For about a week in January 2019, I was blessed to tour Child Development Projects in Nicaragua, as well as visiting three of my sponsored children, Cristian, Ana and Danilo, plus Enmy, whom I sponsored for over twelve years until she finished the program in 2015. The tour was hosted by
Compassion International.
Link to photo album
Project NI-111 in Ciudad Sandino
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Half of our tour group at
Iglesia Esmirna, Jan. 19, 2019 |
After arriving in Managua with nearly thirty sponsors and staff on a Friday night, we spent Saturday morning touring Child Development Center NI-111, "Fragrance of Myrrh" run by a local church, Iglesia Esmirna, in the the nearby city of Ciudad Sandino. Many children welcomed us at the entrance, some holding homemade name tags for each of us. We sat in rows in the church sanctuary while various children's groups sang and danced to worship music. In one of the groups, three of the boys in back ran out to the front to break dance and do cartwheels!
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| Bakery class at Iglesia Esmirna |
Afterwards, we divided into small groups to visit various training programs offered in the center. The worship leader teaches music, including note reading and harmonics, and had the students demonstrate by singing several English and Spanish worship songs. Another instructor teaches the students how to cut hair and paint nails and other kinds of cosmetology. In the bakery, students learned to prepare a variety of breads, including pizza which they served us as a snack. The center also provided classes in computers and in jewelry-making. Several students have learned to start their own small businesses from what they have learned at the center.
Racing at Puerto Salvador Allende
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| Racing at Puerto Salvador Allende |
After leaving the center and having lunch at a local restaurant, we visited a boardwalk, called Puerto Salvador Allende, along the shore of Lake Managua. Some of the group went touring and souvenir shopping while the rest of us went to the go-kart racers. It was the largest track I had even seen, complete with two upper levels. About twenty of us signed up to race, with no more than seven karts in a heat, based on time. While our group waited for our runs, we watched a young boy of about 11, nicknamed "Superman," race through several heats, really really fast, beating everyone who drove that day. We started cheering him on, and you could see his grin beneath the helmet.
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| After cleaning off the blood |
I know I am no "superman." But when it was time for our heat, I was determined that no one would pass me. As I rounded the turns, I learned to brake going into turns and accelerate out of them, going faster and faster each time. But I was aghast when I saw someone coming up on my rear. I kept trying to block my follower, but she kept coming up upon me. Finally, I took a turn a little to tight, and ran hard into the curb. The go-cart stopped, but I didn't, flying over the cart (no seat belt!). I was grateful for the helmet, and thankful to God I suffered nothing more than a scraped hand and a bruised ego. The track staff helped me recover, and I drove the car back into the garage. Everyone was terrifically concerned if I was injured, but I was mostly disappointed that no one got a photo of video of the crash. After we cleaned the blood off and put on some neoprene, I asked someone to take a picture of my hand. For posterity.
Meeting Enmy After Nearly Four Years
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Enmy, Cristian,
James and James |
That evening, just before dinner, Enmy and her family came to visit. I have sponsored children in Nicaragua for over fifteen years, and Enmy was the first person I had ever sponsored there. I was her sponsor for the twelve or so years she was in the program, and she was my kindest and most engaged letter-writer. She married Cristian Alexander Rodriguez very soon after leaving the program, and eventually gave birth to James Alexander Rodriguez. This was my first time seeing little James in person, although Enmy and I had been in touch for years, and shared pictures and stories with each other. It was amazing seeing them all finally after so many years.
I have long said that little James is the is the cutest little boy in the world, and he proved that to be true. He was a little anxious meeting me for the first time, although he had been excited that I would finally visit. I gave him a little toy car, and we went to dinner and finally he started playing with it. I started eating my food kind of silly, and he laughed. Finally I told him in a very serious voice, "Don't kiss me!" and his smile broke out in glee. I practically had to fight him off from kissing me after that. When his mom takes a selfie with him, sometime he waits until the last second to put on a really crazy face. His mom has to take several photos just to get a good one. I decided not to post the goofy ones, so as not to overwhelm people with his cuteness.
I also had some time to chat with Cristian, and thank him for being such a good husband to Enmy and a good father to little James. I told him I was proud of him, and he was touched and gave me a big hug.
Attending Church at Project NI-200 "Iglesia Mision Cristiana"
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Worship session at
Iglesia Mision Cristiana |
On Sunday morning, as we were riding the bus to our next church visit, the leaders warned us that we were going to a very conservative church, and be careful of showing piercings or tattoos. We were also warned it was a very loud church. After we got there, we realized what they meant. In the tiny sanctuary, there were large speakers on either side of the podium, and the practicing band had turned the volume up to "11". Four little girls joined the band, and started leading the congregation in worship. Later we learned from the pastor that there are 500 children registered in their program. We sang another round of worship songs, and the pastor asked if someone from the among the sponsors could sing. My tour mates started saying, "James!" After being egged on, I got up and led the congregation in a well-known Spanish worship song, "
Creo En Ti." Somehow I gained even more notoriety among the tour group.
After the brief worship service and two brief messages, we were invited to visited the various classrooms, where Sunday school was already in session, and had fun chatting with the students in each classroom. We finally said our good-byes in an afterglow time in the sanctuary, praying for all the staff who where having such a wonderful impact on the lives of these children.
That's all I could accomplish so far today ... check back later for updates ..
After the brief worship service and two brief messages, we were invited to visited the various classrooms, where Sunday school was already in session, and had fun chatting with the students in each classroom. We finally said our good-byes in an afterglow time in the sanctuary, praying for all the staff who where having such a wonderful impact on the lives of these children.
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