Today we awoke with one of our team members sick, Stan Geison from Bloomington Wesley UMC.
Sometimes this happens on mission trips from various reasons: dehydration, over heating, something in the food, an accidental intake of water that hasn't been purified. In fact, an ill team member happens about every other mission trip. But, that is one of the side effects of missions and traveling to third world countries.
Yet, knowing such, still Christians from around the world continue to go throughout God's kingdom to do the work of building "God's kingdom come, on this earth, as it is in heaven". Please join with us in raising Stan Geison up in prayer, and for his speedy recovery.
After caring for Stan Geison, and obtaining some local medical assitance from the wife of one of the orphanage missionaires whom herself is a doctor, we prepared for another day of work ... day three ... hump day.
We had another excellent, and nutritous breakfast ... rice and beans, or was it beans and rice ... with some white sauce that is used in the beans, a Nicaraguan styled pancake, and fresh oranges.
Then we applied our sunscreen, put on our hats and gloves, and headed to our jobs. All of the positions were the same as the day before, with the various sub-teams: cutters and grinders of the pipes, painters of the pipes, assemblers of the sections, hole diggers with an auger, welders, those who planted and placed cement in the holes with the posts upright in them, and those who lifted up the fencing and held it in place until it was tack welded.
From 8 am until 4:45 pm, we worked throughout the day, except for lunch and a short time of rest following lunch during the high noon temps.
Our mission team was joined by two of the missionaries, and some of the local laborers in working on the fence, thus our progress moved rapidly today. Part of it is our functioning as a team, or an engine. We know our jobs and have learned our skills.
At one point during the day sparks flew from the tack welding of a portion of the fence into the dry brush on the side of the fence. Instantly a flash brush fire erupted, requiring our "fire marshall" and other team members to pitch in with shovels and a bucket of water to quash the fire prior to its spreading too rapidly.
We are in the middle of the dry season, thus field fires are one of the greatest dangers for the orphanage. There are no local fire departments to respond, thus any fire fighting is left to the locals ... this time, us.
We were surprised by how quickly the fire spread, and were relieved in getting it under control.
Other than that, the day was productive and smooth in all respects as section after section of the fence was completed and we moved north along the fence line towards our targeted destination.
At the end of the work day we were surprised when Joel, one of the missionaries, invited us to his nearby home, and held a cookout for us, and to celebrate his wife being newly "with child". His outdoor cooking on a grill was excellent, as we enjoyed barbeque chicken and potato skins under the early evening Nicaraguan sky.
After returning to our villas, we held our nightly devotion, led by Margaret Naylor. Upon the completion of the devotion we held our normal "business meeting" to plan the next day's work. Then we retired to relax, visit, and chill for a while.
The sky in Nicaragua at night is beautiful. The stars are so vibrant, and show constellations which we never see in the Northern Hemisphere.
It is a different world here, with the brilliantly lit night, the geckos chirping, an occasional bat flying at lightening speed over our heads, and the cool evening tropical breeze. In Nicaragua, we can feel that ... God is good ... all the time!
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