Oh my. Where to
begin. Time has absolutely flown
by. Today was our last day of
ministry, which is so hard to believe.
Tomorrow we are leaving for our “debrief” time in Costa Rica and we’ll
be there for 4 days and then return for 2 more days to Granada before we fly
home. The reality of leaving has
started sinking in this week and I find myself fighting off tears at so many
random moments…I don’t even want to think about actually saying goodbye next
week. It’s like my heart is torn
in two-one part is so excited to see family and friends again but the other
part is indescribably sad to close this chapter.
But before I get preemptively sappy, a recap of the last
month: Mom and Dad visited, which
was so much fun. I absolutely
loved playing hostess to this city and showing them the people and places I’ve
come to love so much over these last months. It is nice to have people from home understand a bit more
what life is like here. We got to
do so much and it was so fun to have them here. It was a blending of my worlds, for sure, as I introduced
them to things here but we also visited Casa Bernabe, another orphanage all of
us has previously been to as well.
I will always cherish the memories I have with my family in this country
and feel confident more will be made.
Last week I visited three different orphanages. Two of them I had already been to and
one was new to me. I loved
reconnecting with the kids I already knew and also got to know so many more!
One of the highlights was going with my neighbor, Yelba, age
17, to visit her sister (who I already knew from the girls’ orphanage in
Granada!). We went on Sunday to
visit Diana (age 10) and her mother was there too, which surprised Yelba. It was a very interesting family
dynamic to observe. I don’t even
know if I can put it into words…the mother so distant and formal, Yelba trying
to be fun for her sister, and Diana looking quietly back and forth between the
two of them with this look that I’m not sure I know the depths of…I walked away
with a mixture of emotions-sadness at the reality of the situation but also feeling
glad that Diana lives in such a joyful place where she is well cared for. It’s hard to come to grips with it all
but I was glad to see Diana with her family.
Another highlight was going back to the orphanage on the
island of Ometepe. This is where
we were before Christmas and I was overjoyed to see the most adorable pair of
sisters back at the orphanage!
They had left the week we were last there to live with the grandmother
but it was a violent home and so it is much better that they are back at
Cicrin, the orphanage. Juliette,
the crazy-fun girl in the hammock with my teammate Annie and me, is 4 years old
and a bag of sass! She is
hilarious and we had so much fun playing.
Again, it is so hard to believe I am leaving Nicaragua in a
little over a week. I am
overwhelmed by the richness of the memories I have here, the lessons I’ve
learned, the way my faith has been stretched and increased immeasurably, and
the knowledge that none of this would have happened if it were not for so much
support from all of you-whether financially, through prayer, emails, letters,
so much. I can’t tell you how much
I appreciate it! Words seem so
inadequate…
I can’t wait to tell you more stories in person, and to hear
about your lives as well. It
reminds me of that verse…”Let us keep on spurring one another on in love and
good deeds…” Hebrews 10:24. Just
know how much you have helped spur me on!!!
Blessings to all of you!
