After a long day of travel, we have safely returned to the United States with many wonderful memories, awesome pictures, and a reminder of our many blessings! How we take for granted the little things, such as running a tap with drinkable water and flushing toilet paper!
Some final team reflections:
Ariela - "This was such a good team to travel and hang out with - we had a wonderful time serving, worshipping, laughing, and talking! A few things I'll always remember:
1. Jared holding a little girl by the hand, telling us that she was the sister of friends that were involved with the filter training
2. Janelle befriending a troubled orphan and genuinely enjoying spending time encouraging him
3. Tim running down the bank to the river to collect water samples
4. Eric playing ball with and high-fiving the little boys in the village
5. Rachel and her gel pens; she brought joy to many children by drawing pictures on the back of dark brown hands
6. Zac always making us laugh with his observations and unique take on things
7. and Linnet and her babies; I loved watching her eyes light up as she held those precious little ones!"
Eric - "My highlight was definitely being able to interact with the kids. They were so excited to see us and even though there was a language barrier, we had so much fun! It was also rewarding to install 3 drinking water filters; to know that the children in the orphanage will be receiving clean water is a blessing!"
Janelle - "Our time in Nicaragua was fantastic - we met so many amazing people, it was so hard to say good bye! One of my favorite people I met was a boy named Fransisco; he made the girls a flower out of a palm leaf and later showed me how to make more things. He was just so fun and brightened my day! I also really enjoyed passing out water filters to people in the village. Seeing the sense of accomplishment on people's faces after the completed the class and earned their filter was really rewarding!"
Linnet - "I am always amazed at how much God can do in a person's life in just a little over a week. I was reminded time and time again during the trip that everything is in His timing. He knows every detail of our lives and the lives of those around us. He wants us to do our very best for Him, and even when we cannot see the final outcome of our actions, He is still at work!"
Tim - "The trip was amazing!! I am so thankful for all of the wonderful experiences! My highlight was the stay in the village and installing the filters at the orphanage. I'm thankful for the lessons learned and relationships built!"
Personally, I was stretched outside my comfort zone to be flexible when plans changed, challenged to be still in God's presence, and reminded to give thanks for all my blessings. Visiting the Feeding Program on Monday and seeing the hundreds of kids sharing this one simple meal (on bucket lids, Frisbees, random bowls, etc.) really touched my heart!
Thank you for supporting us these past ten days - we felt and greatly appreciated your prayers!
May God bless you and keep you. May His face shine upon you (:
- Rachel
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