We started the day a little earlier than we usually do.

We had breakfast at seven and then began our daily activities– which were different than anything we’ve done before. The girls went to a jewelry making class/Bible study with some of the ladies from the local communities while us guys did some errands around town.

It just knocking out a few ordinary tasks, but it showed me a side of mission work I’ve never seen before. Being a long-term missionary doesn’t mean doing amazing things for God all of the time– sometimes you’re just an ordinary person going grocery shopping. Because when it comes down to it, missionaries are just ordinary people obeying an extraordinary God in an unfamiliar place.

Our first stop was Sinsa­– which is Nicaragua’s version of Home Depot. The Sinsa was probably the nicest public place I’ve been to in Nicaragua– it had air-conditioning and a lot of nice, well-off looking people. After we picked up a couple things we went to our next stop, the vet. Our hosts had one of their dogs get sick while we were in the mountains and the poor guy had to stay in the vet’s office for a few days. I don’t like how a vet’s office smells– not in America, not in Nicaragua. But at least the US vs. Germany game was on, and only three minutes in, it was looking like a great game. This was one of the most important games the US would play in the World Cup– so naturally I was pretty excited about it. My eyes were glued to the TV as we left the vet.

Our next stop was Price Mart– which reminded me of Sam’s club back in the States. We were there to pick up some groceries for the night, a toaster oven for a lady who sells food in a shop off the side of a road, and a birthday cake for Roberto, one of the guys who works at the compound where we stay. After Price Mart we went to a smaller grocery store to pick up some sour cream (since Price Mart didn’t have any). I was able to catch the last few minutes of the US vs. Germany game on a TV in the grocery store. We fought hard and but lost 1-0. Luckily we still were qualified to go into the next round. I was pretty happy about that.

After we did our grocery shopping we went to scout out some future mission projects.

Our first stop was at the lady’s who sells food in a shop on the side of the road. We gave her the oven and then checked around to find a few things that could be done– which to be honest, I don’t remember what they were. At our next destination there was a little more work to be accomplished. We pulled to the side of the road and walked down a tiny hill to an older lady’s house. She was very sweet and welcomed us each with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. She and her family of eight all lived in a small wooden shack. They all slept and lived in the same room– which was no bigger than my own room in my house. They needed new walls and a roof supported with something stronger than the wooden beams currently holding it up. The house needed a couple of thousand dollars poured into it to make it safe for the family to live in.

After looking around for a little while we said goodbye and headed back home.

The other half of our team flew in from Atlanta and got to the compound at around 10 pm. We were all pretty excited for our friends to get here. It was also sad because it marked our halfway point– we only have one week left here in Nicaragua.