Today was our last day in Santa Barbara.
Not only was it our last day in the community, but it was also our last day in Nicaragua. We all knew today would be rough. It’s hard to say goodbye to people you’ve come to love so dearly– to a land that holds a piece of your heart. The relationships you make with other people through the power of the Holy Spirit are not easily forgotten– or left behind. I think the part that really makes saying goodbye hard on a mission trip is that nobody really knows how long it will be before next time– or even if there will be a next time. I’ve seen so many people with their hearts set on coming back next trip or next year and they end up not making it.
We stuck to our usual routine: early breakfast, prep for the day, and a truck ride to the school in Santa Barbara.
Our goal for the day was to finish painting the new schoolroom and finish decorating the classrooms we’d been working in all week– and, of course, to make the most of what time left we had with the kids. Us guys spent most of the afternoon painting while the girls worked on decorating. We finally busted out the parachute– which is always a huge hit with the kids– and played a few games with it.
Time flew by.
The hours passed without hesitation, and the moment none of us wanted to come had finally arrived. We loaded all of our supplies onto the truck and got ready to say goodbye to the kids. It wasn’t as emotional as I was expecting. I think that’s because as we were leaving Lisa said she doesn’t believe in saying adios– she only says hasta luego (until next time). Saying until next time is a lot easier than saying goodbye. The moment came though and we hopped in the back of the truck and left Santa Barbara.
The rest of the day was pretty chill.
All of us were too tired to really do anything so we just hung around at the pool and watched a movie later that night. Of course we packed and then got to bed early since we had to be up at four in the morning.