3rd Youth Night Paul Bens last day

Youth was great once again..I didn't count but it was over 100 im pretty sure..cost a little more to get Santa Matilde there becayse they could not all fit in a taxi and stood in back of a truck..probably about 16 people from there, including 4-5 young men..a great problem to have paying an extra $5-$8 to have more youth trucked in...a taxi brought in probably 8-10 from La Isla.

To start we did limbo down to 2 winners..one boy and one girl..i got polo and lacoste shirts for the 2 winners from the market and i think they were both from Santa Matilde..the first week we did sherades and last week Twister...I had about 40 minuntes of picture and video hightlights from the week, inclduing about a 12 mintue special of just Linda for her 55th birthday...Ben played his violin in the praise band and the lesson was on encouragement.

Tommy, of Candelaria 19 years old that is married to Pastor Jose's daughter Maryuri and the rest of his family are moving to Ohio this coming Wednesday...his dad, who has lived in Ohio for a few yearswas here last Sunday night telling the church he was taking them there..Tommy and his younger sister, who sings in praise band, and younger brother all said their goodbyes tonight and will be truly missed..2 of the 3 are very active in our friday nights and the other is always in attendance

Maryuri is hoping to be moved sometime within 3-4 months but she knows that it might not be that soon..please pray for safe trip for all off them as well as Tommy/Maryuri's marriage.

I am headed to Manauga tomorrow around 10..Tommy & Linda, Scarleth and I are taking the Rexroth's back and picking up the Bacons..the Gables and Bacons will get back to Leon around 4 pm, but Scarleth and I are staying til Leo lands at 7:30 then customs etc could put us back in Leon as late as 10:30.

Really enjoyed the group of 6 and 2 this week, and I know they all enjoyed their time here and already talking about returning...I have been very busy, but will have Monday and Tuesday off while Gables and Bacons travel/vacation

Might go somewhere north with Oscar or I might just catch up on some webpage and computer organization things from Leon..i will add some pics to the last 2 days worth of posts soon, but for now im off to bed

Love you all---thanks for all the support through concern, prayer, and finances
Diego

Linda's 55 & 4 weddings at Once

Linda is 55 and today between working out and her leaving for Manauga for a day with her best friend, Marcela, i dropped her off 6 roses..She loved them!!

She tried to get 8 trunks of baseball equipment that have been stuck in Managua for 10 months but they are not allowing it...she just told them to send them abck to the US and let the people there get them to teams coming down to avoid anymore problems in customs.

I got some quotes in Candelaria for some quality iron soccer goals..for materials and labor for 2 4 meter by 2.5 meter goals it will be more or less $750 US...i am not getting these right away but wanted to talk with the iron man just to have a start...Rob from IHBC talked about making the see-saw iron instead of wood because it is more or less useless right now...they also got some figures about a temporary tent structure under the tress in Santa Matilde while their church is being built

I helped Alfredo finish adding 4 light bulbs in the storage shed behind the church and 2 15-17 yr old boys, Ariel and Alex, watched learned some part of it, which i loved their interest!

A correction to my earlier post that a teenager feel in a fire out of a tree and has 3rd degree burns on both ankles..it was a 9 year old boy..found out today they cannot treat him at Chichigalpa and was taken to Leon and is not doing well...a young man from La Isla passed away yesterday from kidney failure, which is sadly common here.

60 people were trucked over to Canderlaria from Santa Matilde for the weddings and our entire team of 18 was there....some of the men with cold feet from earlier changed their minds again and Tommy married 4 couples all at once...some as young as mid 20s to 70s..it was different but very well done..Daniel played some good music and the congregations of Santa Matilde and Candelaria both enjoyed it

We all came back at ate at the Mediterranean restaurant and Juanita, Oscar, and Scarleth brought a birthday cake..the IHBC group of 6 flies out early tomorrow morning and will be leaving Leon at 4 am! I will take Paul and Ben on top of the largest cathedral in CA tomorrow and show them around Leon until we go to Candelaria around 1 to have Friday night youth.

Take care God bless,
Diego

2 Village Day

Wednesday was a big day in Santa Matilde and Candelaria...The full team went to Santa Matilde at 10...and visited the health department. We then played musical chairs with the kids and some baseball.

Paul, Ben, and Lori continued to see villagers and distribute vitamins and other pills accordingly...One boy had s oy bean in his ear that had to be pulled out and a 9 year old girl had fallen off her bike this past Sunday and Dr. Rexroth told her to get it x-rayed...They told us it would cost 8 cortabas (40 cents) to get it x-rayed and read by a doctor in the next town. The worst case seen was a teenage boy that fell out of a tree into a burning pile of brush/trash and had what they diagnosed as 3rd degree burns around both ankles/shins...the accident happened Sunday and by Wednesday looked infected and possibly threating...Paul got him some bandgaes and ointments that he needs to apply correctly to avoid the infection from becoming worse or even death.

I got a soccer ball at the market and took it to the youth age boys there...they have one donated in January by Greensboro College, but Pastor Walter keeps hol dof it so no one steals it...they told me 2 Sundays ago, when I brought Candelaria over for a game that they needed a ball one of them could keep up with to practice...I gave it to 19 year old, Darwin, because Walter said he is the one that comes to church the most and will keep up with it and is a good team leader.

I left with Tommy and Oscar to get to Candelaria around 1...they had their 12 pastors meeting from 3-5 with an earlier in-house meeting with Pastrana (father of Jose/Wismon/Herman/Nidia)

I met with Alfredo and Alex, 2 of the 3 boys, that did the 16 lights and 10 fans in late January...The storage shed attached to back of church is lightless so we ran a wire for adding 4 bulbs within it Thursday...we also swtiched the previous run switches because the front switch was doing the back 12 lights and the back swtich the front 4 stage area...the coolest part for me was that a 15 year old, Ariel, was watching and holding tools and wasking questions willing to learn from Alex and Alfredo..i got them all soft drinks for the 90 mins we worked and told them we would meet tomorrow about 2 to complete it...We will have it all done with the storage shed running off the stage lights by 3 pm Thursday. The 2 weddings are at 5 pm in Candelaria.

On the weddings, IHBC of Charlotte is here to help in Santa Matilde and when they left Charlotte it was set for Tommy to marry 8 couple on Thursday, by the time they arrived it dropped to 6, and now the cold feet of the men has spread to only 2 couples being married...One couple is Carmen, Sunday School teacher and Youth Leader at Santa Matilde..she is 27 with a 9 year old girl (the bike wrecker possible broken arm) and and a 4 year old girl, Julie, that I am in love with...She is marrying the man that is building the houses for the widows in Santa Matilde..he has already finished 3 in 10 days! I can't recall his name right now!

We had a great dinner at Lobito..they have everything from shrimp to steak to pork ribs and fish..It was 14 of us at dinner and we will have another big dinner tomorrow night because it is Linda's 55th birthday!

Love you all and I want to send a special HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my oldest sister, Ashley Dawn Norman Smith who turned 29 March 5th! Turns out my mom got the birthday present tho..Ashley and her husband, Jeff, flew out to Colorado for a friends wedding and Jacob, my 2 year old nephew, is with Mimi and Papa D (my parents) for 5 days!

Diego

Big Day in a Full Bus

We used the Mercedes van/bus that Freddy drives to go to Santa Matidle today...Scarleth, Linda, myself....then 6 from Charlotte with thier 2 translators (Laura/David) Paul and Ben from Indiana their translator (Enrique) and we picked up Yaidah on the way as well...Tommy had day off to catch up on US contact and Leon things and Oscar did financial things around Leon

The Independence Hills team is buying 3 acres for a church for Pastor Walter..it will also have room for playround and sports fields the land costs $8000...they are also working to raise funds to feed the widows of the village and building houses...a house that was just frames when we arrived at 10 today was finished before we left at 3

Paul looked at probably 40 plus people with different aches & pains, and general questions about health..Ben and Lori hepled passout the prescriptions he announced after each patient's visit..during that time i tlaked with Carmen, mother of 2 girls that is getting married by Tommy along with 5 other Santa Matilde couples this coming Thursday..She is the head of Sunday school at SM and also trying to get more youth members coming to our Friday events at Candelaria.

This afternoon Ben and I played a full field soccer game with about 16 boys ages 8-19 and had a good time while the older members of the group went and visited other land and homes.

We took the van out with everyone to the beach for sunset and seafood...had shrimp again but didnt complain, Paul and Ben dont mind going back either because being form Indiana they have only been to the beach a couple times..and even that was just SC beaches..nothing on the waves and freedom here.

Same plans tommorrow, but Tommy Linda and I will all go to Candelaria about 12-4:30 then come back through Santa Matilde and scoop the rest before coming to Leon.

Visit my newest page of website...US Groups: http://makemsmile.info/usgroups.htm

Groups to learn more about who is here this week and then the others to come

Love u all!!

Diego

MONDAY at BEACH

took paul and ben to Poneloya with scarleth..same beach we went to in january...it was nice...took a taxi there since tommy and linda were off..had a wreck in leon in taxi but nothing too bad..no injuries..beach was nice..enjoyed shrimp at lunch and dinner

6 people from age 18-45/50 flew in for the week from Independence Hills Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC..they are adopting Santa Matilde Church and we will have 8 weddings Thursday that they are paying for

We will have a full crew with Tommy, Linda, myself, driver Freddy, 4 interpreters, 8 guests from US, but very excited for the week ahead..

I am off to bed earliest I think since ive been here, lifting weights starting tomorrow with Tommy at 7 am..bout 2 block walk..excited since i havent been doing anything like that since December 10 or so

Love you all..heard weather there has been a little warmer, I'm thinking of you all often..even if you think im just sitting on beach loving these kids and not missing you, I am..everyday
have a GREAT week!

Diego

GREAT WEEKEND

Friday night youth was wonderful again...spoke on attitude...think it moved a few people..one girl from Santa Matilde was in tears and thanked us all for giving her something to do...another teenage boy in Candelaria came for first time and told us he was so happy to just have something to do because if he wasnt there he would probably be on the corner and thinking about stupid things to do to his body and making bad decisions...i will update more on friday when i get time

saturday was great too..more girls coming to lindas dance class, and then we saw where 2 home have been built in Santa Matilde with the wood that has been in Manauga for 9 months...Paul and his son Ben from Indiana are here from Indiana on Ben;s spring break..he is a senior in high school, and the 3rd of Pauls 8 kids! 4 boys and 4 girls from 23-9! Paul is a general practice doctor and borught a lot of worm medicine vitamins etc

They both helped a lot today in Sunday childrens service...leading some fun and games and the Paul told with boys acting out..Daniel in the Lion's den..always one of my favortie stories as a kid...Paul plays violin and piano..has played both 10-11 years..and he played a couple violin songs i the morning service..and Amazing Grace i the adult church evening service...EXTREMELY talented..and both are 6-2 to 6-4..played a little basketball between services

Tommy spoke tonight...he is preaching every Sunday night at 6 from now on, and taking them through books of the Bible..tonight we started 1 John...headin the the beach tomorrow with Paul, Ben, and Scarleth while Tommy and Linda get a day to do there contacts back to the states etc day off slash all the work they must do withotu going to the villages and Oscar will be going to Manauga with Freddy to pick up our next 6 from Independence Hills Church from Charlotte, NC...the 6 of them plus Paul and Ben will all 8 be here until Saturday

Needless to say, we will be VERY busy but i hope i can get some updates to you all soon!! Leo is flying back in Saturday and when we drop off these 8 we pick up him and another NC couple..ordering Leo's return ticket tomorrow morning...

Please pass on the word if anyone feels led to help with PROJECT LEO...his total cost to me is going to be at least $800 and then we want to get him on some type of monthly salary

http://makemsmile.info/projects.htm

Love u all GOD BLESS!!

Diego