Why stop a good thing?

Today was amazing.  Woke up early for a breakfast of eggs and toast with a glass of orange juice to wash it down. Everyone was chomping at the bits to get going today!  A few people went to the bank next door and exchanged some monies then a group went to the pharmacy to get some medication.  Steve has sensitive skin and was breaking out from some gardening he had done in the states. Brian had a sore throat. Krista got a POWERFUL headache medication and I think we all got a few tabs of chewable Pepto. A member of the missions team who is the youth pastor at First Baptist Church in Frostproof told us he chews two tabs every morning to prevent sickness and we adopted the tradition. It's worked so far, why stop a good thing.

The bus from the school for the poorest of poor kids came to get us and we were off to our first VBS.  We arrived and set up in record time, gathered the kids up, and started with our ice-breaker songs. We sang the ritual "Chi-chi-wah" song which I took a video of for your viewing pleasure.  We then proceeded to do none other than "The Chicken Dance".  HUGE HIT!  Great success. All of the kids know the Chi-chi-wah song from years past as this has been our opening song/dance all 3 years of us coming here.  Why stop a good thing?

We then had our activities like face painting, balloon animals, art projects, percussion room(whew), and bean bag toss.  The kids had a blast and it was great to see all of them so happy. We came back to the hostel for a rest and lunch then more rest. :D  Around 2:30 we headed back to the school for their afternoon session. These were the older kids and they had 10x more fun than the last group.  I think I had more fun than they did!  At the end of the VBS we handed out salvation bracelets (with the colors of the Christian rainbow) to the kids and told them about the meaning of the colors. It's really a special thing to carry out the Lord's work in such a simple, effective way. We always do something with salvation bracelets. We've had the kids put beads on plastic string and explained each bead as they put it on, pre-made the bands and gave them to the kids, and this year we ordered gel bands with the colors molded into the band. This has by far been the easiest of the years. The salvation bracelets give a great understanding of Christianity in such a simple way children comprehend it. I love using them as a median of getting the word across and plan on using them til the Lord comes back to Earth again.  Why stop a good thing?

When school let out we road a bus behind the bus that takes the children home.  Remember the kids are POOR. They have to qualify to get into the school by being more poor than most Nicaraguans.  We have been giving food to the families of the school kids for all 3 years we have came to Nicaragua, and wanted to continue.  We gave a bag of rice and a bag of beans as well as a Christian tract to each family of the students. Each time we would give out a bag peoples faces absolutely lit up.  Think about in America we would almost take a bag of rice and beans as an insult, here they were following the bus we were riding asking for more.  We can't minister to people who are so hungry they aren't worried about Jesus at the time, so food is definitely a great way to earn their trust as well as their ears. It's been very rewarding every time we go to the homes of the students and we all bring back unique, life changing experiences. Why stop a good thing?

By the time we got back it was time for supper. A delicious mix of fried plantain chips, rice, and meatballs. Yes, meatballs! I cleaned my plate and proceeded to pick off of Krista's. :)   I came back to my room and got ready for a shower only to be interrupted by people shouting at me that I was going to miss our nightly meeting.  Silly me!  The meeting went great. We discussed today's happenings and we all really connected on a deep level. Everyone has their own views on how our travels have impacted them so far and it's nice to hear their input.  We have these meetings every night to come together as a group and discuss the next days schedule and recap that days happenings. I love the thought provoking subjects put on us and just enjoy a casual come together from all of us. In one mind and one accord, working for the Lord.  Why stop a good thing?

As a closing I say this:

The Lord is working in Nicaragua.  He will show his mighty and awesome power in ways never imagined.  I am SO excited to be a part of this group and share their passion and drive to deliver the word of God to the people of Nicaragua. We'll continue to spread the love of God and he will continue to watch over us, keep us safe, and use us as vessels to carry his message to the people of Nicaragua. Why stop a good thing?

Todd