Musical Summary

As a summary, here is a video with a brief look at some of the activities the team undertook on this project and a short message from Pastor Ed to the church that sent them.  

Enjoy!

song "Carry Me to the Cross" by Kutless 

from the album Believer

The trip back home

Bright eyed and bushy tailed the group arrived at the lobby of the hotel for 4:15 AM.  We boarded a shuttle bus in two groups and made our way to the Managua airport.  It's a good thing we arrived when we did as there were many people that showed up after us and made the line quite long.  The airline must have noticed that we were a large group and had pre-printed our boarding passes so all that was left was checking the luggage.  Laureen was pulled aside to show them the medical kit from SP.  They went through all the medications in the bag and then allowed it to be checked.

There happened to be a number of merchants open in the Managua airport, so those who were inclined to shop did a little more.  We boarded the flight and the 4 hour trip to Houston seemed shorter as I think most of us had a little nap along the way.  Arrived in Houston on time and made our way to the courtesy room that they had for us. Here we had lunch, played some games and some people napped on the couches (I think there was even more shopping going on here as well).  The Edmonton group had the longest layover (6 hours), and were the last to leave.  Lorraine was the first one out - heading back to Yuma via LA.  Bill, our SP team lead was the next out , a few hours before the Edmonton crew.

The flight to Edmonton seemed long even though it was only about 5 hours.  Todd was dealing with some stomach issues so we were all watching to make sure he was OK.  Mentioning the word "rice" to him was almost enough to make him dash to the bathroom.

We arrived in Edmonton pretty close to the scheduled time (about 10:00 PM).  A number of flights had come in at the same time so we waited for what seemed like a long time for our luggage to appear on the carousel.  As far as I know, all of our luggage made it to Edmonton.  Outside of customs, as each person came out there was a loud cheer from those who were waiting to pick up loved ones and group members who had already come out.

Thank-you again for all your support for this team.

Curt
(for the Nic Team)

All Good Things...

We woke up early this morning (before 5:00 AM) so that we could be ready to have a little breakfast before leaving Pastor Ed and Ligia’s house before 6:30 AM.  We needed to be at the Bluefields Airport to ensure that we got on our flight.  There were a number of emotional goodbye’s as we have made so many friends and built so many relationships with the people here.  I think we were all surprised to see the tears streaming down Margaret’s face as she hugged each one of us.  Margaret – you have no idea how your actions have affected us as a team.  We hope and pray that your strength of character and faith in God stands firm for a very long time.  Pastor Ed & Ligia have been such gracious hosts – it was very hard to say goodbye to them.  We pray for God’s power to lift you up - each and every day.

The plane we boarded was one of the newer ones for Los Costanzas – it was a twin turbo prop – with about 50 seats.  We even got a beverage service (first time for me that this has happened).

Waiting room in Bluefields

Boarding the plane.

We arrived in Managua to be met by Laroux, who assists SP teams getting in and out of Nicaragua’s capital city.  He had a yellow school bus pick us up and then drop us of at a large market where the girls got to release some of their pent up shopping tension.  Most of the team got back on the bus and went for lunch at a nice place in Managua that served some of the best rice in Latin America (or so I was later told).

Curt, Laureen and their three boys had a special treat as they were able to meet up with their Compassion Canada sponsor child and his mother.  Very few sponsors have the opportunity to meet the children they sponsor.  What an amazing experience this was.

The Blais Family with Gerardo and his Mother

Back to the Hotel for a short swim or nap (or both) before getting ready for our last supper.  It was an amazing meal, out on the deck to enjoy the beautiful warmth of this place.  At the end of dinner, we made our way to a meeting room where we shared with each other some of the high’s and lows of the experience.  There were certainly many more high’s than lows.  We closed the evening in prayer.

Tomorrow is a very early start (need to be up at 3:30 AM), so you will forgive me if this posting is a little brief.

We expect to arrive in Edmonton tomorrow just before 10:00 PM – and are looking forward to being reunited with family and friends.

I’ll post another blog tomorrow from Houston.

Please pray for rest for the team and traveling mercies for all.

(You may want to bring warm clothes for those you are picking up at the airport)

Curt
(for the Nic Team)

Our Last Day in Bluefields

The day began almost as any other with our worship time and devotional.  Our designated worship leader had a difficult night sleep, so we sang our three songs acapella and Liz took on our devotional.  She relayed a number of stories from her past related to miracles.  It was inspirational to say the least.

We hopped on the bus and headed for the work site – minus a couple of bodies who were staying behind (Juanita to get some rest, Todd with a slightly upset stomach and Cathy with a sore ankle).  We arrived with things ready to go so we began mixing cement and after 3.5 batches we had completed all of the concrete support work for the roof.  In speaking with Umberto (who is the project manager), he says he never expected us to get as far as we did.  Some of the materials for the roof (tubing steel and zinc sheets) will be ordered from Managua and the workers will continue after setting up the gables on either end.

Just before we began mixing cement, one team member had a little fall.  Shirley was coming around the side of the building when her foot caught on some re-bar cages that were lying beside the building and at the same time her foot slipped off the curb.  I was just about to go up the stairs and heard that dull “thud” sound when someone hits the ground.  As I wheeled around I saw Shirley head first into the small 12” gully by the building.  She scraped her knee, elbow and shoulder - as well as getting a scrape and slight cut near her left ear – but she was completely alright.  That could have turned out much worse – but thanks be to God that she was relatively unhurt.  A few moments later, she was joking about the incident.

We had an amazing group of guys working with us: Noel (the lead), Namessio and Antonio.  These guys were such incredibly hard workers and patient to work with us who knew very little Spanish.  We also had many times of laughter as we attempted to joke with them in a mix of Spanish and English.  I think we all will remember them dearly.

The last day's work group

Nathanial and Timothy worked hard on the rocks for the “round about” project that they added to our task list.  It turned out pretty good.  Umberto indicated that they would pack it down and then place some rebar and more forms and eventually fill it with concrete.  This will make turning around down at the bottom easier when things are wet.

The "round about"

Overall, we made tremendous headway on the school building and our reputation of being a very hard working team stays intact.  God gave us great weather and great strength as a group to push forward.

As we reflect on our time here I think that if we were to describe it all in one word it would be “community”.  We connected with many different people and groups during our time here – building friendships and planting seeds.  Pastor Ed has continually said that us being here was a great blessing for him.  I know that each of us has special memories already of this project and many lives within the community have been touched.  From food hampers to the very poor to curtains at Casa Materna and gifts and prayer at the girl’s orphanage – God has truly been moving here amongst us.

Tomorrow is an EARLY day to the airport so that we make sure to catch the first plane to Managua.  Pastor Ed is actually going to Managua for an appointment as well, so we will say our goodbye’s there instead.
Please pray for travelling mercies and continued protection for the team.

Curt

(for the Nic Team)

Nearing the Finish Line

Hope of the Nations and Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing were our worship songs this morning, with Juanita playing the guitar we borrowed from Verbo Church.  She has been a true blessing sharing her artistic talents and leading us in songs each morning.

Morning worship.

Monica used the verses from Romans 12:2 and Phil 4:8 to help us focus on how we can renew our minds and fix our thoughts on God.  If we focus on truth, His word and in His hope we can overcome dificult circumstances. Zachary gave the second part of the message, that the Lord will never leave us or forsake us and it was heartfelt as he recalled the motorcycle accident with his dad and how the Lord protected them both.  There was barely a dry eye among our team.  Reading from Psalm 32:7 and leading us in prayer he gave thanks to our Father for safety and continued protection at the construction site. It was an incredible morning and we haven’t even left Pastor Ed’s house yet.

Curtains were completed this morning, thanks to the finishing touches by Cathy.  Juanita painted flowers on two pieces of scrap wood for wall decorations.  Casa Materna will be beautified as a result of their labour and love in this vital service to the community of Bluefields and surrounding area.

Kathy the seamstress

Edith, Juanita and Lorraine went to the Verbo Church feeding station, where over 80 children received a nutritious lunch.  They made a special “school bus” craft and coloured pictures with the children.

80 kids at the feeding station

Chefs at the feeding station

Our double daily dose of rice was enhanced by Curtis with Ketchup!  This caught on as it somehow transformed it into what seemed like more of spaghetti experience.  Todd made his special rice into a volcano erupting with Ketchup.  I guess it’s a good occurrence for us, as many people around the world eat rice like this every day.  It makes us more thankful for what we do have back in Canada.

There was much action at the “round about”.  Our fearless SP leader Bill managed to strike a PVC water line with a pick axe.  This created a little diversion from the task at hand and quite a bit of ribbing for Bill.  I think someone saved the broken piece and it may turn up later in the trip.

Bill holding the broken water main

The space created by Bill

The forms for the curb for this little project were completed and some re-bar was tied into the space.  We mixed almost all of the concrete required for this before lunch (completed one small mixing and pouring after the lunch break).  Even Pastor Ed jumped into the foray and was mixing concrete with the crew.  He described how is father had shown him how to do this, but encouraged him to find less laborious work.  We are so glad he did as Bluefields is not the same place as a result of his faith and efforts.

Pastor Ed joining in the cement fun...

Next we climbed back up to the second story of the school building and completed the tying of the wire and then framing in the beams on the center walls of the building.  This is slow and tedious work.  They also prepared the sand and gravel for two more pours of concrete. At the same time as this was going on, a few of the gals went to Casa Materna, hung the curtains and passed out gifts to the moms that were present.

Monica at Casa Materna

Liz & Shirley hanging curtains

Juan and Owenda prepared another amazing meal for us for dinner; breaded turtle cutlets.  Although these creatures are endangered, they are somewhat of a staple in Nicaragua given the difficult circumstances.  We consider this one of the unique experiences of our presence here.

A few more items that occurred during the day:

• Shirley went with Margaret to support her with the ladies knitting class
• Juanita, Lorraine and Margaret visited Louis in the hospital today after his operation on his arm.  Please pray for healing and relief of the pain
• a few of the gals (Laureen, Kathy, Edith & Ligia) made a quick trip to the market downtown to pick up a few things.

Tomorrow will be a reasonably busy day at the site and our last full day in Bluefields.  It’s hard to believe we are nearly at the end of our work here and will be home soon.  Thank-you for your continued thoughts and prayers, we are very grateful for your support.

Lorraine & Curt
(for the Nic Team)

Another Busy Day...

It’s 7:00 AM and all the children in the VERBO School are standing at attention ready for the SHBC Nic Team devotion presentation.  Unfortunately, our regular form of transportation (a small bus) did not show up at the designated time, so Pastor Ed began shuttling the group in priority order.  Students enjoyed a short skit about giving your heart to Jesus and you could hear the laughter and see the smiles of the entire audience.

Student Assembly

When the second group arrived in the “Pastor Ed Express”, they jumped up on the stage in preparation for a rousing bilingual rendition of “Open the Eyes of My Heart”.  Zachary and Timothy presented two sewing machines and some physical education equipment to the school purchased with funds that they had collected at Florence Hallock School.  A variety of other items were also presented at this time.  The team then broke into small groups and went into each classroom to give individual gifts to each student and teacher, compliments of funds raised at the McLeod School Penny Carnival.  A highlight of the gifts was the individual post cards the McLeod students had made.

The Sewing Machine

Appreciative recipients.

A few people walked back to Pastor Ed’s house for breakfast and others rode in his truck.  Cathy Cosgrove stepped in a low spot and twisted her ankle.  Nothing serious – but she stayed back at the house and worked on sewing drapes for Casa Materna accompanied by Liz.

Pastor Ed's Shuttle

Late start at the job site today.  Curtis, Kevin and Todd began tearing down forms and getting ready for the next stage (moving the forms to new locations).  The rest of the crew started a brand new project creating a “round-about” at the bottom of the hill at the school.  This required quite a bit of digging and swinging the pick-axe.  A few trees needed to be moved – however this proved to be too difficult to do so the trees were just removed.  After some of the palm leaves came down, some of the students showed us how to weave the palm leaves into a form of decoration.

The Palm Branch Decoration

Machete’s were flying, Pick-axes were swinging and shovels moved the earth.  Guess who the machete Queen is (post it in your comments)?  As the sun beat down upon us we saw the first signs of fatigue.  The hard work is taking its toll. Thankfully there was a slight breeze today.

THE POWER TEAM!

Clump of Coconut Tree Roots

Shirley, Margaret, Edith and Kathy went to the girls orphanage to hand out stuffed animals, tooth brushes and tooth paste.  They also visited two other schools to present gift packages to the children in attendance. Liz and Cathy made a trip to a school in the quarry area bringing soccer balls purchased with money from Liz’s grandson.

The girls at the orphanage

The ladies left the job site at 3:30 and Kevin and Bill caught their second wind and pushed the remaining crew to greater accomplishments. 

Work At The Top

Our usual team meeting was made even more special with a presentation from the team to Esther (Pastor Ed’s daughter) and her fiancé Davis of a small pre-wedding gift.  They were very surprised and thankful.

Team Meeting.

Lorraine thought we had turtle for dinner – but it was really KFC! I guess we’ve been working her too hard!

Tomorrow our target is to pour a little more concrete, either on the school building or the round-about.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers.  We are so thankful for your amazing support.  We can feel you praying for this team.

Curt, Todd & Lorraine
(for the Nic Team)

Big Work Day!

Once again, we awoke to an amazing breakfast!  Juan made us eggs and cereal and bread.  The food is really as good as I've been writing!

Shirley did the devotional this morning and she related how we need to be more like warts.  Yes, that is correct, warts.  Warts are hard to get rid of, have deep roots and transfer rather easily.  We all will remember this one!

The bus arrived at the usual time - 8:15 AM.  Pastor Ed had indicated that the driver had been experiencing some hard times, so we gave him a food hamper and prayed with him.

When we arrived at the work site the locals were hard at work.  They ARE hard workers.  They were completing the forms so that we could mix and pour more concrete.  We had to haul water from the well further away from the site as the close well appears to be too low.  Kathy was specifically assigned to work over there (Just sayin')!

Woman at the well? (OK one cute kid too)

We also had to haul the 20 bags of cement up to the second floor of the building.  They weigh about 100 lbs.  I personally carried 1200 lbs of it up the ladder. I think we mixed 8.5 batches of concrete (a new SHBC record)!  We poured the headers for three rooms (on one side) and on two sides for two of the rooms.  Each batch of concrete consists of 5 wheel barrows of sand, 5 wheel barrows of rock and 5 bags of cement.  Add 8 buckets of water (5 gallon pails) and a tiny bit of labour (6 people and 15 min of mixing).  We are all quite tired after this one.  The sun has no mercy on us, although the occasional cloud helps lessen its strength.

Mixing the mixture!

Filling the header forms. The man in the green shirt on

the right side is Noel, our foreman.

Special note: for the first time on this project, Edith Hanna got dirty.  We were all amazed!  I personally have no idea how she stays so clean.  She works right along side us – but her force field keeps the splashes of concrete off of her clothes.  I’ll have to ask her how she does it.  Someone got pictures, but they did not give them to me yet.

Cathy went to bed early tonight as she spent the day with Margaret!  They went to many places picking up materials, visiting people in the hospital (went to pay for Louis’ operation) and other items.  She picked up the material for the curtains for Casa Materna and will sew them tomorrow.

Laureen, Kathy and Pastor Ed went on a short trip to pick up some items for the School from the money that was raised.  They brought home some speakers, two sewing machines and some miscellaneous items.

Our old friend George was here painting at Pastor Ed’s house so we sat and talked with him for a while.  He told us his story about giving up drinking because of a dream that he had about his uncle who had died from alcoholism.  He’s been clean for over a year now and is exuberant about how he has Christ.  What a great story.

Another incredible dinner of a beef stew, rice and coleslaw.  Juan and Owenda are amazing.

Tomorrow we will be a part of the devotional as the start of the school day.  We have a drama planned, we will be singing a song (Open the Eyes of My Heart), and I will be praying.  After that, we will be distributing the school supplies that were purchased from McLeod school to the various class rooms.  Then - back to the work site!  There is no time for rest now as we are only a few days away from heading home.

Thank-you yet again for your thoughts and prayers.  We can certainly feel them.

Curt
(for the Nic team)