Thursday, September 11, 2008

Intercambio

Our team continues to change and grow. This time the new members are all through the one year exchange (intercambio) programs YAMEN! and SALT. It has been fun trying to get them oriented to Nicaragua the last couple weeks. This picture was taken at our first team meeting all together at Selva Negra, near Matagalpa.

Rachelle Francey (front left in the cream-colored shirt) will be working at Hogar Belen, a home for abandoned children with special needs.

Maritza Masavi (center, brown t-shirt) came from Bolivia through YAMEN! to work in the Christian School for the Deaf as a classroom assistant and social worker.

Greta Tom (front right with yellow shirt) is working at the Cultural Center in Batahola Norte

Matt Boyts (back second from right) will be working at an educational center in Nagarote.

Not pictured: Nathaniel Forry, the littlest member of the team (about to turn 2) and Kayon Watson.
Rachelle, Matt, and Greta pose for a picture at the SALT/YAMEN!/IVEP orientation in Pennsylvania with Violeta Castro. Violeta, who is Nicaraguan, is now in Virginia with IVEP. She is serving for a year as a conversation partner in Spanish at Eastern Mennonite University.

Sugey Arce (left), is with IVEP in Elmira, Ontario. Ana Julia Lopez (right) will be traveling soon to Mexico City through the YAMEN! program.

SALT: Serving And Learning Together

YAMEN!: Young Anabaptist-Mennonite Exchange Network

IVEP: International Volunteer Exchange Program

Friday, September 05, 2008

Baptism


This past Sunday our local BIC church welcomed through baptism 7 young adults into the Christian community. About 70 of us loaded into a rented bus to travel the 2.5 hours to San Jorge, a small port town on the shores of Lake Nicaragua (see our map below). Practically the whole church waded out to sing and celebrate around the group. The rest of the day was spent enjoying the lake water and chatting around packed lunches.