Follow ETBU in Nicaragua
Tiger Athletic Missions Experience Blog
Day 4 Blog
Matthew Argenbright
ETBU Senior - May 2017 Graduate
Bastrop, TX
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Today started off just like all the others have, where we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast cooked by such kind hearted women. We had eggs, pancakes, bacon bits and refried beans. Just like all the meals previous it was FANTASTIC and gave us the fuel we needed to go throughout the morning. After breakfast we prepared to head off to the Donna Holland Christian School to prepare for our day of service. We were able to assist the school by painting six classrooms that were in dire need of work. While we were in the classrooms I realized the conditions that the children have to endure to be in school is something that people growing up in the U.S. do not understand. There are no doors, no windows, tin roofs, and they are all external rooms with no AC. The rooms got so hot that by the time we were done we were all covered in paint and sweat. These are the same conditions that these kids go to school in all year. Rain or shine, hot or cold, they are there and expected to learn.
The hardest part of the morning however was not the work that we did. Walking into the school, the kids that we have been with for the past few days got the look of pure joy on their face, as they do every morning when they see us. They constantly came up and tried to play with us or help us, but we had to tell them "No. Not right now, we are here to work." When you see the joy that you bring the kids it puts an overwhelming feeling in your heart. It is a feeling of happiness, love but also sadness knowing that we only had today and tomorrow to spend with them, not getting our time today was the hardest thing.
After we got all the rooms painted and the brushes cleaned we loaded the bus looking forward to lunch. Once again we were left in awe with the tostadas, rice and pico de gallo. We then got a few minutes of bonding time where we got to fellowship with each other over a game of cards. This is an important part of the trip because as we do the things we were brought here to do we also need to grow together as men and as a team. Then at 2:30 we loaded the bus to head to another school to use the gifts God gave us to teach others and to minister to them. Today we had the opportunity to play with older kids who we could help develop their soccer skills. After about an hour and a half of training and fun the real blessing came when we got to talk to them about Christ. Two players shared their testimony and then we got the opportunity to pray over them. The kids were grateful and I pray if they did not learn anything else on that field that they learned about our Savior.
When we got back today it was a little different than the prior days. The food was already ready and we had to eat quickly because we had to get dressed and showered for church. When we arrived at Hosanna Carazo, a non-denominational church in downtown Diriamba, we were greeted with the warmest welcome and they even had us stand to introduce the team. It was a different experience for me, because the entire worship and service was in Spanish. The music was phenomenal so it was hard not to be engaged. It was a great experience to be able to worship the Lord in a different language. Though some of the songs were familiar some were not. With the words on the screen I was able to sing along, and even though I didn't know exactly what I was saying it did not matter. I came to the conclusion that it was not the language that was what mattered, but where your heart is. Worship is not about us and God understands the language and the heart anyway. Following the worship was the sermon and I tried to follow along the best I could. That means that I understood about one word every three to four sentences, but that also did not matter. I got to see the fire for God that the people of Diriamba have and that was enough to fill my heart. Afterwards I had a player paraphrase the message and we got the chance to meet the pastor. Being able to attend this church and see the faith of its people allowed us to see the way God has touched people in a part of the world where there is so little.
Overall today was a great day of learning and growing in our faith. It's day four already, and though I miss Texas and my own bed, time needs to slow down because it is all coming and going too fast.
