Forever in our Hearts (Saying Farewell to Managua)

As we awoke today, all of us were filled with bittersweet emotions. It would be our last day in Managua. We ate our breakfast and headed to the house we had built. This morning we dedicated the house and officially gave it to the family. We carried the furniture into the house and placed the two beds and various rocking chairs inside. When the family saw the finished product, their smiles warmed every single member of the Nica Crew's hearts. Mr. Buzbee led us in a prayer and we all put our hands on the family. A lot of hard work and dedication had paid off. All of us kept smiling during the whole dedication because this house was something that we had built. By no means was it easy but it was worth it. After the dedication, we enjoyed some lunch at Pizza Hut. It felt good to eat at a place that reminded us of home so much. Once we had consumed our food, we headed to the dump to deliver shoes and school supplies. While driving up to the dump, we were all taken aback by the improvement. What had once been a trash filled area was now cleaned up. Hundreds of houses had been erected and the families who used to live in trash were now in safe abodes. It was truly incredible to see the remarkable improvements from last year. We pulled up to the school and started to unload bags stuffed with school supplies and shoes. Also, we were able to purchase eight tables for the school. After sorting all the shoes by size, we started calling kids into a room so that we could give them brand new shoes. With each new kid, the response was the same, they were all extremely grateful for their new gifts. The kids left the room with smiles that brightened our day considerably. As I took off old shoes and placed new ones on their feet, my heart broke a little. The condition most of their feet were in was horrendous. Their feet were absolutely filthy and most of them had cuts. It felt satisfying to put sturdy new shoes on their feet. While some of us were giving out shoes, Danny and Manny began to pass out shirts to the kids. Though the shirts were a tad big, the kids absolutely adored them. Right outside the facilities, Alex Machado and Becca played with the kids in the playground. All the kids were heartbroken when Alex and Becca had to leave them. They were all grateful for the time that the two girls had invested in them.  Tonight, we are taking out the family we built the house for this year as well as the family we built the house for last year to dinner. I expect a great dinner experience with the Nica Crew and the two families we have helped this year and last year. It is truly the utmost feeling of gratification to see hard work pay off.

This last week has left every single member of the Nica Crew different. All of us have grown spiritually and learned many valuable lessons. From appreciating what we have to learning how to dig deep for courage and strength. From making a little kid's day to changing a family's life. From witnessing extreme poverty to witnessing corrupt government. From appreciating an entire culture to developing a never ending love for a country. This week changed us and morphed us. The experiences we have shared in Nicaragua will never be forgotten. Tomorrow, we leave Managua on a plane. However, a part of our hearts will always be in Managua and Managua will forever reside in our hearts. There are seven billion people on this planet. Most people don't know where to start to make an impact on such an enormous figure. We stared with a city. We started with a family. We started by mixing the first batch of concrete. We started by laying the first brick. More importantly, we started with a goal: to leave Managua a little bit better off by changing lives. I can happily say that we reached that goal.

Thank you to everyone who kept up with the blog and for all the prayers. Your support means a lot to every person in this group and we greatly appreciate it.

~Michael Alexander Martinez

Adventure Time

   I think all of us can say that church in Nicaragua is a lot different than church in Miami. First of all, the chorus of voices worshiping was ten times louder than that of any church we have been to in Miami. We loved being able to raise our voices and sing songs in Spanish and see some familiar faces from Casa Havilah (the girl's rescue home). We were lucky enough to have an English speaker at church today while the Nicaraguans had to struggle with the translator, Elizabeth Buzbee. After church, we indulged in some delicious nachos at the ranch and headed to the Volcan Masaya. After a long bus ride of singing songs and bonding together we finally reached the volcano. We quickly got suited up for a cave tour, something most of us had never done before. With flashlights in hand and a hard hat tightly fastened on, we ventured into the deep abyss of bats and stalagmites. We traveled 40 meters under ground in the pitch black. Then, once we surfaced a selected few were allowed to crawl into another cave with a tight squeezes and far jumps. Once the whole group had crawled out, we went back to the main volcano which unfortunately was closed due to the emerging gases from the eruption last year. After snapping a few pics we headed off to the market. At the market we found ourselves a few hours too late, many of the stands had been packed up and those remaining were in the process. When we came back to the ranch Maria and Carmen had some delicious macaroni and cheese waiting for us. Following our meal, we returned to the third floor for some worship and a message from future pastor, Michael Martinez.
   As our trip approaches its end, we have discovered unexpected friendships and close bonds in Nica. This trip has been a true blessing to everyone involved. Tonight, as I saw the group responding to the day's activities a smile grew on my face. I have prayed and waited for this trip since October and to sit here on the third floor is almost surreal. I was unsure how this group would react in  Nicaragua but God has showed me that He is always in control no matter what.
   I just want to extend a BIG 'Thank You' to every family that has helped this trip become a reality! The dreams that started this club have developed into such a blessing in so many student's lives, that Candace, Catherine and I would have never expected. Hard work and persistence always pays off and to spend time with this group has made everything worth it.

Lots of love always,
Sabrina

Crossing the Finish Line

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

Digging Deep (Day Four)

I want to start by saying thank you once again for all your prayers for me and the rest of the group. I am feeling much better and today I returned to the work site. We all put our work clothes on complete with gloves and bandanas to cover our faces. As we walked to the work site, everybody felt sore and more tired than the previous days. A long day of hard work was certainly ahead of us. Chandler started the group off with the first shoveling of dirt. The process of making concrete has been ingrained in our heads by this point. First, fill up two wheel barrels with dirt. Second, fill up one wheel barrel with rocks. Then, pour all three wheel barrels into the huge tub where a bag of cement rests. The bag is broken open and the real work begins. Six or seven people grab shovels or hoes and mix the batch of concrete for twenty to thirty minutes while buckets of water are added sporadically throughout the process. Once our first batch of the day was completed, we shoveled the freshly made concrete into a wheel barrel and dumped it onto the portion of the floor we had not completed. Mrs. Wier and another worker spread the concrete evenly throughout the floor. After we produced enough concrete to finish the floor in the house, we began to mix more so that the workers could fill the columns in the walls that support the house. Once a batch was completed, we formed an assembly line. At the beginning of the line, two people shoveled concrete into buckets. The buckets were then passed from person to person in the line until they reached the worker on the ladder who would pour out the bucket into the empty gaps in the walls which would become concrete columns. After the batch was all used up, we went back to making more batches. It seemed like the mixing would never end. Our Nica crew was split up into various groups so that one faction would mix in order to give the other faction some amount of rest. The work for today eventually came to an end. Tonight we will gather as a group once again and share a devotion. It's awesome to see this team grow together. We have become more than just an eclectic group of high school students, we have already started to become a close knit group of friends. Day four was a day that was hard to find motivation to work. All of us were pretty wiped and the sun beating down on us made us want to give up. Today we truly had to dig deep. Dig deep into our hearts, minds, and spirits to muster up the strength to continue to work hard. Homesickness is kicking in and real sickness has a couple of us feeling more fatigued than usual but we press on towards the goal which is to change this family's life through love. The finish line for the house is in sight; we just have to dig a little deeper.

~Michael Alexander Martinez

Laying the Foundation

Today started off by waking up at about 7 a.m. to get ready for breakfast. Even though everyone was exhausted from the long day of hard work yesterday, we were excited to see what was in store for us. After eating a delicious breakfast at the beginning of the day, we headed over to the construction site to continue the work we had left behind yesterday. A few groups were formed to break into different jobs for the day so we would cycle tasks every hour. I started with a group of about five other kids to dig out more dirt in order to flatten the floor in the house in order to pour the concrete. The weather was hotter than yesterday, at least for me, so it drained out our energy faster but we found the strength to continue. A few hours into work, a group of girls from an orphanage came to play around with us and get to know everyone. Our girls at the work site headed back to the ranch with the kids while the men stayed at the site to finish off some work. With the kids, we handed out brand new shoes to each one and then sat down for a few minutes to introduce ourselves and get to know them. One thing that struck me about today was something I witnessed with an orphan and Sabrina. Sabrina wanted to know the girl's shoe size so she asked her if she could take her shoe to see the tag for the size. Once Sabrina asked, the little girl immediately shook her head and held onto her shoes because she thought  Sabrina would take them away from her. It definitely made me think about the scarring events the girl has probably been through and what little she has. Throughout the week, I have noticed how incredibly blessed I am to have the things I have. Some of us complain about the little things when we do not get them right away. I feel as if this trip is really going to help me realize how thankful I should be every single day I open my eyes. God continues to bless each of us and gives us plenty more than we need. It broke my heart to see the girls in the physical condition that they were in, but I had plenty of fun with them playing soccer and dancing. A while later, a group of orphan boys came to visit and we took our lunch break to enjoy conversation and interaction with the children. After, we headed out to a field on the camp to run around and kick around a ball with the kids. Some of the little girls made Alex Machado grass accessories, which actually impressed me because of how cool they came out. It was time to get back to work, so the kids left and we headed back to the site. Another four hours of mixing concrete was headed our way, but we kept reminding ourselves of the purpose we were called to in Nicaragua which gave us the will to continue. Along with the strenuous work, we had some good laughs with the Nicaraguan workers and each other. We headed back to our rooms at about 6 o'clock to shower and head to dinner (which was very delicious). Now, we are enjoying fellowship and worship along with devotion led by Alex Castellanos. Make sure to check out all the pictures!

~Sam Lola ; hey mommy (:
P.S. Thank you for your prayers about Michael! He is feeling a lot better today but continue to keep him in your prayers.

Building the House

The City of Extremes (an unexpected journey)

Hello readers, this is Michael Martinez. I wrote the blog for day 1 but was unable to write the blog for day 2 because I felt extremely under the weather. I had to leave the work sight (with reluctance) yesterday in the afternoon to get some rest. As the day continued, I began to feel more sick. I was coughing without rest for hours. In fact, my cough became so severe that I actually vomited six times yesterday afternoon. At one point, I coughed so much that my nose began to bleed out of sheer exhaustion from the pressure I was exerting out of my body. I woke up this morning feeling quite the same so Mrs. Wier felt like it was necessary to take me to a doctor. When I heard this, I immediately was concerned. It certainly was not an ideal situation to go to a doctor in a third world country. However, I trusted that my God would keep me safe. As we drove through the streets of Managua, I once again saw the extreme poverty on my way to the doctor's office. There was construction on the roads which reminded me of the construction back at home on US1. However, on the "highway" of Managua, there were no construction machines to be found. All the work was done by hand with shovels and pickaxes. We finally arrived at the doctor who worked from a house. I was given a waiting number and told to sit in the waiting room...which was outside. The doctor saw me and asked me many questions (Mrs. Wier translated for me). He had a stethoscope and a beat up medical bed which I was told to lay on to be examined. He told me that I should not work on the construction of the house for three days. My heart sank. I came to Nicaragua to serve and in one sentence a doctor had told me I shouldn't help build the house for my safety. In the end, he gave me four prescription medications. What made me chuckle was that my prescription was typed on a typewriter. We paid for the medication and the doctor's visit. The cost of a doctor's visit and four prescription medications turned out to be 10 American dollars. Ten dollars. Me and Mrs. Wier went to go eat lunch at a very nice place. As we left and headed back to the ranch, I noticed something. The city of Managua was a city of terrible extremes. The vast majority of the people were extremely poor which I had noticed last year on this trip. Also though, a small minority was extremely rich. Right across from a BMW dealership and a wealthy bank were shacks filled with people. In my eyes, I visibly saw the two extremes which were physically separated by 15 feet but economically separated by hundreds of thousands of dollars. I may not be able to work on the house but I am fully confident that God has an incredible plan for me on this trip. Possibly part of the plan was for me to witness more of the city of extremes today.

Thank you for all you prayers, the update on the building of the house will be put up on this blog tonight. Also, I took plenty of pictures the first day of construction when I was able to work and I will try to upload them ASAP. Happy Valentine's Day to everyone reading this blog.
 
~Michael Alexander Martinez