Update | THE CHANPA PROJECT

Hello Everyone.

Sorry for the quiet week or so after our initial fund raising campaign. We wanted to send out an update on the Chanpa’s so that those of you who have been praying or donating could see what we have been up to.

Jonathan Levis and I going to
Tolas Maydas from Camp

The best news of all is that it has not rained in Nicaragua for a week. So the water level has gone down a few inches. This doesn’t mean that we are out of trouble completely, but it does mean that living in the town of Tolas Maydas just got a little bit better for hundreds of people. Many people however are still flooded from their homes and are now completely moved into their new Chanpas where they will stay until early 2011. If a hurricane were to hit today, Tolas Maydas would feel the effects, but the families with new Chanpas would be protected from any possible flooding.

So far the weather forecast for October looks good and we do not anticipate any more problems.

One of the trees used for lumber

After our initial fundraising campaign we began receiving donations quickly. We had several good friends of Campo Alegria step up and commit to fronting the money right away to purchase the materials as the rest of the donations flowed in. Right away we were able to raise enough in commitments to order the supplies from Managua and wait a few days for them to arrive on site (our city Rivas was out of stock on everything we needed).

A Chanpa before the Plastic was
applied

One of the families checking out their
Chanpa on a construction day
(with roofing)

With permission granted from the Mayor we quickly cut down two Mango trees in our area and hired a lumberjack to begin slicing 2X4’s to use as construction of the Chanpas. Once the wood was ready we had the delivery trucks show up and deliver the supplies to the households in need. The families began building their own Chanpas immediately with the help of supervision from Campo Alegria.

Building the Frames

The families were incredibly grateful for the project and nothing of this scale has ever been done by a non-profit in this community before.  Many people were speechless and some wanted to know what “the catch” was going to be in the end. We explained that there was no "catch", only great people in the U.S. that wanted to help a community in need and so they gave what they could until everyone got help.

As all of the families moved to their new Chanpas the school was then opened and the students have now returned to a normal class schedule.

A mother and her 3 month year
old baby trying out their new
Chanpa on construction day

It has been such a blessing to be a part of this project. I want to thank everyone who was involved in making it happen. Thank you to those who helped us spread the word for our cause on Facebook and thanks to those who prayed for the plans and the people in Tolas Maydas. Thank you to those who sent in checks and donated online via Paypal, without your support this couldn't have happened like it has. Last but not least, a special thank you to those who stepped up immediately and joined together to front the money needed to order the supplies asap, without your help the Chanpas would not have been completed so quickly or efficiently.

As many of you know my family and I will be departing from Nicaragua this December and heading back to the states. The ministry of Campo Alegria will continue on under the current leadership of Chop Point Inc. and there will be continued year around camps and ministry in effect.

Please pray for my family during this transition, leaving Nicaragua is hands down the hardest thing we have ever done as a family. We will miss the people of Nicaragua dearly and will continue to stay connected via our close and lifelong friendship with the Chop Point family.

I have learned so much about myself, about others and about the Lord from serving in Nicaragua for the past three and a half years. I want to thank Chop Point for giving us the opportunity to be a part of something very special and to all of the people who have come beside us on mission teams and as volunteers during our time here. Thank you so much to those of you who have kept us in your prayers and to those who have made it all possible with your financial donations towards our families involvement. We have made so many friends; we hope to remain connected with everyone as we return home in December.

God Bless,

Adam

The Chanpa Project

http://www.thechanpaproject.com/

Due to the massive amount of rain we have received in Nicaragua thousands of families have been pushed out of their homes.  It has recently come to our attention that our neighbors down the beach in Tolas Maydas are in need of help.  To see how Campo Alegria could help we decided to go check out the situation.

The road into the village was covered in water and was so deep our truck barely passed through. Water has funneled from the sugar cane fields, across the road and right into the homes. The ground is saturated with the continuous rain and the water levels have risen so high there is no where for it to drain. While some families have felt the effects more than others, most homes have been effected.  At some houses the water has rose just high enough to be inconvenient, resulting in walking through a bit of mud to reach the door step. While other houses have become islands, surrounded by water on all sides. In both of these scenarios the families are able to continue living in their homes. However, other families were not so fortunate. For them the water has risen high enough to fill their homes with a couple feet of muddy brown water.

 

On our way back through the village we visited the school where the families had relocated.  About 20 families total where packed tightly together in five classrooms.  There was one shared pot for all twenty families to cook in and the mayor graciously donated five days worth of rice and beans.  However, after the week is through the families will be own their own.  "Where do the kids go to school now that everyone is living here?" we asked.  One man explained there hasn't been school since they moved in.  Soon though, some classes will start in the church while others will meet in homes. 

 

The situation certainly is not ideal.  We wanted to help in a way that would be of long term assistance to the community and find a way to open up the school.  Aftermulling over a couple of ideas, talking with several families in the community and speaking with the mayor we finally settle on this idea:  The Chanpa Project

 

Click here to learn more about what we are doing.

St. Johns Lutheran | Orchard Park, New York

Here is the latest Campo Alegria (animoto) video from St. Johns Lutheran Church in Orchard Park.
See more about their trip on our Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Campo-Alegria/186381083073
Thank You St. Johns ... we miss you already!!

Karla

These past seven days have been the most rewarding, challenging (both emotionally and physically) and inspiring days I've had since I got here. Last Wednesday we welcomed an incredible mission team from St. John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, NY to campo. As an introverted and often shy person, especially in large groups, I unexpectedly found myself making connections with almost everyone in the 20 person group of adults and teenagers. It's amazing how quickly you can get to know people and build relationships within only a few short days of community living.

For the first time in my experiences here at camp we visited the stomping grounds of the children who came to camp for the weekend before they arrived; in this case they came from the Granada dump where the children don't actually live, but spend most of their days with their families picking through the trash to find re-sellable items (usually adding up to about $1 per day). Seeing exactly where these kids come from made our time with them so much more impactful... and heart-wrenching at the same time.

For this particular camp I was able to be a team leader, another first for me. This means staying in the cabins with the kids and leading a group of girls throughout their activities each day. I was also accompanied by two teenaged girls from the Buffalo team who truly put all of their heart and soul into loving the children, which made leading a group of hard-knock girls a little bit easier.

On the second and final night in the cabins many of the girls who had never been away from their parents in their lives were feeling pretty homesick. I forgot to mention that this group of kids ranged from the age of 4-14. The cabin this night was filled with sounds of tearful children and the soothing voices of the team trying to get them to sleep. When the cabin was finally still I noticed Karla, the oldest of the girls sitting upright in her top bunk silently brushing away tears. I climbed up with her and with the best Spanish I could muster up in my sleepy state I learned that she missed her parents and that this was her first time away from home. I asked her if she believed in God and she said yes and I asked her if she prayed, to which she also nodded her head. So for the first time ever I prayed with one of the campers. I gave her a big hug and we talked a little more until she said she was ok to go to sleep.

The next day Karla was filled with life and energy. She was my new buddy, at my side whenever she could but made sure to take part in the fullest during each activity. She probably went down the giant water slide that many of the girls feared at least 10 times, beaming with excitement and happiness. She was beautiful. I couldn't help but be proud for her parents at what an amazing girl she was. I wish they could have seen just how happy she was at camp.

When the time came for the kids to get on the bus and go home I thought like every other time the kids went home I'd be ok. Sad...but ok. This time Karla gave me the biggest, longest most heartfelt hug a kid at camp as ever given me. Then she got on the bus and was lost within the kids for a bit until she peeked through and smiled at me. And then I lost it. I still think about that moment and I still lose it. I miss her. She's one of the kids that I would love to find again somehow and be a part of her life... I don't know if that can ever happen. I am happy to know that she has a family that loves her and I can only pray that this weekend at camp was just as much an inspiration to her as it was to me.

p.s. The picture above is of two of the children that came to camp this past weekend looking out onto the Granada dump.

Last Computer Course

Today, was the last day of our computer course in Granada. All of the kids nervously lined up at the door, waiting to present their projects to the entire class. The kids have had several days to work on final projects. Each of them created a story in Etoys, the program that we have been working with for the duration of the program.

All of the chairs were set up in a couple of rows facing the a huge TV. One by one, each of the kids walked to computer in the front of the room to present their project. A few timidly and quietly clicked through their projects. Most however, very excitedly read and shared their stories. Applause and cheers followed each presentation.

The remainder of the day, the kids were free to explore and use the computers however they chose. To wrap things up, we all shared a little bit of ice cream. When the clock read four o'clock, none of the kids were to ready to shutdown and pack up. Some of our top students asked if they could take a computer home with them. Sadly, we could fulfill their request, but this is an indication that they program was a success! We look forward to having the students from the computer course out to camp for a weekend.

A family receiving Christ

This is a photo of me with the father who quit drugs and accepted Christ

This is a letter that Sara Blanco wrote to Peter.  We recently went to visit this family and we shared the word with them and dropped off a couple of bibles for them.  GOD is so good.  Thanks for sharing Sara!


My name is Sara Blanco. My brother Jose Luis Chamorro and I are Christians. We have a ministry in San Jorge, where we host family groups, and bible studies for God. Recently, God opened a door for me to have the chance to volunteer as a leader for the children at Campo Alegria. God did many wonders there. Through a couple of siblings who attended this camp an entire family was saved. The little boy told his father the prodigal son story and after hearing this the entire family received Christ into their hearts. We all went to follow up with the family and the Father admitted to doing drugs and said he had stopped since receiving Christ. This is the poorest family I know and trough Campo Alegria God touched them.

I am looking forward to helping this family with their kids in areas where they need it. Like misbehaving, school work and accountability. The parents had a really hard time trying to control them in the past. The most important thing is that this family does not go away from God. And that they know he is a powerful God. I know he will do great things with these kids. And all the kids in the camps to come. My biggest desire is to always serve God and to be able to work helping the youth because the word of God is life and official. God bless you Campo Alegria for having this camp and the heart to help these poor kids. It is a big blessing.

Sara 

Computer Course Nearing Completion

The computer course is wrapping up. Daniel and I come in every day to setup tables and chairs for the course. We are greeted eagerly by smiling faces. The kids are excited to help setup, they want to boot up the computers as soon possible.

I teach for about and hour each day. The kids learn all sorts of things, everything from basic image creation and animation to basic scripting. After the lesson, the kids have a chance to practice their new skills. They have challenges to complete to test their abilities. Some are more difficult than others, but each new challenge builds upon the last. We have a board in the classroom that tracks the completion of the challenges. One small star is awarded for the easier challenges. A large star is awarded for the super challenges. After class the students all huddle around the board to count their own stars and the stars of their friends.

The goal is for the students to eventually create their own projects using everything they have learned through the course. We have several students already adding their own creative twist to the exercises and challenges. I am excited to see how these students apply their own ideas in upcoming projects.

A Typical Day at a Not-So-Typical Camp

It's hard to believe that a whole month (plus a few days) has gone by since I arrived at Campo. It's been an amazing month and a huge change of pace from my life in the States. We have kids coming to camp every weekend, Friday-Sunday; the size of each group ranging between 35 and 65, ages 9-15. A typical day at camp begins at 5am (while I'm fortunate enough to still be sleeping in the guest house) when the kids rise naturally with the sun in their cabins and our beloved team leaders entertain them with beach walks and baseball games until breakfast-time at 7:30. Our team leaders usually consist of 5 or 6 Nica guys and gals who bring campo to life with their God-given energy and passion for the kids.


The next hour and a half or so is spent in Chapel singing praise songs and receiving a Peter-style message of hope and God's enduring love for each and every one of the kids. The kids then break into small groups for bible study with team leaders and volunteers; usually, The Prodigal Son and the Crucifixion. The rest of the day is filled with activities, games and swimming. The campers are divided into four groups (depending on the amount of kids) and they travel with their team leader to activities such as Arts & Crafts, Zipline, English (which I usually teach) and Science. We've also just begun playing camp-wide games like Capture the Flag, Scavenger Hunts and Relay Races. At a recent 4-day camp we hosted a talent show in which the kids sang, put on skits, walked on their hands, talked in funny voices and laid down some pretty sweet reggaton beats.

After dinner the kids pile into the dining hall for some Looney Tunes and a Jesus film and of course, popcorn and ice cream (popcorn Friday night, ice cream, Saturday). During our longer camp we built a bonfire where we sang silly (and serious) songs, shared testimonies and played a rousing game of tug-of-war. Needless to say, the kids have the time of their lives here. I can't get enough of their smiling faces and contagious laughter. This past weekend I found myself with the least amount of energy that I've had all month (quite possibly the result of climbing a volcano a couple days before). I could barely muster up conversation, much less silliness at the dinner table and I was feeling terrible that I couldn't find the energy to connect with any of the kids. But God is good and after some prayer I found myself getting the most loving hugs and kisses from a couple of girls out of nowhere. They begged me to play with them and I was back in the game; my batteries recharged and the adrenaline surged from the mere thought of connecting and loving these girls in the way I think Jesus would. ...And this is why I'm here.

Anna Glick

Anna Glick first came to Campo Alegria on a mission trip with the Navigators Group this past February 2010. We were blessed enough to have her volunteer again this summer for about a month as she helped us co-run our weekly summer camps during the month of June. Here is a small write up of her experience returning to Campo Alegria for a second time.

"When I returned to Campo Alegria I had little idea of what to expect, and it turned out to be nothing like I had imagined. During my three week stay I helped with four different camps. Each group came with different challenges and different surprises. However, what stayed the same was the feeling that you made a difference in these kids lives. For a couple of days they got to have fun, play games, swim, eat good food, and hear about God's love for them. I, in return, was rewarded with hugs, smiles, and the opportunity to serve others. Some of the most meaningful and fulfilling experiences I have ever had have been in Nicaragua. Sometimes I lose sight of the big picture, but after spending time with these kids, I’m reminded of who and what we are to live our lives for. The people and my time spent in Nicaragua has forever touched and changed my life."


Thanks Anna for all of your help. We miss you already.
- Adam, Zach, Lily, Becca, Jonathan, Daniel, Peter, Geo, Heydi, Nidia, Miguel, Hosea, Jessica, Carol, Adriana, Oscar, Melvin.

Computer Course Day 1

We finally began the computer course today. It was a huge success! Mothers and kids lined the hallway, waiting anxiously for the clock to read 2pm. We opened up the doors and brought the kids in one by one, taking down all of their information. Nineteen kids sat around the plastic tables. Some excited, other a little nervous.

As I picked up one of the green little laptops eyes grew wide and smiles appeared on all the faces. Nervousness washed away and excitement built. They were quick to learn how to open and turn on the laptops. Most of today was spent building mouse skills, learning how to click, and also how to create new project and to save them. All of the kids did quite well. By the end of the day one of the kids discovered the games on the computer, and proceeded to teach everyone else. That is exactly what we are hoping to see. Not kids playing games, but kids learning new skills and those skills with others. All in all, it was a great start to the program. We are excited to continue!

Allow Myself to Introduce... Myself

Hi There! It’s your newest resident Campo Alegria Blogger here, Lily Plourde, reporting live from Nicaragua! If you’re a frequent follower of this blog you may remember my post from this past January when I spent an incredible week at camp that ultimately paved the way for my 6 month adventure here. Before I start to frequently blog, I thought I’d share a little bit about myself so you have an idea who this stranger is writing all about life at Campo.

It all started back in 1998 as a thirteen year old camper at Chop Point summer camp in Woolwich, Maine; truly the best experience of my teenage life. It was at Chop Point where I developed a sense of independence, made my first friends away from home and best of all, got to go on sailing trips with Peter Willard. If it weren’t for those sailing trips, I don’t think I’d be sitting here in Nicaragua today. I kept in touch with Peter long after my last year at camp in 2001 and when I needed a break from my mundane corporate life in marketing, I found myself emailing with Peter and booking a flight to Nicaragua for a week. ...and the rest is history.

After selling the entire contents of my 3-story town house in Harrisburg, PA, I packed my life into my Honda Fit, drove to New England to spend a few days with my family and flew to Nicaragua to be a volunteer at camp on June 15th. I left my life in Harrisburg because I felt purposeless. Sure, there were plenty of opportunities to give and serve, but for whatever reason my heart wasn’t in it. I’ve always admired the stories in the Bible where people dropped everything in their lives to follow Jesus, and I’ve always wondered how my faith would change if I were to do the same. So that’s what I did. To be honest I have no idea if this is what God wants me to do, but I definitely know that here at Campo Alegria I get to serve children and a community that truly needs the love, energy, time and patience that God has so graciously given me to share with others.

In the next 6 months I will be sharing my observations about Nicaraguan life and this new journey of faith I’m about to embark upon. I hope you’ll join me (virtually!) on these new adventures as I search for purpose through serving my community here in Nicaragua. Stay tuned, there’s lots more to come!!

Computer Course in Granada!

This little guy may look familiar to you. It is one of many XO laptops from OLPC, donated to Campo Alegria, to give the kids of Nicaragua a brighter future. We are combating hopelessness by showing the kids that they can learn new skills. We are teaching them that they can make a difference in their own lives, by applying themselves and working to the best of their abilities.

Daniel Whitney and I are here in Grananda, about and hour from Campo Alegria. Daniel is a second year college student at the Univsersity of Maine in Orno. My name is Jonathan Levis. For the past four years I have taught at Chop Point School in Woolwich, ME. I have recently made the move to Nicaragua on a permanent basis. Daniel and I have spent the past three summers volunteering together. We love Nicaragua and very much enjoy living and working among the people.

We have spent the past week or so reformatting, validating, installing, and cleaning the XO computers. Quite a daunting task, but the two of us hammered it out quite efficiently. Twenty minutes ago we finished all the technical prep work! It is time to move on to lesson planning. While we have a general idea of the topics we will cover, the details still need to be worked out. The good news is that we have the remainder of this week to prepare for our classes. If all goes well, in about five days we will have twenty kids sitting anxiously in the classroom, waiting to pop open these green computers. The next few months will be very exciting as we watch the kids use their own intelligence and creativity to produce projects that they can call their own.

Be on the look out for photos and more updates.

The Maine Street Baptist Church Pulperia

The Maine Street Baptist Church Pulperia or “the pulp” as we like to call it, is a store where we serve our community by selling really inexpensive items to the people in our community. We offer towels, sheets, shoes, pants, shorts, shirts, hats, food, toys, and health care bags to everyone. We discussed prices with our caretaker Oscar and have priced our items to fit their budgets since most sugarcane workers make only $5 a day. Oscar says it gives Nicaraguans pride to buy things and it also helps to have some sort of order system too.

"The pulp" was something I was looking forward to leading when I got to Nicaragua. With my business background, marketing skills and my ability to adapt well, I thought it was going to be a "Piece of cake," or so I thought. The vision was there, the building was built, the donations were plenty, the only need was some organizational skills and hours of man power. Well folks... GOD stepped in and He blessed it more than anyone would have ever dreamed. Our grand opening was amazing, it was like a tornado hit, I saw people I have never seen before literary stepping out of the sugarcane fields. Over 200 people showed up. The second time we opened, we decided to use a ticket numbering system so that we would have a little bit more order, but we failed to limit our numbers and had another huge crowd. We've now figured out a system that works now. People are always looking forward to visiting the store and many of them walk miles just be able to pick out a new shirt or to try on some shoes. We have started to run out of donations and need more. Its been a blessing to the entire community.

Testimonial from Living Water Community Church

I am able to see that GOD is not only impacting my life and the kids who come for camp, but he also moves in the lives of those who visit... here is just one of the many stories!

There are so many things that I could say about this trip and the wonderful things that God has done for us and the people of Nicaragua. I was so blessed to be able to go on this trip and experience what was in store for us there. Through the heat and the many bugs during construction our team managed to stick together and cheer eachother up on many occasions. I am thankful for the 10 other people that were handpicked by God for this mission, He knew exactly who needed to be there.
During kids camp I was the leader of the pink team which consisted of 5 wonderful girls. These girls along with all of the other children touched my life greatly. By the end of camp the majority of them accepted Christ. The part of the trip that touched me the most was when Mario ( the leader of the kids from the dump) had a type of thank you ceremony were one of the boys, Alberto, read a thank you letter and the kids came up one by one to wash our ( The LWCC team) feet. That was so humbling. It was so hard to let those kids go, but it was also comforting to know that we will see them again one day in heaven.

Living Waters Slide Show

Living Waters Church Slide Show. More to come later ...

Be sure to click the "HQ" for High Quality when viewing.

-Adam

http://animoto.com/play/01ElkSrxne5a06C8H23d3A

ADios Ministries

What an amazing week!  ADios Ministries has done an amazing job!  Please check out their blogs on their website from the week!!!!

http://adiosministries.ning.com/profiles/blogs/cant-believe-its-sunday

Campo Alegria - Portland Maine | April 2010

Portland Maine - Slide Show. More to come later ...

Campo Alegria - Portland Maine | April 2010

From Adam Todd on April 7th

From Adam Todd for ADios Ministries on April 7th 2010

The team arrived last night around 7:30pm and we took a 30-minute bus ride from the North side of Managua to the South side where we found the Guest House and got settled in quickly. They had a quick team meeting, some saw their first giant toads and gecko's on the wall and then headed off to bed after a long days journey. This morning the team woke up and saw Nicaragua for the first time in the daylight, it set in a little bit more that they were indeed in Nicaragua and then we promptly ate breakfast at 7:30am and rolled out to La Chureca (the Managua Dump) at 8:30am after a quick briefing. We met up with the School in the Dump around 9:30am and the team had a chance to play with the children who were out of class for playtime. The team dove right in, and so did the children. Quickly the mission team had their hands full with about 100 or more kids hanging all over them, holding hands, hugging, and piggy back rides etc. Someone broke out a giant jump rope from the team and before we knew it we had a line of children waiting for a turn.

I love bringing teams to la Chureca. The kids in the dump need lots of love, many times our teams are timid and it takes time to warm up to the childrens lack of personal space! However this was not the issue today and I was blessed watching a mission team from my home state dive head first into something that I knew may be a bit new to some of them. The team got a good glimpse this morning at how this weekend will be at Campo Alegria. Our goal is to show the children love at Campo Alegria, a reflection of the unconditional love we experience from our heavenly Father daily. These children need it and they eat it up faster than you can dish out.

After playtime the team went on a tour of La Chureca and had a chance to hand out some food and gifts to families in need. There are hundreds of families that literally live in the Municipal Dump of Managua, they build their homes out of trash they salvage and make a living off of selling recyclables that they sort through daily. The trash that surrounds them is continuously burning and sometimes the fumes and smoke can be unbearable in certain areas. We prayed as we walked through the dirt roads greeting everyone we passed with a smile. We ran into some children who were addicted to sniffing glue and were close to permanent brain damage because of it, if not already. Glue sniffing is not just a problem in La Chureca, but in many areas of Nicaragua and even around the world. Someone on the team asked me "why do they do it?"; I couldn't find a better way to explain other than "they want to kill their pain". I suppose now if I could go back in time I would have said, "they want to kill the pain of loneliness". Most of the children in Nicaragua who sniff glue are homeless, many abandoned by their families. The loneliness that they feel at such a young age and the hopelessness that comes with that can be unbearable without the love and forgiveness that comes through knowing Christ. This discouragement and this hopelessness is what we try to battle at Campo Alegria. I am excited for this camp, we have an amazing team with ADios ministries and I know great things will happen this week and many more things will be ignited through this trip that only God will know about. After La Chureca the team ate a traditional Nicaraguan lunch at a local restaurant in Managua and then headed back to the Guest House in the afternoon to debrief and get some much needed rest in order to prepare for a big week ahead.

Thank you for your prayers as we travel tomorrow to Rivas and begin the preparation for the kids camp that will start on Friday. Please pray for the 40+ children that will be coming out from La Chureca. Pray that their hearts will be prepared to hear from the Lord and as they experience the opportunity to get away from their harsh surroundings at the dump and as they begin to build relationships with the ADios team members.

Also please pray for the individual mission team members as they are not only called to be a witness to these children, but as they begin to learn themselves what God is trying to teach each and every one of them on a personal basis
through this experience as well.

Thank You and God Bless.

- Adam

Ana Bean The University of Maine

This is an article that made the website of The University of Maine.  Where Ana Bean (The Navigators) goes to school.


http://www.umaine.edu/volunteer/Newsletter_files/Page665.htm


Thanks Ana!

When you think of the term “Spring Break,” a few things might come to mind. Some thoughts might include: Florida, the beach, partying, getting caught up on schoolwork (which none of us ever end up actually doing), getting caught up on sleep, working as many hours as possible to make extra money, etc. However for some, the word “service” comes to mind. Every year The Navigators, a Christian student organization here at UMaine, looks for a place to go and serve during Spring Break. In the past they have gone to New Orleans to help with hurricane relief and to Washington, DC to work with inner-city missions. This year they decided to take their service internationally to the Central American country of Nicaragua. A handful of students from UMaine, along with students from Maine Maritime Academy, University College of Bangor, and Chop Point Christian School traveled down to Rivas, Nicaragua to work at Campo Alegria (“Camp Happiness”) for a week. Campo Alegria is owned and operated by Chop Point Christian School in Woolwich, Maine and serves Nicaraguan children around the ages of 7-13 years old.


For the first part of the week that they were there they did numerous work projects around the camp. They helped build a fence to keep farm animals out of camp, lay the foundation to where a new tool shed is going to be, install sinks and new toilet seats, build shelving units for supplies, and various other project. They spent the rest of the week doing kids camp. They had 30 children come from Managua, the nation’s capital. While at the campo, the children participated in activities like crafts, sports, English class, science class, chapel, music, movie nights, and swimming in Lake Nicaragua. The group also built a water slide and did piñatas with the kids. At the end of camp each child was given a picture of himself in a homemade picture frame, a homemade science kit, a Bible, a t-shirt, and a pair of shoes to take home.
The group also had some time to get out and experience the culture in Nicaragua. They spent a day in San Juan Del Sur where they went on a zip line, went swimming in the Pacific Ocean, and played soccer on the beach. They also had a chance to go to a church and the market in Rivas. On the last day before they flew back to the U.S. they visited La Chureca, the Managua city dump where the children that came to campo live. The children’s parents work in the dump separating and burning trash. The government allows them to live there so they build their houses out of what they can find in the dump. Most children who live there do not go to school because they work in the dump along with their parents but the few lucky ones that get to go, go to a small school operated by American missionaries located in the dump. The group had the chance to visit the school as well.


The group returned to the U.S. on March 6th. Two members stayed behind to continue working at the camp for three more weeks. Overall the group members had a great experience and will be thinking about Nicaragua for a long time. Some are already making plans to go back this summer and throughout the coming year.

Community

At Campo Alegria I am forced to live with other people 95 percent of the time. This is new to me! In college I never lived in the dorms. I lived in an apartment with my roommate I knew all my life. When I was in the world of sports I lived alone, so as a non-believer back then I did not have any community in my life nor did I ever think about it. But here I am now, called by the Lord to live in community, to live the right way. Going into this adventure I didn't know how I was going to respond to living with others but this camp environment has brought so many things to light for me. I have learned to be patient, how to be kind, how to put others before myself and how to adjust to different settings I use to think that I could adapt well to anything, but I must confess adapting like this is different than anything back in the states. The Chop Point kids and I are doing devotions each morning on “Authentic Living” and GOD is starting to revel his plan for me more and more each day. I am so thankful for community, for Ridge Church introducing me to community groups and now I am able to share with others just how important community living is! The bible says: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 It seems so easy now that I am developing community here in Nicaragua.

Where exactly are you?

Someone asked me today via Facebook “where exactly are you?” My first thought was, I know I wrote everyone either on FB or a letter. People know where I am.... then I thought... some people I don't even know are following the Campo Blog on Facebook. After a moment to process, I just told them I am sitting on Lake Nicaragua. But then I started thinking about the question more. “Where exactly are you?” Spiritually, physically, emotionally? I didn't really know what she was talking about. I found out later that she meant location. So I wanted everyone to know that I am on Lake Nicaragua in the middle of the sugarcane fields. Life is nothing like the states! I wake up everyday looking at the breathtaking volcano with the sun rising in the back. The closest town to me that has a restaurant is Rivas and its about 20 minutes from Campo. There are not any fast food places until you get Managua which is about 2 hours from here. So if I am lucky I may get McDonald's when I make an airport trip with the teams! We also take teams to San Juan Del Sur located on the Pacific Ocean or Granada for their tourism day. However, I would like you to know that sure life is good here no doubt, God has blessed me in countless ways. But its still very difficult! Its hot all the time, my sleeping conditions are never the same, privacy is rare and I do not treat this like a vacation. I assure you all that I am working more hours than I ever did while in professional sports, and that's a lot of hours! So here I am, exactly, at Campo Alegria!

The Navigators March 2010

I want to start off by thanking The Navigators! They were an amazing first team for me to host in so many ways. They were always willing to lend a helping hand, never complaint (until the sunburn), worked hard and had lots of FUN! They arrived late on Saturday night so we headed straight to campo. I knew it was going to be a great group of people when 4 of the team members volunteered to ride 2 hours on top of our luggage truck.... we made it home safe and lights out! Sunday morning we woke up and went to a local church in Rivas. It was an amazing experience, it reminded me of my church “Ridge Church” back home. They had a band with two guitars, electric piano and drums. For the first time things seemed normal and I saw GOD working here in Rivas in a new way, and it felt great. Monday the team started some of our major and ongoing work projects. We dug holes for fence post, we cleaned the camp, painted, and cleaned some more. After our long day of work we needed to relax with some fun in the sun! Tuesday we headed to San Juan Del Sur were we ate lunch on the beach, played soccer, zip-lined, and had dinner while watching the sunset. The kids arrived from La Chureca on Wednesday and the team was very nervous. I was surprised that they were nervous and anxious but within a hour everyone had a task and started to fall in love with the kids as I knew they would. It was a small group of campers so things went well. Friday afternoon the kids headed home and I took the team to the market in Rivas. I was excited to see some familiar faces at the market from locals I met on past visits. We left the market and headed back to campo for the last group activity. Bonfire on the beach! Life is good! Thank you GOD and thanks to The Navigators. I hope to keep in contact with each of you and I hope you will come back next year!

-Zach

Navigators at the Flying Frog in San Juan Del Sur

The Navigators have arrived. They got in on Saturday Night and things have been non stop. I LOVE IT! The team proved they are brave yesterday as all of them did the zip-line! Yesterday was our team tourism day and we went to the Flying Frog Zip Line in San Juan Del Sur. As you can see I had so much fun. The zip-line was over 1000 feet high and there were over 15 of them. The whole experience takes about an hour. During the zips I felt like I was flying, we were in the trees with monkeys and the view of the Atlantic Ocean was so beautiful. That night we had a great dinner and watched GODS work with an amazing sunset. Today our first group of kids arrive from La Chureca and I am so excited to see what GOD has planned for us.

Zip-Line Project

This week Oscar and I have been working on a zip-line project. We are building a platform for the kids to stand on as they jump off the zip-line. Our task is to cement 4 poles into the sand, bolt them and make sure its a level platform. Sounds pretty easy right? Yet it has been a difficult week in many ways. The weather has been extremely hot, the wind is absent, I am not use to working in the sand either. We had to mix sand, rocks and cement in the wheel barrel in order to make the concrete and we had to get water from the lake. Needless to say, things are a little slower here and projects like this take time...I had no idea. God is present though, He has giving me a new appreciation for Oscar and all the men and women who work like this everyday! God is good and its all worth it when I get to see children of Nicaragua use this zip-line! Its going to be an awesome day!

Mad Cows!

Mad Cows! We have several cows here at Campo Alegria. Some are used for milk and I am not sure what the other cows do except run free and mooooo. Anyway...they seem to get out of their pen on a regular basis. I saw 10 or more cows just relaxing on the beach yesterday. I am sure they are just getting some water and then return to their pen. However, an hour later I saw one right by my window, and another one started eating my fresh cut grass! Apparently they are not supposed to be this close to camp or the lake because I saw a man rounding them up on his horse. He was not as excited about it as I was. I am going to help him do something about these cows escaping very soon.

Good Morning from Nicaragua.

Adam came up with the great idea of blogging my experience via facebook. So what I have decided to do is a photo journal every couple of days sharing what I am doing. So here goes...
The mornings are so beautiful here. This picture is from the front porch this morning at about 6:30AM. ...It was nice and cool. I also saw something else that was amazing. Kids on bikes riding on the beach on there way to school. Also very cool. Things are different here and that's what makes it so great!

-Zach Sneed

See this post on Facebook

Lily Plourde | Campo Alegria Volunteer - Jan 2010

It's a loong flight to Managua, Nicaragua (well, that is if your coming from anywhere north of Texas...). But the anticipation alone for what awaited me there was well worth the usual airport frustrations that accompany any long trip. Luckily I love to travel so any setback is just a new adventure. My first adventure started when I stupidly left my purse (with passport, cash, credit cards, cell phone, ipod...)in a Nicaraguan gas station bathroom, only to realize my mistake 20 minutes into our drive towards camp. Peter said a prayer and we returned only to find it was gone and assumed it had been stolen. To everyones amazement, we received a call shortly after, that a woman had all of my belongings and only kept them for fear that they may have been stolen by someone else. She and her sister then travelled about 4 hours to return everything to me. If this story isn't a testament to just how good God is, then it was certainly an eye opening realization that the Nicaraguan people aren't as bad, I admit, as I expected they would be. As the 2nd poorest country on this side of the earth, unfortunately, they get a bad rep. This was just the beginning of my week-long learning experience.

At camp, we had a small group of about 11 girls and 2 boys who all live together in a home (well, girls in one home, boys in another) safely outside of the dump but had been rescued from sexually abusive or potentially sexually abusive homes from within the dump. I swear, if you had taken any of those little girls and plopped them in the middle of the U.S. you would never know how dark and sad their pasts may have been. These kids were the happiest, most playful, FUN, helpful and incredibly lovable group of kids I have ever met. I have to admit, I don't spend very much time around kids and was a little worried at how I may handle so many little girls at once...but I can honestly say that it was love at first sight. When the kids were dropped off at camp, we greeted them in the dining hall and with no hesitation I was greeted with great big hugs from kids who had no clue who I was. I couldn't believe it and I was instantly crazy about them. The rest of the week was filled with swimming, crafts, baseball games, story telling, singing, playing, laughing and just plain fun. On my last day, I cried like a baby when I had to leave them...and I miss them terribly now. I was only there for a week but the impact these kids made on my heart will be endless. Losing my purse at the beginning of my trip was a pretty incredible story to tell, but learning from these kids as they truly enjoy and seem to value all the good they have in their lives was by far the most amazing part of my experience at camp and has made me reevaluate the many of the ways in which I live as a spoiled American.

Zach Sneed

Zach Sneed is the new Camp Coordinator at Campo Alegria. His primary focus will be to facilitate mission teams and manage daily camp activities. Zach graduated from Georgia Southern University in 2005 with a Bachelors of Science in Sport Management with minors in Business and Management. Zach has spent the last 5 years working with 3 different professional sports teams in sales and marketing. He visited Campo Alegria in July of 2009 with his good friend Clark Bridge and says that life has never been the same. Zach plans to find work as a full time camp director somewhere after his 6 months stay here at Campo Alegria. He enjoys fishing, backpacking, photography and sports. You can follow Zach on our facebook page as he will be writing a photo blog.

Bethany "BOT" Schundler

A letter from Bethany Schundler - One of our volunteers last summer:

As a recent high school graduate, I wanted to have a unique summer experience before college starts in the fall. I've always loved the spanish language and Latin American culture and through Chop Point Camp, where I was a camper for 5 years, the opportunity to come to Nicaragua arose. It was the perfect opportunity to serve God as well as practice my Spanish, and work with kids.

Although working with the “ninos” at the weekend camps was a blast, the thing that stood out to me most about my time in Nicaragua was experiencing and learning about the culture. Kids from the United States and the kids from Nicaragua live with very different standards. When the Nicaraguan children were at camp they seemed like children in the United States: energetic, talkative, and full of laughter. After camp ended we were given the opportunity to visit their villages. We saw one of the eight year old girls from camp feeding the cows and helping her family work and earn a living. Many eight year old girls in the United States spend their days playing with Barbies and watching Hannah Montana. The amount of responsibility given at such a young age in Nicaragua is incredible.

Also in the village, we saw some of the kids' houses, and it was eye-opening for me because I didn't realize how much I take for granted in the United States. However, even though many people in Nicaragua do not have modern conveniences like ovens or running water, they still are so grateful for what they do have. There is a sense of community in Nicaragua that is hard to find in the United States.

After being in Nicaragua three weeks, I learned a lot about both the culture of Nicaragua and more about the culture of the United States. I would definitely recommend coming to Campo Alegria because the relationships you make with locals may give you a new perspective on your life and the lives of others. It was a unique, fun, and rewarding decision to spend three weeks of my summer in Nicaragua.

Shaylin Schundler

A letter from Shaylin Schundler - One of our volunteers last summer:

When I signed up to spend the summer volunteering at Campo Alegria I was very excited, but I also had my worries. I didn't take Spanish so my knowledge of the language was considerably limited, and I had also never been on a mission trip before. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Even when I had arrived in Nicaragua and had been preparing for the camp for a few days I was still anxious about how I was going to be able to interact with the kids when I didn't speak their language and they spoke even less of mine.

However, when the kids finally arrived at the camp that friday I discovered that words weren't necessary to form a bond with them. Although they would try to talk to me sometimes, when they realized how much I didn't understand, they turned out to be perfectly content with just jumping over the waves of Lake Nicaragua and holding my hand. I didn't need to speak fluent Spanish to be a friend and to show Jesus to these kids; all I needed was a willing heart and a smiling face and with only that I was able to reach and be reached by these children.

Often times at home I get lost in the world of words. With Facebook, email, texting and phone calls, a relationship often boils down to the number of words two people exchange. Here in Nicaragua, working with children that don't have as many conveniences, I got back some of the personal connection that I forgot about back in the States. I learned the value of holding a little girl's hand, working with someone to build a sand kingdom, and just smiling widely when making eye contact with a child. With only these little acts I was able to make connections with people and I was really opened up to the ways that God can work through the littlest acts to bring about something wonderful.

Picasa is so three years ago ...

Before the magical world of Facebook, there was this little place called Picasa. We foolishly uploaded our entire photo bank on the google servers in hopes to share our adventures in Nicaragua with the world. Oooops. Big Mistake. We are now in the process of migrating our photos to Facebook. Little by little photos will show up on our facebook page, and little by little you can see them. Picasa is so three years ago!

Check out our Facebook Page Photo Area as it rapidly grows ....
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Campo-Alegria/186381083073?v=photos&ref=mf

Animoto Video | Buenos Aires | Jan 15th, 2010