Our group arrived Thursday safe and sound and were excited about providing Christmas for all of the kids at the Remar Orphanage and the refuge homes of the children from the dump. We purchased 600 pounds of rice and beans and Thursday evening the group packaged them for distribution which was scheduled for Saturday morning.
Friday morning the team traveled to a school outside of town to have a Christmas party for the kids. They discovered this area didn’t have electricity or water. They decided this would be a good place to pass out the rice and beans. While the team was doing their activities, Len Rogers and I purchased the materials to redo the kitchen at Hoblas Robles, the home for the little boys rescued from the dump. We purchased a big double sink and all of the lumber, cinder blocks and tile to build in the sink and build new counter tops and base cabinets. They have very nice tile down here but me being an accountant and Len a plumbing supply person, picking out tile is not our forte. We must have done a pretty good job since the woman in charge of this house was very pleased with our selections. The person we hired to do this work did all of the measuring for us and started the job on Saturday.
On Friday afternoon the boys and girls from both refuge houses came to the camp where we are staying for their Christmas party and to receive their Christmas gifts. They all had a wonderful time….at least that is what we were told because Len and I went to Vera Cruz to plan the Christmas party at the New Jerusalem Church for the 92 kids there. This is the seventh year I have had a Christmas party for these kids. The gifts these kids receive at the party, which was scheduled for Sunday (today) will be the only Christmas presents some of these kids will receive. Len and I also purchased another 600 pounds of beans and rice to be distributed in Vera Cruz as originally planned.
Saturday morning we all went to the Remar Orphanage to take the children to the market on their annual trip to buy their Christmas gifts and school clothes. Part of our group took the kids shopping, in two trips, and the rest of our group past out rice and beans in the community. We all gathered back at the orphanage for their annual Christmas party that evening. We have done this every Christmas since we began coming to Nicaragua in 2003. They provided entertainment, doing skits and native folk dances for us and also provided everyone a real “American” meal of hamburgers and french fries. After spending the day with about 60 kids ages 1 to 15 and passing out beans and rice, we headed back to our camp for a much needed rest.
This morning (Sunday), we joined the Children at the Remar Church for two hours of Worshiping our Father God. Their Service includes an hour of singing and dancing and a 45 minute Sermon, in Spanish. After Church our group took the Remar children out for pizza while Len and I went to the New Jerusalem Church in Vera Cruz for their Christmas party. This party starts out with the children singing their Sunday School songs and various kids reciting Bible Verses for us. One of these days I am going to have to learn Spanish! After the kids busted their piñata, Len and I passed out all of the Christmas presents and everyone had a wonderful time. During the party someone brought a cow to donate to the Church. The Pastor and Deacons of the New Jerusalem Church asked Len and I to Bless the cow for them. I have to say I have been asked to do many things in Nicaragua, but this is the first time I have been asked to bless a cow.
Afterwards we met back up with our group and had a nice dinner and recounted our days here together. Len and I have been here for ten days and the rest of our group have been here for four days. We then went back to our camp to pack for our return trip home tomorrow. Our group that arrived on Thursday consisted of ten women and two men. For five of our group this is their first visit to Nicaragua. The great thing for the children we work with here, they know we will be back every year.
I talked to Enrique today and was told the house being built was started yesterday and will be finished next Thursday. Because of the Christmas nature of this trip and the short period of stay, we didn’t do any hands on work but hired local friends to do the actual construction on both projects. I also picked up two additional children to sponsor in school this year. Their school starts in February and runs through November. One beautiful little girl is starting in first grade and one very intelligent boy is going into the sixed grade. The boy’s name is Jordy and he has been taking English class on Saturday’s. It is remarkable how well he is speaking English in only seven months.
I want to say God Bless You to every one of you who make all of this possible. Without you, many of these Children would not get anything for Christmas and some of the kids we sponsor in school would not be able to go. This is the 27th home we have built and without you, these families would still be living in there tin or cardboard shakes. Thank you and God Bless you all!
Merry Christmas and I Pray that you and your Families have a very happy and prosperous New Years!
Jack
Jack W. Mease, CPA
Nicaragua Education, Shelter and Health Fund, Inc. (NESH)
P.O. Box 731
Barboursville, WV 25504
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