Lake Front Property

Yes, I understand that our team has switched to a new ministry host and I have written no update. So, with five days left in Nicaragua, here is what you need to know about how month three has been.

(Also the bullet points really seem to work well for this so this might become a signature ministry blog thing.) With that being said, here are some things you need to know about Cicrin in Ometepe, Nicaragua

• Team Selah is living on Ometepe Island in Lake Nicaragua, found towards the bottom of Nicaragua. More specifically, we’re staying with a ministry named Cicrin (pronounced “Cee-krin”), formally known as one of the island’s orphanages but is now considered a “private institute.” The campus is no longer deemed an orphanage, but has nine children, staff, and Selah that live on the compound.

• The compound is approximately fifteen minutes from the port city, so we take a smooth truck ride to the strip for some coffee and grocery shopping every Friday. We’ve become friends with the baristas at The Cornerhouse, seeing as we invade their space every week. (Guess where we are now?!)

• The living conditions are quite the turnaround from Honduras. Rather than camping in the jungle, we are living on lake front property (something my dad’s always wanted yet I beat him to it, hehe). We live on approximately five acres of land, so there’s lots of room to wander. If you do go for a walk though, your chances of being bombarded by children are close to 100% since there’s a school on the property that teaches 1st-11th graders. (At Cicrin, you graduate as a Junior.)

• Don’t keep your hands in your pockets. You need them to wave at the dozens of students from the school, fist bump the teen guys that live on campus and hug the little girls that come running to you in the morning. You are always welcomed, no matter where on campus you are. (Although you’re super welcomed onto the soccer field or to play four square.)

• Our food is made for us once more by some amazing cooks. Marta and Valentina make some killer meals. We eat your typical rice and beans, and plantains are frequently found in some way, shape or form on our plates. Our team was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of tortillas given to us in Honduras, and our kind kitchen ladies have recognized that and have cut down severely on the tortillas. (Although Naomi and I made some the other day sprinkled with cheese, and fresh off the fire they are very good.)

• Cicrin is a very structured ministry site, which Selah, a very logistical and routine kinda team, appreciates. We have breakfast at 7:30am, and several of us are up earlier than that to start our day in the Word. Morning ministry is from 8am-11am, and our team can be found split up among campus weeding, watering the vegetation, painting, raking, helping in the kitchen and assisting at the school. We have a bit of time before lunch to rest, and we are often playing cards, calling friends back home or simply chillin’ in the hammocks. After lunch we have an hour or so to rest before jumping back into ministry for the day. The kids’ after-school program is full of young kiddos ready to move and ready to learn, so we teach a Bible lesson (to the best of our ability seeing how all of us speak broken Spanish), play some games, eat some snacks and play some soccer. The other half of the team is busy working at the school. This past week we’ve been teaching the students English. We’ve taught through song, games, drawings, and acting, as well as some homemade Mad Libs. We get “off work” around 4pm, shower (much warmer here than on the mountain- thank the LORD), and have dinner at 6pm. Our evenings are always a gamble. We could be playing four square on the basketball court with the kids that live on campus, having team time, watching a movie all huddled on someone’s bed, or calling it an early night and going to bed before 9pm. Some of us wake up at 3am to intercede in prayer for our team and the staff we’re with.

• There are five dogs on campus: Shaggy, who makes the daily trek to campus on the front of Antonio’s motorcycle (truly a sight to behold), Scooby, Oreo and Toby who are leashed for the majority of the day at their dog houses spotted around the compound, Sparky, an eight-year old Spaniel that belongs to Hellen, our ministry host, and Zoe, the most recent addition to Cicrin’s family. She’s a four week-old Maltese Pekinese mix and is the campus’ babydoll, carried and swooned over most of the day. 

• One of the bigger differences between Honduras and Nicaragua is the weather. Unlike in the mountains where you could guarantee rain every three days, it has yet to rain here. All of our days are sunny and hot (although living next to a lake brings about a constant breeze which has been an absolute blessing), which makes watering the garden a daily task. Instead of mud, we have lots of cracked ground and dry grass, so I find myself rarely wearing shoes, letting myself walk in the soft ash. Although it’s probably from the multiple burn piles we light daily, I like to tell myself it’s volcanic ash. It sounds cooler.

• Oh yeah, by the way, we live between two volcanos. Cool, right?

•  We attend church on Sundays, which is very similar to your regular American church. Three songs to warm up the congregation, a time for offerings, a sermon, and some quick socialization afterwards. The church also hosts a quick Wednesday night service, so we go to that, too. It’s one big building with a small stage and a tile floor, so we turn on the fans and set up some chairs and call it ready.

• I could go on forever about the people that live here and the friends we’ve made. All of the people that live on Cicirin’s property are incredible, so they all at least deserve a brief description. 

Hellen: our ministry host. Has the coolest story about why she’s here. Such a kind and gentle woman. Speaks great English. Her presence is always welcome. Takes wonderful care of us.

Julieta: Hellen’s older daughter. 17. Loves music, so we sing together often. Teaches at the school and loves watching the kiddos grow. Speaks good English (helps with the language barrier). Evident heart for the Lord and for missions.

Dunia: Hellen’s younger daughter. 14. Loves K-Pop. While watching West Side Story we learned we both hate romance movies so we’ve become good friends. Zoe’s #1 fan.

Adrian: Resident of Cicrin. 25. Currently in Costa Rica to visit family. Absolutely hilarious delivery when he tells stories. Father of Zoe and English and Bible teacher at the school. I can out-eat him in pizza, we learned.

Oswaldo: Staff of Cicrin. Works on the property as the Jack-of-All-Trades. Busdriver, painter, gardener, home repairer. Very quiet man. Gives me Milligan from Mysterious Benedict Society vibes.

Eladio: Staff of Cicrin. Seems like the kinda guy that in a different life where you’re an orphan, Eladio was the best friend of your father and has taken you in as his own. He mans the gardens and has a couple of little grandkids in the school. Takes good care of his workers (us).

Karen and Jaksita: The brains of Cicrin. They are everywhere all at once, checking in to make sure that all the kids (including us) are where they need to be. They’re big kids at heart, loving to join in on living life with the kiddos and playing games.

Antonio and Amy: Staff of Cicrin. This married (and expecting!) couple works wherever they are needed. It could be in the garden, running errands, playing with the kids, helping with the plumbing or mouthing off in the kitchen. The kids love them and they set a good example for the kids on what it means to have a loving Christian relationship.

Marta and Valentina: the kitchen ladies. Very kind people. Marta likes her floors clean and Valentina likes her eggs salty.

Moses, Freddy and Noel: the three teenage boys that live on campus. Noel’s your typical kid– loves joking around and confusing Emma. Freddy’s quiet but loves to involve himself in all the shenanigans. Moses is the oldest of the three. He takes care of the dogs and reminds me of a friend from home so we get along great. All three love playing four square with you as the target.

Margarita, Tiffany and Fernanda: the three teenage girls (and Dunia) that live on campus. They all love to giggle and fall into a pile of laughter often. They think all of the “gringas” are very cool, and they love to gawk at our eyes and play with our hair. They’ve already expressed how much they are going to miss us, and they love talking with us.

Julia, Cindy and Ingrid: 6,8,11. three little girls that will greet you at any point in the day with lots of hugs and bright eyes. They LOVE hanging out with us and feel a sense of pride when we go to teach at the school, because THEY get to hang out with us outside of class and that makes them really cool (we’ve all been in elementary school, we all know what it’s like). They all love dancing around and playing with Zoe.

That’s the crew! Of course, you already know my team (see previous blog), but aside from the many students and teachers, that’s everyone! All of these people have made living here so worth it. We’ve prayed, cooked, laughed, played, sang, taught, eaten, learned, built fires and watched movies together. This past month has been a blessing getting to work with these people, and I’m sad to say goodbye. Cicrin has a heavy influence over the entire island, and I’m excited to hear what the Lord has for them in the future. 

As for my team? Unfortunately, it is time for Selah to say goodbye. After this week, our team will dissolve, and we will be sorted into new teams as we travel to Costa Rica for ministry. Will I let you all know as soon as I have information about our new ministry? Probably not, seeing my track record. But I’ll get around to it soon after. 🙂 Thank y’all for tuning in. Next time you’ll hear from me I’ll be full of new stories and experiences to tell, and I cannot wait to share them with you. God is doing some crazy things around the world, and I’m hyped that I get to be one that tells you about it.