The Last Day

Today we finished building the chicken coop.

From left to right: Bethany, Christine, Amanda, Liz, and Chloe cleaning the metal that was part of the chicken coop's roof. 

I mentioned in a previous post that the chicken coop will benefit Daniel and Jessenia's ministry by providing eggs to the children's home, Casa Libertad y Sanidad, and it will begin to generate a revenue stream that will help move the ministry toward self-sustainability. 

The finished chicken coop.  

It would be an overstatement to say that our team was good at construction. We weren't. If it hadn't been for Francisco and Juan Carlos, two men who work at the farm where we built the chicken coop, the chicken coop would most likely be lopsided. Working with Francisco and Juan Carlos taught our team that even with a language barrier you can communicate, work together, and accomplish something good.  

After finishing the chicken coop Jessenia brought all of the children and the house moms to the farm. We spent time interacting with the children, eating ice cream, and playing a two-hour soccer game.  

Earlier in the week I promised pictures of the children. Here they are.  

Margine.  

Diana.  

Jan.  

Elias (brother to Diana) with North Way missionary, Daniel Bain. Daniel and his wife, Jessenia, run the children's home, Casa Libertad y Sanidad.  

Bianca and me (Dennis).  

Jeremy. He's the youngest in the home and he is Bianca's brother.  

Tatiana and Petrona, one of the house moms.  

At dinner tonight our team talked about the emotions we felt saying good-bye to the children. Several team members mentioned how hard it was to say good-bye to Tatiana. She is the oldest child in the home. Tatiana will turn 15 this month. In Nicaragua turning 15 is a big deal. Jessenia described turning 15 as being the age at which a girl becomes a young woman, when she becomes a lady. It's the age when the child is no longer considered a child. When I talked to Tatiana about her birthday she was very excited. 

Yet, Tatiana was the one child our team had the hardest time saying good-bye to. Her parents, Demarys and Cesar, mentioned in an earlier post, said that there wasn't anything good about being parents and that they look forward to the day that the children are out of the house. In Tatiana our team has seen what the lack of sacrificial love does to a child. She is emotionally distant, yet desires to be noticed and loved just as much as the youngest child in the home. Only she won't go out of her way to get it. She needs people to see her and move towards her. Our team did that this week. Daniel and Jessenia do that every day.  

Our team also talked about how saying good-by wasn't as difficult as they had expected. They connected that to knowing that when our team leaves the children will still be well cared for and loved. Daniel and Jessenia are not leaving. They have been called and equipped by the Spirit for their ministry. And they will not leave their post. For those of you who know Daniel, he will obey the Lord and stay at his post until his God and King gives him new orders. So, our team is sad but not broken-hearted. We know that tomorrow each child will wake up and be deeply loved while we return to our lives in Pittsburgh.  

We have been blessed to partner with Daniel and Jessenia this week. At dinner Daniel spoke to our team about how encouraging and life-giving the week was for him. He spoke about how much it means to him that we got to know the children and that more people from his home church know firsthand the work he and Jessenia are doing.  

Tonight our team will gather one last time to talk about returning home. About making our lives inside of God. About how this week can be the start of something brand new. About how all that we learned this week can change us and the people that we will return to.  

I'll make another post in the morning that will bring together one of the main things our team has been learning this week.