The Nicaraguan church that I attended on Sunday morning was putting on an activity for children in El Crucero that afternoon. So, around 2:30 we (we being Moises, Sarah – his fiancé, Laurie and myself) pulled up to a small shack, but behind it they were setting up chairs and a sound system. In less than 30 minutes almost 80 children arrived! It was incredible. They asked me to play the guitar and taught me a new song that I really like, but don’t yet understand because it is in español. Then some of the older students from the church performed dramas and skits for the children. I was extremely impressed. I loved seeing the youth from El Crucero really being involved with the church and the children. It was really cool to see the youth here doing skits, dramas, and dances like I used to do with my youth group in Trussville. What a blessing! Eventually they divided all the children into three groups to do Bible study. The event ended with the children busting a piñata. It was a mad house once the piñata broke. All the children were diving for the candy. Hilarious. It was such a fun experience.
One of the guys that taught me the Spanish song is Rudy. I have a feeling he and I are going to become close friends. He wants me to teach him guitar. He is already pretty good and is an amazing piano player. Two nights ago we played basketball and tomorrow he invited me to play volleyball with some of his friends. This is what I am really here for, relationships. Building close, intimate friendships is one of my biggest desires for the trip. That is where lives are changed for the good, both his and mine.
Leadership classes are now underway. We had our first class this past Saturday. It has taken a while for everything to get started, but that is just the Nicaraguan way. I am getting used to it. Ten minutes usually means more like thirty or more. There are about 90 people enrolled. I teach 4 classes for 1 hour and 15 minutes each on Saturday. It was moved to Saturday instead of four days a week to make it easier for people who have to travel long distances. Now they only have to travel on day. However, that makes for a pretty long day, but the classes are good because the people want to be there and want to learn. Melvin is my interpreter; he is the guy standing up beside me in the photo. I enjoy teaching this class because I am learning a lot about leadership myself. It is a class based on the leadership principles we find in the Bible. And, of course, our main source of information is Jesus. I anticipate there being a lot of discussion from the class. I already had two people get into what could have become a heated argument, but me being the very wise and experienced teacher that I am (ha!), I quickly stepped in and resolved the issue. They were "discussing" whether or not someone is born a leader or if it is learned. After letting them each share a little, I interceded and told the class that we would discuss this issue and then shared a little on the subject myself. After I shared, they both nodded their heads and said, "That's what I was trying to say." I couldn't help from laughing at myself, because if anyone knows me (Beth and Greg) you know that I am never the best with words. I guess that goes to show that I am not the one teaching, He is (pointing up); I am just the body up front.
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