Greetings from Campo Alegria,
We have finished a very successful five day camp with the kids from the local school. Why was it successful? The kids arrived to play with and learn from a group of foreigners who they had never met. Our kids responded with maturity and enthusiasm for the job. They led classes in English, sports, arts and crafts, science, and geography. Swimming was spent either as a lifeguard or as a water toy. Some were involved in being the engine of a long line of train cars (the kids basically hanging off each other to form a line that walked around in the water shouting “choo choo.”) If we wrote about each of our kids concerning this camp experience it would be the same for each one. They were tireless when they were tired, they were patient when they could have been impatient, they were enthusiastic when they frustrated, and they loved the Nicaraguan kids through it all. Yesterday the parade of horse drawn carts left with kids who had a little more hope. We have “adopted” these kids because we want to help their school. We may paint the school building and give them supplies, but the love shown them by the hugs and time spent with each of them will forever be in this country.

We are now sitting in Pollos Narcy (Narcy Chicken) in Massaya, it also has a Papa John’s attached to it now. It is a cool evening in Massaya so we are eating outside under a large roof complete with a giant playground (Noah and Elias are in heaven). We have just spent the day sightseeing and shopping. We have been up the Mombocho Volcano in huge four wheel drive trucks, it is a super steep road up the volcano. We had sandwichs for lunch at the top and then walked around the smaller of the craters on a nature trail. The top is covered with a cloud forest so it was nice and cool. We then drove to Massaya and went to the market there. Students stocked up on gifts for friends and family. We are driving back to camp tonight and we will be working the last two days down there on painting the school for the children we ran a camp for. Hopefully we can finish in two days.

Adios,

Campo Alegria Group