Hola Amigos!

I hope that you are enjoying your weather up there; cool nights and warm days. We sure are enjoying our hot nights and sweltering hot days here.

This morning we went back to the staple of beans and rice for breakfast (the toast was very popular this morning), and soon after went to the worksite. From there we once again split into three groups, one construction, one painting, and one to the school. A small group (Aidan Hibma, Dave Edwards, Jim Burrows and Peter Struthers) also headed out early this morning to Managua to pick up the contents of our shipping container - more to come on that further down.

Today was my first day with the school group, and I really was glad that I went. We went to the kindergarten and grade one classes and did crafts as well as some songs and prayers with a little help (okay, a lot of help) from our awesome translator, Francis. It doesn´t matter where you go in the world, kids are kids. They love to play games, sing songs, make crafts, and occasionally swarm you until you give them stickers.

After lunch, we all headed back to the worksite and continued building walls. Our painters had finished the inside and decided to take on the outside of the clinic. The dedicated painters of Joan Burrows, Mary Frook, and Ruth Barwell have many a clothing stain as proof of their hard work. There is only one more row left to do on the pharmacy, and then the rest is finicky stuff dealing with the windows and sloping the walls. Hopefully all of this will be done by tomorrow.

Just as we were packing up to go back to the hotels, a gigantic tin can of a truck filled with the contents of our container bulldozed its way to the clinic. Our crew of four then jumped out and as we were unloading the contents told us of their epic adventure to Managua and back.

First off, there was not enough room on the way down for all of them to fit in the cab of the truck, so Peter and Aidan made like the Nicaraguans and rode in the back. This was all fine and dandy until it began to rain, at which point the ponchos came out. The ride from Chinandega to Managua took our group 2.5 hours, but their driver did it in an hour and a half or so. They nicknamed him Mario, after Mario Andretti, and conveniently, Mario´s spedometer was out of whack.

They met a bigger truck down there (the tin can as it was referred to above), and jam-packed it full of the contents of our container. After everything was in place (no one had to ride Nicaraguan-style this time), the tin can wouldn´t start. After some pushing by our men, it started up nicely, the only problem being you couldn´t turn it off (it was at around this time during the story that I noticed the tin can was still running as we were unloading it at the clinic).

After a couple stops made to cool off the overheated engine, the boys and the goods made it back safely to Chinandega.

After dinner our group had a meeting on what to do with the remainder of our contingency funds. There are so many well worthy options that we have, we can´t possibly choose wrong, we just have to make a decision. So far, we have decided on a washing machine for the clinic, repairations of the roof, sending money to Julio and his family (the boy with cancer who can´t afford to travel for treatments), a basketball hoop, some cleaning supplies, a medicine shaker (there must be a more technical term), and bulletin boards. There are many others that are under deliberation but as I said, every option is great, it´s just hard deciding which is greatER. Once again, our team would like to thank everyone for your contributions to our mission and it´s cause, we are so blessed and fortunate for your support.

Goodnight from Nicaragua, may you have a cool, comfortable sleep.

Jamie Boley