with dirty feet and a growing heart

Wow, I am at a loss for words right now. In 12 hours the team will be loading onto the crazy colored bus for our final ride through Managua to the air port. All week we have been talking about how we are called to live in the tension of seeing these beautiful children with huge smiles on their faces, but also knowing they are living in the situations they are in.

Right now as a team we are living in the tension. The tension that we have been here for another amazing week. We have seen God "On the Move". We have seen brokenness that does not have words to explain, and we have seen hope that only our God of the Universe can bring. But our week has come to an end. And by tomorrow night we will be at home in our own comfortable beds, wondering why us? Why are we here and they are still there?

I'm sitting in the office right now with grime on my hands and dirt covered feet from another amazing day. This morning we went to the market and did an exercise where we had the team try to by a weeks worth of food off a typical weeks worth of wage. The list was 5 lbs of rice, 5 lbs of beans, 1 lb of sugar, a bag of salt, and some oil. Each group was given 200 cordobas ($10), the average weekly salary of a Nicaraguan family. Every team ended up using more than that to by these very simple necessities. My team needed 223 cordobas. After that we went into another community close to the orphanage and passed out the food to families. It was very humbling moment seeing the faces of those receiving this free, unexpected gift. Then as soon as we got back to the team center several of your students dug through their suitcases and put together bags of clothes to pass out to the people they met on their first day here. Be proud parents. Your students have growing compassionate hearts.

Well, it is almost time for our last dinner at the team center, and then tonight we have a goodbye party for the kids. We are having a bounce house and Mariachi Band come to help us celebrate the relationships we have made this week. If you get this and read this be praying for the kids here at the orphanage and for the team. The goal is that tonight is pure fun. No tears allowed (especially in front of the kids from the orphanage). For as hard as it is for us to leave, it is even harder to be left behind.

I don't think I can say it enough, but thank you to all of you who made this trip possible. Oh and parents, be prepared for your students to come back wanting to talk with you about supporting a child. We talked about this last night at porch time, and a lot of them got really excited about the idea...:-)

Well, this will be my last post from Nicaragua, next time we talk hopefully it will be in person.

With dirty feet and a Growing heart,

Natalie