Mixed emotions showered the entire day.
It started with several of the teams members visiting the kids at 6:00 AM before the kids left for school. The kids ran outside with open arms, eager to see us. Anna and Todd have a special new daughter named Jenni. Jenni has stole the hearts of the Mixon's. Tanya and Stephanie have laid claim to a 13 year old girl named Mabel. Carlos has chosen Wes. Valeska has embraced Russ, and stole his heart from his chest. We've all fallen head over heals in love with the kids from campus. It was very difficult to say 'good-bye' but the kids needed to get on the bus so they wouldn't be late for school. With many tears we gave hugs and hi-fives, and said, "Adios".
We met back at the cafeteria area for breakfast. We had weiners with roasted potatoes, with pineapple and watermelon. After breakfast we packed our bags, cleaned out our suitcases of everything we could live without, and enjoyed a cool devotional led by David.
Venessa and Kate, along with Jonathan & Roger & Chico, all made us tear up as we said our good-byes. Venessa commended our group for being one which shared loved, kindness, and genuine compassion for others. She's an amazing administrator, and we're looking forward to seeing her next time.
We all boarded the school bus for the long drive to our next stop. The Canopy Tour consisted of zip lines. Getting to experience the harnesses being installed, along with bicycle helmets, was quite the thrill. Anna SCREAMED the entire way down the first zip line, but the second one was a blast. We all jumped right in (with a little hesitation from Rachel.) There were 3 zip lines. Some of the team members were bold and rode down head first or Superman. It was exhilarating to say the least.
Next we stopped by a mall in Managua for lunch. The mall was very similar to the malls in the 'States. They had McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, and several local restaurants. I (Tanya) can vouch that the Tip Top fried chicken was perhaps the best fried chicken I've ever eaten. Anna and Todd had Pizza Hut, which they say was hot and fresh. Steve and Sheri tried the McDonald's.
Next stop: city market. It was tourist trap central. All the collectibles you could ever want. We found some cool gifts for our families and friends. The market was pretty clean, and some of the vendors were able to speak English.
After the market we were dropped off at the hotel where we'll be staying tonight, our final night here in Nicaragua. It was hard to say good-bye to our bus driver who has driven safely all week. We're grateful for his amazing driving skills. The Lord has truly blessed him with an amazing talent to drive teams around the area.
We are all wiped out, both emotionally and physically. We're ready for some R&R at the hotel, which has a nice pool and HOT water!!!
Quotes for the day:
Steve: "I'm not going to take bread from a little girl."
Troy: "David, did you find your monkeys?"
Anna: "Todd, do you want to Superman with me?" Todd quickly answered, "NO!"
Russ: "These harnesses are not nearly as good as the ones I have at home."
Anonymous: "Some people are just worth a wet t-shirt."
Sounds like an awesome trip. Goodbye-s are always tough when real ministry has taken place. As always, God has worked powerfully through the missionaries to the people and through the people back into the hearts of the missionaries themselves. Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday in worship. Really would like to get as many as possible on video (this Sunday) sharing even just a sentence or two bout your experience. Will use this in combination with data/information and other pictures from the trip to make a great celebration mission moment for next weekend that can be shared through social media as well as our missions celebration page on our website.
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