Hola Amigos! I don´t have much time so I´m sending this email to all of you at once – please pass the word on to everyon else for me!
we are having an AMAZING time in Nicaragua. God is present!!! So far we´ve spent most of our time at Nueva Vida, a community outside of the city of Managua. The kids from last year recognized me!!!!!!! it is SO COOL to see them a year later and them still rememember my name! The trip is going awesome – it´s always so hard to put into words what we´re experiencing here.
Today I was able to volunteer at a feeding center in Nueva Vida that was a church. we prepared the meal for the children and were able to serve them food. The amount of food they recieved was proably the only food they´ll eat all day long….and it was equivalent to the size of one of our ¨sides¨on our plate. but they were so so so thankful……..and they shared. they ate half of their meal and put the rest in a bag to take home for later, or some to their parents. The children are so happy. I was able to talk to the pastor of the feeding center for awhile and he told us his life story and how Christ took him away from a life of gang violence and drugs. He said the people in Nicaragua do not consider them selves ¨poor änd that they are happy. It´s true, they are so so full of joy here.
Ray is doing good as well!!! the kids ABSOLUTELYY love him! he has a group of little boys that follow him around EVERYWHERE and yell ¨raimundo! raimundo!¨ whenever the bus pulls in. I think he´s really enjoying the trip right now – he is in the pool right now, haha. it´´s 7:51 here now, we´re an hour different from yall.
ok – someone else is wanting the computer. please tell everyone we are SAFE, the kids are AWESOME, and God is HERE with us. He is moving not only in the lives of these kids…but the hokies here as well.
i´m not sure when i´l get to email again, but here´s our tent schedule as far as i know
Tuesday – day at the river with the kids
Wednesday – morning at La chureca (dump), evening with prostitues (pray i get to see marvin!!!!!)
thursday – la chureca
friday – nueva vida y goodbye carnival
saturday – surprise
thank you EVERTYONE for the prayers!!! love you so so so so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nica amor,
laura
Thanks Ronnie~