Weekend Recap!

This weekend was the best! I am not even sure why because the circumstances were not supreme. However, it was the greatest couple of days I have had.

I got invited to go on a one day camp out with some of the young single adults from another ward in Managua. It sounded like a blast, and since I love camping, I was very excited. We took off Friday afternoon driving to Jinotepe.

The drive (a little over an hour) was gorgeous! There were so many amazing views of uninhabitated rain forest. Unfortunately it started raining, which was also beautiful, but I could not capture good photos. So I will definitely have to head back out there soon to see the great views again.

 I was told that we were going to a house on a little farm and that we would set up tents on the property to sleep in. For some reason, I pictured a grand cabin hidden in the middle of the rain forest. Let`s say.... I was a little off.

 The house we pulled up to, as you can see, was plywood and scrap metal held together with nails. Dirt floors and no water. The family made rain gutters to collect water, and when there is no rain they make a fifteen minute walk down to a shallow river. Oh and the bathroom....

 

Not ideal to say the least. I had seen poverty like this all over Managua. In fact just up the street where I live is a "barrio" or groups of homes like this. However, it is one thing to see poverty, and something completely different to live in it, even for just one day. 

This family lives mainly off the food from the Bishop`s Storehouse (and the many chickens on the property), but the woman also makes homemade tortillas to sell at 2 cordobas a piece. The tortillas were so delicious and in the morning many of the local people rode bikes to the house to buy tortillas.  

When night came, we realized that someone had forgotten to bring the poles and stakes to set up the two tents, so we improv new sleeping arrangements. 

The boys slept here:

 

And the girls got to sleep inside the house.

That night we spent around a firse, cooking marshmallows and hot dogs while playing lots of fun games. It was great!

 The following morning, the girls got up to make breakfast, and then we all headed off to the BEACH!

 At first the bishop was debating whether we should go, but once he heard that I had not seen a Nicaraguan beach, everything was settled. We landed twenty minutes later at the beautiful Casares Beach.

 It was truly gorgeous with the numerous large rocks in the water and the black sand.

After the beach we ended up going to the shallow river I mentioned earlier to play around. This was ¡¡bien calidad!!  Nobody had clothes to get wet in, but we all just went with what we were wearing. There was one area where the river was about two feet deep, so those that did not want to comply, got "baptised" haha. It was great!

I have no idea why, but I returned to Managua with the biggest smile. I got to meet  more happy, fun people. Although the material conforts were completely removed, it was an amazing experience. I learned about a different lifestyle, one that is so new to me. I got to see so much beauty in everything! It was an amzing time!