Colten P. (Diria)
Well I mean this place is really different from the US the
people here just give of this great sense of joy and love for other people.
Today (Wednesday) started off with a wake up song at 6:30 by none other than
Mr. Brandt and then it was breakfast. After that we all got ready for the day,
we got on the bus and drove to a small church called La Accucion de Maria, then
we broke up into 3 groups and started walking around the community. We were
welcomed by everyone we met, everyone was nice and happy to see us and it was
really cool to see that these people that had never seen us before are letting
us into their homes and letting us meet their families. Later we went back to
the church and had lunch then we started to play soccer with the children from
around the village that we invited to come play and go to mass with us. We
played for like 2 hours and I was dead because we played so long. I met some
really nice people and had a really good day. Have fun at home @mom and dad and
tell Brynna and Alayna I said hi.
Kim G. (Diria)
Hi everyone!
These past few days in Nicaragua have been full of singing, dancing, and making
friendship bracelets. Although these activities are very fun, I can’t help but
feel very homesick. I miss you Mom, Dad, Bean, and Elizabeth! & I want you
to know that I think about all of you constantly. Other than that, so far my favorite thing
that we have done is walk around the small village of Diria. While on this
walk, we saw a beautiful lake where many pictures were taken. After this we ate
lunch and rode a bus to a nearby church, where we met up with the Tepeyac
group. At the church, we saw many traditional dances performed by the locals
and afterwards we all did a bit of dancing and singing, which created a very
energetic environment. Besides this, I would like to say that I am having a
great time experiencing new things. I love you Mom, Dad, Bean, and Elizabeth.
See you in 6 days!
Antonia H. (Diria)
It has been an unpredictable few days in Nicaragua and it’s
almost too hard to describe. The first day I bet everyone felt homesick in this
new place we’d call home for 10 days but after a while, we started to warm up
(literally) to the idea of living in Nicaragua. For the most part the
missioners’ writing so far has summed up the life of Nicaragua. Today was the
day when we got to meet the people of Diria and interact with the children.
Three different groups split up inviting locals to the 4:30 mass we were
hosting as well as inviting young children to an arts and crafts time at 2:00
before the mass. Everyone we came across was so nice and welcoming. While my
group was walking past a food vender, Colten had looked at one of the snacks
asking Ms. Molina what they were. As we went on a few feet past the vender, our
guide told us that she had bought the snacks for us to try. They were
delicious. The people of Nicaragua are true examples of seeing God in
others. I thought of them as smiling
with their eyes showing absolute gratitude of our presence. During the crafts
time, many kids showed up to partake in coloring activities, bracelet making,
and soccer. I have almost zero experience of the Spanish language but I found
that smiling to all of the kids told them that I was glad to be there with
them. I can’t wait for another day with them to build relationships even with
the language differences. Pray for us for the rest of our journey.
P.S. Hey moms, I hope you’re having fun on your vacation.
When you get home, love on Latte (my Chihuahua) for me. Also tell Bryan that I
miss him and love him. Don’t worry, I’m staying safe and I’m having a good
time. I love you guys so much I can’t wait to see you guys, Bryan and Latte at
the airport!
Jason F. (Diria)
Rice Goes with
Everything… Plantains anyone??
It’s very different here. It
has taught me and many others to ask for “un poco mas” of rice, since it will
make anything taste good. We also have a very fair share of plantains. On the
second day, we had a choice of one for all three meals. After that, most of us
will not be eating them for a few days. However, whatever food they make, we
take and thank graciously for, since we know the trouble they take, and we’re
hungry. The people and country are amazing here.
Even though we’ve been gone for
three days (at the time of writing), it doesn’t feel like it. It’s a very
different experience from anything, and we love it. No one has phones, which is
surprisingly liberating; we’re now forced to talk to people. The country itself
is very beautiful. Anywhere you look, you’ll always find a beautiful flower in
the midst of the course forests. It’s kind of like the faith here. Here, you
look anywhere and see poverty and seemingly miserable ways of living, however,
you see the flowers everywhere, whether it is a little cute kid that gives you
a smile as you drive buy in a large bus, or the happiness some of them have
meeting us. It is truly incredible how much love there is in such an harsh
climate. The people have so little, yet, they give almost everything.
We are
strangers to them, in our minds; however, they don’t see us like that. They
treat us like family, giving all they can to please us. A great example was
today. We went to one of the local chapels of the area. As we split up into 3
different small groups in the morning, we were able to see how much they lack.
You don’t need to be good at Spanish to see the simplicity of their living
standards. We all invited them to join us at 2 for games and coloring, and mass
at 4:30. When we came back, it was around noon, so we needed lunch. These
people took so much of what they had, just to feed us and make us feel
welcomed. Giving a generous plate to each one of us, they served themselves
last. It is truly the work of God and they will definitely be the first in my
prayers. I hope that you will keep them in your prayers as well as us.
In
terms of Cistercian, the guys are really embracing everything. We’ve started to
sit with different people and talk (for once).
Diego, Joe, Ethan, Patrick, and Matthew were split from us at a
different location, Tepayac. Everyone’s Spanish is not very good, except Jose
and the Spanish major (Fr. Aug). It is actually quite impressive how much he
knows, he was able translate a spanish homily into English on the spot at the
local big church. Diria, in my opinion, is better, the group as well as the
amenities. We’re having a great time and do not worry about us. Matthew, John, Roland, Jose, and I send “a
ginormous hug (Fr. Aug).
P.S. Hi mom, I hope everything is going well. Make sure you
turn off the power like you said you were going. Make sure Chris gets out of
the house at least twice. Zach, make sure you bought what I told you to buy and
rank me up. Hope Ben and Dad have a good trip at Creighton!
Caleigh B. (Diria)
It’s been a very different past three days but I’m very glad
I decided to come on this trip it seems like it’s going to be quite the
adventure. Once we got off the plane I automatically felt the hot humidity so
my hair is very frizzy (mom you were right). Then we went to a chicken
restaurant and had fried chicken and fries and said bye to Catherine, Kaitlyn,
and Theresa. When I got to the retreat site I was very pleasantly surprised to
see how nice and well taken care of the convent was. We each got out own
individual rooms and bathrooms which was very exciting. Me and Kate have been
together the whole time though and everyone keeps making fun of us so I think
we’re going to be separated at the worksite today L It’s very hot all the time
without any A/C so the cold showers feel really nice. Yesterday we played some
board games during the day and even picked mangos off the tree. It was so cool!
There’s mangos everywhere and they taste so good. The bananas here are also a
lot better than at home. We have coffee here too so that’s definitely a relief.
We went on a walk yesterday to the lake and it is so pretty! All of the little
houses here are painted so colorfully and the people here are all so nice to
us. We went to village later in the day for a Spanish mass so I was very
confused most of the time but the Nicaraguan people danced their traditional
dances for us and it was really cool. We danced with the kids after mass and
they are all sooo cute. The people here are so poor which really surprised me
but they still remain happy and always smiling. One lady at mass randomly came
up and hugged me and smiled and I was so touched because she looked so grateful
that I was here to help her and her family. Then we went back to the camp for
dinner and showers. Today were going to the worksite for the first time so I’m
really excited to see what we do! It’s way more fun here than I thought it
would be so thank you mom and dad for letting me go it’s such a fun experience
and I have already learned so much. It makes me much more grateful for
everything I have at home. I miss you guys a lot though and I’ll see you soon.
I hope your all having fun in Dallas and tell the twins and Dominic I say good
luck on all their sport games! Love and miss you all so much!!
P.S. Jack I hope my streaks are ok, I think I’m having phone
withdraws.
