Youth House/Bakery Coming Along

Before leaving for the states, I left behind some donated money to get some of the youth house work done while I was gone. I was hoping to move into it as soon as it had electricity and secure windows, and doors the weekend that I got back from the states. I will actually be moving in sometime before Dec 1.

This week I have been out 4 days to see the progress they are making, and got some pictures in daylight. The secure windows are in place and 2 of the 5 door frames are complete. The walls have been built up and every room is secure with seperate/private entrances to each. All of the electric work is complete with the exception of faces on the light switches and power receptacles. This will be done as soon as all the walls are smoothed. About half of the walls are smoothed now, so I see myself moving in by November 30. I have packed my room in Leon and am ready to get out there as soon as possible.

Sergio has been overseeing the whole project, and has some of the church men and youth aged boys helping a friend of his from Leon lay the block and mix cement. The bakery is being built off the back of the house using what was the kitchen of the pastor's house to connect the youth house and the new structure that goes all the way to the border of the property. The walls of the bakery are about 16 feet tall and within the next week the metal purlinies should be in place to start attaching the roof.

Welcome Back Diego

So Tommy, Julia, and the 3 youth girls all wanted to hang around Leon because they didn't have school with elections yesterday: then parades, celebrations, and riots on Monday. They said they would rather just sit around and hangout at Tommy's house than go back to the village early in the afternoon. So we finally left around 5, and asked me to go with them to see how much of the electric work, doors, windows, finished walls had been done to the youth house and bakery in my 2.5 weeks out of Candelaria.

The girls had a cake that they said was going with us to thank Sergio for all his work on the house, and said a few of the guys would meet us down there since I hadn't seen them in 2.5 weeks. When we got to the church all the lights were out and I assumed power was off so I couldn't see house progress or anyone, but then they flipped the lights on and the whole church had been decorated as a welcome back party youth service for me. They had to delay me in Leon to give the other youth time to decorate and plan activites.



Julia and Itzel MCed and other youth shared special songs and dances. They let me speak about being back and tell some of the things I did on my trip. We had a limbo contest, high jump contest, and other activites. It was very fun to be together and see about 40 people and I didn't expect anything so the youth were very happy. The cake of course turned out to be for me, and as I went to blow out the candles, Itzel smashed it in my face, all the kids ate it afterwards anyways and I got to see some of the house progress in the dark.

GREAT TO BE BACK

I was so happy to get back home on Friday, November 7. I got into Leon between 5-6 and unpacked some things in my room. From here I went to find Tommy, Scarleth, Oscar, and Sergio of the NSMN staff. Tommy had also gone to pickup 3 of our youth to spend a weekend together in the city earlier in the afternoon. All of us went to eat at Hollywood Pizza and then walked around Leon. It was election weekend so there was a big crowd and live music at the central square.

Saturday we took a trip to Granada and Managua to bless Itzel, Cony, and Kenia from our youth group and bible study. We spent the afternoon at the lake and on top of Mombacho Volcano. In the evening we walked around the newest mall in Managua and the girls all got new dresses. We planned to watch a movie together at the nice theater, but the girls said they were to tired so we came back into Leon for the night.

With mayor elections Sunday, we couldn’t have church service, and schools were out Monday so we had more time getting to know the girls and building relationships. Sunday morning we had a bible study in Pastor Tommy’s living room, and asked the girls about there favorite parts of the weekend, what else they wanted to do with a day and a half left. We went to a swimming pool at a hotel in Leon for the afternoon, got dinner, and then watched a movie with popcorn at Tommy’s.

On Monday we hung around and had a lazy day until we went out for a “look at what they have done to the house, drop the girls off night” that turned out to be a welcome back Diego party.