, we went to a pool with some of the older kids that helped with the church clean up and were recently baptized. We played games of chicken and raced in the water, and we played card games out of the water. After wrapping up the pool time, our girls somehow convinced Gizzy to stay with us and skip class. 

We had dinner at the house, and did a short walking tour of the town. Many gringos walking errwhere! Definitely stuck out like a sore thumb. We all bought some fresh bread at a stand and enjoyed seeing some of the other parts of the city. Also, Katelyn took a spill through a sewer cover. Nothing serious, just some scratches on her leg and wounded pride. The photo on the right is just after the "incident".

At porch time, discussion was short. Logan referenced the Bible passage when men lowered their friend (the paralytic) through the roof to Jesus and drew parallels to how we wanted to do some small sacrifice in order to help those that were going through large sacrifices. We then all discussed the prospect of going a week in September where we will only eat rice and beans as a fundraiser. 

Hindsight View: This was our last day, and I think we went out with a bang. We spent time with the kids, we got a chance to hang out with a few older kids that had recently been baptized, we visited the quarry for a little longer to hand out food, and we even took in a few more of the sights. 

I recall at the time that I was very proud of the group for our morale. Even though it was a shorter trip, I have seen trips that long get tired and cranky, causing internal strife. Our team did a great job of staying positive, laughing at ourselves with others, and generally not giving in to nerves or fatigue. I certainly give the credit to God, our team leaders, and the kids. 

Fear not, this is not my last entry. I still have a couple of days of travel to cover (although I might condense them to just one, we will see). Thank you for sharing the week this far with us, please come read again tomorrow!