Day 2

Good day everyone, it's just me blogging tonight, we had some issues with the connection here and my browser.
Today we began working at Hosanna Sur, the school we'll be most associated with for the rest of the time we're here. We learned a bit about the school, played some games with some of the younger students, and attended a Mother's Day celebration at the school and discovered how hard it is to participate when there is a language barrier. Honestly, this created some frustration among us all as the celebration went long and it was so hot and humid. We then served lunch at the school and ate there as well before we served the students. The meal was a basic root vegetable and beef soup, with vegetables that we've never eaten before. It was basic food that filled you up, but not at all what we are used to in our lives back in Montreal. I got to play with a few of the students, tickling them and they tickled back, no need to Spanish then, just lots of laughter! In the afternoon we painted a base coat on the outside walls of the two classrooms that were recently built, and it was hot!! Don't worry families, we are using lots of sunscreen!
This evening we talked about what we're doing and why, and there was/is some frustration because there are so many needs and it seems like we're doing to little to really help the people here. We talked about how a mission trip is about us being shaped by God as much or more than about the work we do here, work that the local people could just as easily do themselves, and how it's about us becoming more aware of the world we're in. We can accomplish more back home by sharing our hearts and stories with you when we come back than what we will physically accomplish here. Please ask us to tell our stories when we return.
Some important questions were asked:
why are we really here,
what is this mission trip really about,
could the money we paid to come here have been better spent just giving it to the schools here,
what are we really accoomplishing here, etc.

Please pray for us as we wrestle with these questions and as we work at seeing what God is doing here in Nicaragua. Please pray that our hearts will be touched by God as we learn about the ministries happening here, and that we will grow to love the people here as much as God loves them.
Thank you for your prayers and support,
Jacob