Day 7 & 8

Well, it’s been a hard weeks worth of diggin’ trenches, but now it is time to let the gringos out on the town! Friday’s devotion was led by Kelsey, and it focused on compassion. She shared from Philippians 2:1-11 and reminded us that our attitudes are to be the same as Christ. Then it was off to Masaya for a little souvenir shopping.

Brian and Kay haggling at the Masaya market

The market we went to was not too full of tourists so it wasn’t crowded, and we got to take a good look at all the odds and ends. On top of the list were some great handmade bowls that Kevin had raved about from a previous trip.

Kelsey and Jason – enjoying bbq corn on the cob
and mangos at the Masaya market

If there is one thing that they have lots of here it is mangos!! Jason gets a bag of fresh cut ones, but Kelsey prefers some corn-on-the-old-fashion cobb.

pizza for lunch in Granada

Our next stop was to Granada, the city by the enormous Lake Nicaragua. We were fortunate to eat at a fabulous pizza place that puts American pizza to shame! We had to order four whole pizzas (we did pretty well considering there were 6 guys and 5 gals…!)

kevin, kelsey, lisa and jason shopping in Granada

After checking off our lists of gifts to purchase, we hitched a ride on this lovely boat to our very own island paradise. The smart ones sat on the right hand side of the boat while the rest of us on the left got a little wet.

heading to the island

The driver of the boat warned Thomas that if he continued to sing he would have to swim the rest of the way.

Amanda translating as Thomas teaches
about the history of Nicaragua

We swam, played a little pool and foosball and some of us even order fish for dinner that was caught right off the island. Did I mention that when you ask for fish here they bring the scales and head too!! After dinner we were given a history lesson by our own personal Nicaraguan authority, Thomas. Lucky for us Amanda was there to translate.

starting our ‘debrief’ Friday night

At the end of the night we all sat around the room and everyone shared a story of appreciation about each person on the team. It is always enlightening to see how others see the gifts and good things about us that we don’t always see ourselves.

Saturday breakfast on the island

Saturday morning we woke up to realize we weren’t dreaming and we really were on a tropical island. Devotions were led by our team host Amanda. She talked about presenting our requests to God and how he is faithful to take care of us.

Kelsey and Lisa kayaking on lake nicaragua

After debriefing for our return trip we had a little free time to enjoy the island. A few of us decided to get a little wet and work our tired muscles out more after digging ditches by paddling around the lake in kayaks. Thomas and Amanda got a lesson in swimming after Kevin tipped over their kayak. Kevin didn’t stay dry for long as he soon joined them in the water….yikes…look out for the fresh water sharks!! Kay and Brian tried out the paddle boats and found out it wasn’t much drier.

Stacey and Jason kayaking

Finally we had to get back on the boat to the mainland, but we had to wait until the sudden thunder and showers passed by. Then it was back to our host family’s house after a brief stop at a local supermarket to pick up some extra goodies. Kathy cooked us a dinner that is usually served for a quincinera, when a girl turns 15. Tonight we played a little card game called “Shang”, or as Thomas says “Chang”, and then we packed up and got some shut eye before our early flight out Sunday morning.

Goodnight from the team. Early tomorrow
we begin our travels home