ABCOPAD Life! Blog

2016 Nicaragua Mission Trip II

What an amazing day. Five groups went out right after breakfast to install water filters. So many amazing testimonies. I was present to witness one especially tender moment.

Mike, Jenny, and I delivered a water filter to a family pretty far from the clinic. When we arrived at the house we found several bamboo-like containers with small bees flying in and out. We learned that the dad of the family is a bee keeper. Mike keeps bees at his farm in New York. We installed the filter and had a great time visiting with the family. Mike (via translation) talked about bee keeping with the dad. We learned it takes the bees about a year to create one liter of honey. As we were leaving, the father of the family (Leonel) gave Mike a gift of 1 liter of honey. We were told we could eat it because the honey is boiled making it safe. It was an amazing gift and the honey is truly delicious!

While delivering water filters, we invited everyone to a movie night at the church. Almost every family who received a water filter came out. We watched Kung Fu Panda. What a great night to be the family of God in His house.

Once the movie concluded, our team returned to our dining area to meet. One of our nurses, Rachel, turned 25 today. The AMOS team drove all the way to the nearest town to buy a birthday cake and soda. We celebrated Rachel's birthday together.

There is a tradition in Nicaragua to crush an egg on the head of anyone celebrating a birthday. Rachel has been embraced as a member of the family here in Banco de Sikia. Two AMOS staff members snuck up on Rachel and broke eggs on her head as a wish for long life. The eggs were donated from homes where water filters had been installed. A fantastic way to end the evening.

Tonight many members of our team are choosing to sleep under the stars on a ridge not far from the clinic. It is a beautiful night.

Today we finished installing the last of our water filters. The community was overjoyed with the results of our project. We had a short break in the afternoon. Some members of our team took time to rest while others met with community leaders to help them with additional water issues the village has been struggling with.

At 4:00pm, everyone from the village gathered at the church for a closing ceremony. It was a great celebration as everyone expressed gratitude to God and to one another for an amazing week. Not only were all the water filters installed, but incredible friendships were forged. 15 village leaders received first-aid training certificates, and kids shared a song they learned in VBS The closing was bittersweet, with hugs and even tears, knowing it will be some time before everyone is together again.

Tomorrow morning we will start the 9-hour road trip home. We will leave the village bright and early. Thank you for your continued prayers!