Work Day Four - Thursday, January 27

Yesterday was the fourth day of work on the fence.  It was Thursday, January 27, 2011.

Strange, but many of the team seemed to be sleeping longer.  In fact, throughout the day, most of the team was moving slower. The sun bears down hard here. It seems to take a toll. It isn't like Illinois, in several respects. For one, Nicaragua doesn't have four seasons, only the two we mentioned before: wet or dry. And like we said in a prior post, we are in the dry season. It lasts from November to about April. Then, for the next six months is the wet season.

The dry season isn't very humid, like in southern Illinois in particular. But, the sun is intense throughout the day. So, working in the sun all day drains us. We have to keep drinking tons of water, but even that doesn't keep us going.

The food, all the rice and beans, actually gives us nutrition and energy. We need it. There is another thing about the food in Nicaragua ... it isn't processed. The overwhelming majority of the people don't run to the drive through at a fast food restaurant (there aren't any except a few in Managua). And, they don't run to the strore for canned or preprocessed food. What they eat is, for the most part, fresh. Without being processed, it doesn't possess all the chemicals or steroids which we in the states pass through our system.

The result is: for the most part the food here is actually easier on, and healthier for, our systems.

Does it seem strange to think, that for the most part Nicaraguans, in the midst of their poverty, eat healthier than do us in the states!

For lacking the chemicals of all of our processed food, it stays in us better, and passes through us easier.

And in its simplicity, it is very good. This has been a surprise for many of our new team members.

After breakfast (which by now you've guessed that every meal here includes rice and beans in various varients), we headed again to the fields and our various tasks. Some of us switched off, to experience new jobs. In doing such, on some we succeed, and on others we found out why we don't do them (you'll have to ask a certain minister on our team about his newly acquired welding skills, or not).

By the end of the day, despite the sun, progress had still been made, as the fence inched north, towards its corner destination prior to turning west for the third run of the fence.

Following work we had our nightly devotions. Once again they went well. This year we are blessed by a team member, Cleve Curry, who brought his guitar and has a smooth Roy Rogers-like singing voice. 

We are all noticing something: this year's team gets along better than any prior team. We enjoy being around one another. There has truly been a strong bond, and caring atmosphere, in a fun, spirited way, among our team this year.

God is good, all the time!