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

Campo Alegria Summers ....

Every Summer we invite North American volunteers to come down and work beside Campo Alegria for summer break ... (our busiest time at Campo Alegria). This year Jonathan Levis has returned to camp once again to help keep everything from coming unglued along with our 7 other volunteers. We have built a zip-line and Internet tower together already this year, and that was just the first two weeks! He is an awesome asset to our organization, he has incredible energy and most of all loves kids.

Below is a write up by Jonathan Levis about his experience last year working at Campo Alegria.

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"Campo Alegria, Summer 2008

My eyes slowly lift open revealing a yellow light just beginning to spill through the windows. A rooster sings a morning symphony somewhere near by as a cool breeze blows about the cabin, bringing in the fresh scent of morning rain. I flip my sheet off the bed and sit up, rubbing my eyes. Stepping out the door I am met with one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. A thunderhead hangs over the summit of Conception, one of two volcanoes rising from the lake right outside the cabin. The sun splashes around the clouds, warming my face. Bright oranges swirl with deep blues, nothing short of breath taking. And to think, I have an entire summer of this! Wow!
I start here because everyone will wake up to an equally if not more spectacular beginning to their Nicaragua. The following weeks and months however will be unique to every person. At Campo Alegria the routine was ever changing, organic if you will. In fact, I don't think there ever was a routine. I was never bored. There was always a new group to welcome, or a surprise project to tackle. Not to mention the unplanned trips into the capital city, Managua. Everyday presented a new and exciting challenge. Allow me just to touch on some of the reasons why I loved volunteering my time at Campo Alegria.
We spent the majority of our summer preparing and hosting camps for children from local towns as well as children from La Chureca, the city dump in Managua. The children seem to rise and fall with the sun. Needless to say, mornings arrive very early at Campo Alegria. We start the day with a traditional Nicaraguan breakfast. I have grown to love guyo pinto y queso frito, (rice and beans and fried cheese). There are several other dishes that are just amazing! After breakfast, we gather the children for chapel. We learn several Spanish songs, songs such as, “Yo tengo Christo en mi corazon,” and “La nina de Tus ojos.” The rest of the day is a wild mix of activities ranging anywhere from English in the shade of the dinning hall, to baseball in the sand down on the beach. And then there is swimming! The children absolutely love the water! Let's be honest, I really enjoy playing out in the waves with them. There is almost always wind blowing heavily across the lake from the direction of the volcanoes. I throw child after child into the air, and they splash face first into the cycle of on coming waves. We are all completely exhausted by the time dinnerrolls around. I can't remember the last time I wanted to go to bed at 8pm but I certainly welcomed it then! If there was a daily routine, it probably looked something like the mentioned above.
If you spend more than a couple of minutes at Campo Alegria, you are sure to run into Oscar. He and his family live and work at Campo. I spent many evenings with Oscar sitting side by side in hammocks on one of the porches, doubled over in laughter. He tries to play to the fool, but we all know that he understands English better than he lets onto. Oscar also has a big heart. About mid way through the summer, I grew very sick. After two sleepless nights, it was time to see the doctor. It was a rainy day and all the vehicles were out of camp. Oscar volunteered to take me into town on a motorcycle. So, I climb onto the back of the bike, placed a hand on his shoulder, and we took off down the beach. Oscar smiled and waved at everyone, as we bumped and jostled our way through the pouring rain. All the while, the sick and scrawny American clinging onto him for survival. We made it to the doctor in record time. They drew blood and ran some tests, and I crashed into a bed. Oscar never left my side the whole three hours we were there. Oh yes, He was even there to laugh at me when the nurse gave me a shot in el trasero!
Going into the town of Rivas with a list of items, was one of my favorite things to do during the summer. This is where you really experience the culture. Very quickly I learned to dive right in, not worrying about grammar and sentence structure. It was all about engaging the people andlearning from them. Listening and practicing the language. I love walking through the market. I'm talking about hitting La Competencia to pick up baskets of fresh fruits and vegetables, swinging by Pali, for meat and cheese. Then making several other stops all over town trying to hunt down various difficult to find items. Even filling the van up with diesel was an adventure. On the way back to Campo, sometimes I would stop the van under a tree, climb onto the roof and pick fresh mangos. Finally arriving home with all the items checked off the list, new words in my vocabulary and assorted memories from various people.

There are two amazing people that live permanently in Nicaragua. Adam and Rachel are the reason that it is possible to volunteer at Campo Alegria for the summer. They invited us into their lives and we became a little family. Living and working along side Adam is a riot. The most absurd things happen to him, but he takes them in stride. Then quite animately retells the tails for all to share in his adventures. Even when crazy things are happening all around, Adam is very real. One more than one occasion he gave me incredible pearls of wisdom. And wow, just when you need it the most, they invite you to their house for chicken wings and french fries, good ol' american food!
I spent almost three months in Nicaragua, so I can not possibly describe all of my adventures. I can't even touch on all of my favorites. But after living it, and loving it, I can tell you that it was very challenging and rewarding. You will meet incredible people. You will have astounding experiences. And you will have fantastic stories to call your own."

- Jonathan Levis

Brandywine Valley Baptist - June 09

Brandywine Valley Baptist

Brandywine arrived late at night on Sunday, so we headed straight to our accommodations in Managua.  The team wanted to spend time with the kids in La Chureca prior to the camp, so the next two days were spent in the dump.  We arrived at the school in time for recess.  In less than a minute, each of the team members had found a kid to talk with or play with.  They seemed to connect immediately with the kids.  Several of the guys watched intently as a group of kids played trumpo (tops) in the dirt at the playground.  That same day, all of the guys picked up trumpos from the market, in hopes of learning  how to play before the kids arrived.

With a roll of plastic and a bunch of nails, the team shared the love of Christ in the dump.  Because of the rainy season, many families have rain water running straight into their houses.  The team was able to help three of these families.  We saw several of kids from the day before, and everyone was really excited to have the kids out for the weekend.  

We finally headed out to Campo Alegria in the middle of the week.  When the kids finally arrived Thursday afternoon, the team was so hyped up that the energy was contagious.  The camp went really well.  Each of the kids wore a hat indicating their group.  The team came prepared with all sorts of activities.  They made silly puddy, tie-die t-shirts, volcanoes, and so much more.  One of the favorites from the weekend was the four way tug of war.  The kids screamed and shouted from the sidelines as their leaders struggled to reach their goals. 

After an incredible four days of camp, the team was ready to relax.  They spent a day on the Pacific Coast, soaking up the sun and playing in the waves.  They explored Granada, one of the oldest towns in Nicaragua.  Volcano Masaya was also on the list, an active volcano that spews sulfur and smoke.  Finally they visited the market in Masaya, a shoppers delight. 

The next week was spent at one of the local schools.  They had a 

few maintenance projects, but more importantly they offered specialized classes and games for the students.  The week wrapped up with a celebration here at Campo Alegria.  Such a celebration called for a Campo Alegria special, the water slide, a now perfected operation.  Afterwards, the team sent the kids home with loads of sugar in hand.  

Thanks for coming down Brandywine.  Everyone one on the team brought so much to the table making the last two weeks a blast. We enjoyed sharing these experiences with you and we look forward to working with you again next year.

Campo Alegria

Four Square - June 09

Four Square returns to Campo Alegria for another great weekend of camping.

The teamed arrived late Wednesday night and had the following day to gear up for the kids from La Chureca. They brought down various items for arts and crafts, and even created custom t-shirts for each child at camp. They were well prepared Friday afternoon, when the kids finally arrived.

Immediately after stepping off the bus, the kids were quickly lined up and brought into the dining hall. Rules and expectations were layed out clearly and concisely. And then the team led the kids through dramas, songs, and prayer. The kids were broken in groups and the rest of the day was packed full of activities.

The following two days flew by as the team engaged the kids in activities such as english, chalk drawing, dance for the girls, and sports for the guys. One of the big hits, as usual, was the beach. The waves were strangely non-existent, but everyone loved the warm bath water.

The kids surprised the team with a talent show. Three boys stepped to the middle of the floor. The music started thumping and they started break dancing. They sprang up on their hands, flipping their feet over their heads. One shot upright onto his head and spun around. The kids were nothing short of amazing. Following the talent show, was a time of prayer. Group leaders prayed for their kids, and the kids prayer for their leaders. There were many hugs and a lot of tears.

Four days later, on Monday afternoon, it was time to leave. This camp was a day longer than normal, but everyone on the team would agree that it was well worth it. To send the kids off, the team setup a water slide, cascading down the sand dune. Some kids were frightened, but it only took one brave volunteer. After that, the line seemed to be never ending. The teamed literally had to pull the kids away. They had two pinatas waiting for them. One last hoorah, before loading the kids onto the bus.

Thanks for coming down Four Square. We loved having you out here, and we look forward to seeing you again next year.

www.pdx4.org