As we awoke this morning we were anxious to get to work. We all knew this would be our last day of manual labor and every one in the group was ready to finally finish the work on the house. For the fourth day in a row, we clothed ourselves in outfits suitable for mixing concrete. The Nica Crew walked down the beaten path to the work site with the knowledge that this would be the last session of mixing and building. At about 9 A.M., we began the lengthy process of mixing concrete. Within one hour, we had mixed a full batch which was enough to fill out the porch in front of the house. As the final bucket of concrete was poured into the last hole, we all rejoiced. The hard work was completed. We had finally crossed the finish line. The only thing left in regards to the house is finishing the roof. However, that is a task for the workers at the site. Our part was finished but our day still had more adventures in store. After we worked, we all took quick showers and headed to see a very special sight. We got to return to the house that we had built last year. The members of last years group were all touched dearly to see our hard work still standing tall. We enjoyed a nice meal later on in the day at the McDonald's in Managua (which was quite different from the ones we were used to in the States). Once we had consumed our meal, a bus took us to a girl's rescue home where the ladies of the Nica Crew were dropped off to play with the girls (below). The men of the Nica Crew plus our two sporty girls Sam and Rebecca picked up boys from another rescue home, called Casa Robles, and took them to play soccer at a nearby park. The kids were truly adorable. Each and every little boy captured our hearts. We played with them as if they were our little brothers. After some intense soccer and baseball games with the little boys, we bought sodas and ice cream for all of them. They were so grateful and happy that they had smiles from ear to ear. It was an awesome feeling to make these little boys happy. Most of them have been rescued from some horrendous situations. The fact that we could make them feel special is a rewarding experience. It was hard to say goodbye to those little boys but we sadly had to part our ways. We dropped them off and headed back to the ranch. We're ending our day by relaxing in hammocks and dosing off. With the hard work finished, our crew has high morale. We are excited to see what the rest of the trip holds. God is shaking up all of our spirits daily and the group continues to grow closer. Thank you for all the prayers.
~Michael Alexander Martinez
While the boys ran around in the dirt, the girls were busy painting their nails and dancing with the little ladies from Casa Havilah. Many of the girls in our group shared special connections with specific girls from Havilah and exchanged many hugs, kisses, and even a love note here or there. We truly loved the opportunity to see them this afternoon in their home, and spread some love by spending time with them. Like the boys from Robles many of these girls come from really rough homes and here they find comfort and security with other girls who come from the same situation. When the time came to say goodbye many were reluctant to let go and have to part, however the hope of seeing them again another time lingers in our hearts.
~Sabrina Gadala-Maria
No comments:
Post a Comment