Last pics from Nicaragua

Sorry it has taken me so long! Here are the last few pictures from Nicaragua. As you can see below, we had over 500 teachers attend our conference. It was a huge success.

My translator for the two days at the conference was Nestor. We had a lot of time to talk and really bonded. His wife is Emily, and she's pregnant and back in the States. Please pray for them!We did another prayer walk through the barrio next to the compound. These precious children were on their way home to deliver food.
This is how Nicaraguans drink their juice: from little plastic bags that have a knot tied at the top. They bite off one of the corners and suck out all the juice. We couldn't have it because of bacteria, but they seemed used to it and even enjoyed it.
Smith and Anne with four of our translators. From left, Nestor, Juglio, Jose and Luis.
Me with the famous Mommo Tambo volcano and Lake Managua in the background.
We stayed at an incredible hotel the night before we left. As soon as we got off the bus and stepped into the hotel lobby, I swear it felt like we were in a different country.

Thank you for your prayers!

Adding to the List

I have tons of pictures from Wednesday, but I'm going to have to be picky. Wednesday was a great day. We met at the school where we had our conference today and went over logistics. Then we went on a prayer walk through the barrio which made me feel like I was in the pages of a National Geographic Magazine. The poverty was unspeakable. There is NO way I could describe it in words. I wish I had more pictures, but I had a hard time taking pictures of the poverty in front of the people who lived there. On the way to the beach we passed a different ashing volcano. This pic is now the background on my desktop.
"His name shall be Zatarra."

"Sounds fearsome."

"It means, 'driftwood.'"

Love The Count of Monte Cristo. This pic reminded me of that scene.

The waves against the rocks were gorgeous!

One of my fave kinds of pics to take

These were local kids who kept trying to sell their wares to us.

Another sunset. This one over the Pacific. I'm adding it to my list!

Please continue to pray! It is going so well, and we had over 450 at the conference today. All were given New Testaments. I presented strategies about helping at-risk students and discipline strategies for the classroom. One more full day here!! Love you all!

Tuesday's Adventures

So yesterday morning, I woke up to this: the volcano in our "back yard" spewing ash. Niiiiiice. Still, it was cool to see and fun to take a picture of.

On the way to Las Parselas, we were almost stampeded by a real cow-boy and his herd.
But first, let me back-track. In the morning we traveled to a church (below) to have another small presentation to some rural teachers.
Allison, one of my fellow team members, and Nester, one of our favorite translators. Nester was born in Nicaragua, moved to NJ when he was four, and just recently returned to Nica in 2007. He cracks us up. As does his very identical twin, Luis.
This conejo must have been a family pet. He made himself quite at home among all the teachers and even hippity hopped right inside the house. He looked too nice to be someone's dinner...

but then again, you never know.

Nester, on the left, and my translator Luis, on the right. Luis is a lawyer, but doesn't get much work. So he works for the mission as a translator. He'd love to come to the States one day.

This is Nica's dry season, as evidenced by the huge cracks in the ground.

This tree produced a fruit that is only harvested for its seeds. They make granola out of the seeds and throw the rest of the fruit away.

We went to the location of a future church that Ringgold United Methodist is partnering with. It was forty-five minutes away, and it was the bumpiest ride I've ever been on. Think forty-five minutes of riding the Dahlonega Mine Train over and over and over. Once there, we trekked down to the stream where things were much more lush. This is where they will have their baptisms.

Plantains

We then visited the congregation. I have never seen such poverty.

...as evidenced by the malnourished puppies.

The pastor of the church is Marcial on the left. He is talking to Lamar through Pedro, the translator. Ringgold United will be coming back in July to break ground for the church.

The women and children stand around outside of the home.

As you can tell, with each day that passes, my posts become less and less comprehensible. Whew. Sorry!

Ruben Dario, Leon, and Presentations

Monday's pictures! We had our first presentationso on Monday at the church in Ruben Dario. This was an extremely nice church for this country. Below, the room where I gave my presentation.

Our bathrooms. They don't look like much, but trust me, I've seen worse!

The elementary group in the main sanctuary

Two of our translators after a grueling day. Little Luis on the left and Big Luis, my translator, on the right.

The stray dogs around here are pitiful. Just pitiful. This one actually doesn't look as bad as some of the others I've seen.

Three of us went to the private school where the conference will be on Thursday and Friday. Lamar spoke with the superintendent of the Leon schools, Sonia, through our interpreter, Nadia.

Leon cathedral

Leon cathedral

Children from the orphanage came Monday night to help us make signs for our big conference.

And I even helped.

Lamar Caffe (Brown) and Juan Carlos, the pastor of the church in the barrio. He looks EXACTLY like one of my students from my Hispanic posse last year.

More pictures to come later today from Tuesday. Hope you're enjoying them. If you are, leave me a comment!

Thoughts

Yikes. A gecko just ran across the wall near my bunk.

Yikes. A gecko just ran out from behind the white board when I wrote on it.

Yes. No squatty potties.

Oops. No toilet paper.

Uhh. An American guy who looks very much like a fugitive hiding out.

Wow. I don't have to hide my real reason for being here.

Nice. I don't need/want ice after all.

Wow. It's hot.

Hmm. Is it me, or is this mosquito repellent starting to smell rather nice?

Wow. I'm understanding more Spanish than I thought I would.

Oops. Venerdi is NOT the word for Friday. Well, it is, just not in Spanish. No wonder the man looked confused.

Yuck. Burning garbage smells the same no matter where in the world you are.

Wow. That guy on the corner with no teeth loves me. He even said so in English.

Ummm...are those volcanoes ashing?

Sunday's pics: Going into Leon

The church we attended on Sunday.
Sunday morning soccer game. The man in the pink hat is the ref. This is not the norm. Most games we saw being played were baseball.

Picture of a school in the Ruben Dario neighborhood.

Escuela de Barrio Ruben Dario. Yes, this is a real school. Kids attend here. Presently.

Wow. These signs aren't indigenous to only the U.S.

Street with a volcano in the background

Cathedral at the Central Plaza

The Central Plaza

Our chariot