On Thursday, day three, some of our team stayed at the church in the morning to work on electrical and air conditioning projects, and the rest of us went to a school to do some painting.
Jess, Pastor Cal's wife, teaches at the Nicaraguan Christian School in Managua. NCS began as a school for missionary kids. They teach in English with an American curriculum. They are the only school in Central America that is triple-accredited, once in Nicaragua and twice in the U.S. Since they have such high standards and a strong reputation, affluent Nicaraguan families also send their children to NCS. The Nicaraguan children attending this school will be many of the future leaders of this country, so in the long-term, it will be very good for the country that they are getting a quality education taught with Christian values.
It was at this school that we did painting, re-painting the classroom where Jess teaches high school math and science.
After lunch, we all headed to Tent City for an outreach similar to the one we did in Guadalupe. Tent City is full of refugees and farmers from the Nicaragua countryside, many of who have become ill or injured due to pesticide use and other unhealthy farm practices. A few years ago, they came to Managua and camped out in tents, protesting to the government and seeking a settlement of some kind. Given that many of the harmful practices were from private industry, there is little likelihood of a settlement. After years living in tents, the government did build the people homes. These are refugee homes, where many families might be all in one room, and they are not built as well as the homes in Guadalupe. The one-room homes are often divided by hanging blankets and cloths, creating room dividers.
One family that we prayed with at Tent City had a big impact on me. This gentleman had three boys, one of whom was born with significant health issues. I couldn't figure out everything he was saying, but my understanding is that his son had some kid of hydrocephaly, which must have affected his brain. The boy, at 8 years old, was laying in a hammock with only a diaper on. (It was a very hot day.) His head was larger than typical, his limbs were thin and under-developed, and he seemed unable to communicate. The father, Jose Luis, told us about his son's birth, and the struggles to get equipment for him. He also had two younger sons, and when his boys were four, three, and one years old, his wife left, leaving him with the kids. In a country with a derth of present fathers, this man told us how he was father, mother, doctor and teacher to his boys. Jose Luis had a very strong faith, and was doing his very best to take care of his sons, while trusting in God to provide for their needs. I was astounded at the depth of this man's faith in such a difficult situation, and his ability to see all three of his sons as blessings to him, and continue to pour out love on them.
In addition to meeting Jose Luis and his sons, we also visited and prayed with a number of other families.
All in all, it was a great and very productive day. The whole trip has been pretty amazing so far.
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