Post by jrabbach on Jan 13, 2010 18:08:35 GMT -6
I just got back today from 17 amazing days of travel to Nicaragua. We started out in the community of Santa Marta. This is a Miskito village, that is about as primitive of living as you can find in the world. A total communal living feel, and the Moravian church is both the spiritual and political center of the community.
We were working on making cement blocks to help rebuild the church which was destroyed by Hurricane Felix in 2007. We were able to clean out the rubble from the church, and then make 164 cement blocks by hand before the mold we were using broke. Of course we spent a great deal of time just playing with the kids as well. A highlight was a little girl named Conchita. I really wanted to bring her home. Every morning she would just show up and want me to carry her around. I was more than happy to oblige. What a cutie!
After our time in Santa Marta, we went to Puerto Cabezas, the city we fly into on the atlantic coast on the small 12 seat plane. We spent time meeting with youth from the different Moravian Churches, and won an international volleyball game. (It made up for all of our losses at soccer.)
We ended the trip with a week in a town near Managua on the Pacific Coast called Jinotepe. We helped bag 6000 meals for a program that feeds hungry children everyday. Then we got to go see some of the food handed out. The place we went to was feeding 90 children everyday. It was great to be a part of.
Of course we made some time for a trip to the beach. The couple we were working with in Jinotepe, missionaries named Doug and Julie, own a beach house on the pacific ocean. We got a private day of boogie boarding on the beach all to ourselves. Rough life eh?
The highlight of the trip was when we were able to visit the community I worked in last year building the church. We had helped bring sand to make concrete, and when we left last year all that was built was the cement pad. This year when we went through, all 4 walls were up and they are a roof away from having their church back! We of course don't know how much we had to do with moving the process forward, but it is great to think that we had a hand in it, and that there may be lasting effects to our visits.
I couldn't have shared the experience with a better group. We took time each morning and night to do a devotion that helped keep us spiritually focused. We worked together extremely well and just had a great time sharing this experience.
Team members: (Nicknames)
Justin Rabbach (Bilbo), Ebenezer Moravian Church
Dan Miller (Geico), Lake Mills Moravian Church
Remington Nystrom (Sheldon), Wisconsin Rapids Moravian Church
Joe McCready (Dumptruck), Little Church on the Lane, Charlotte, N.C.
Rachelle Veldhoen (Night Hawk), Christ Church, Calgary, Canada
Alex Shrake (General Tsao), Christ Church, Calgary, Canada
We were working on making cement blocks to help rebuild the church which was destroyed by Hurricane Felix in 2007. We were able to clean out the rubble from the church, and then make 164 cement blocks by hand before the mold we were using broke. Of course we spent a great deal of time just playing with the kids as well. A highlight was a little girl named Conchita. I really wanted to bring her home. Every morning she would just show up and want me to carry her around. I was more than happy to oblige. What a cutie!
After our time in Santa Marta, we went to Puerto Cabezas, the city we fly into on the atlantic coast on the small 12 seat plane. We spent time meeting with youth from the different Moravian Churches, and won an international volleyball game. (It made up for all of our losses at soccer.)
We ended the trip with a week in a town near Managua on the Pacific Coast called Jinotepe. We helped bag 6000 meals for a program that feeds hungry children everyday. Then we got to go see some of the food handed out. The place we went to was feeding 90 children everyday. It was great to be a part of.
Of course we made some time for a trip to the beach. The couple we were working with in Jinotepe, missionaries named Doug and Julie, own a beach house on the pacific ocean. We got a private day of boogie boarding on the beach all to ourselves. Rough life eh?
The highlight of the trip was when we were able to visit the community I worked in last year building the church. We had helped bring sand to make concrete, and when we left last year all that was built was the cement pad. This year when we went through, all 4 walls were up and they are a roof away from having their church back! We of course don't know how much we had to do with moving the process forward, but it is great to think that we had a hand in it, and that there may be lasting effects to our visits.
I couldn't have shared the experience with a better group. We took time each morning and night to do a devotion that helped keep us spiritually focused. We worked together extremely well and just had a great time sharing this experience.
Team members: (Nicknames)
Justin Rabbach (Bilbo), Ebenezer Moravian Church
Dan Miller (Geico), Lake Mills Moravian Church
Remington Nystrom (Sheldon), Wisconsin Rapids Moravian Church
Joe McCready (Dumptruck), Little Church on the Lane, Charlotte, N.C.
Rachelle Veldhoen (Night Hawk), Christ Church, Calgary, Canada
Alex Shrake (General Tsao), Christ Church, Calgary, Canada