Here I Come Walmart! :-)

Tonight, I went into Walmart. Mostly to pick up things on my list.

For me this is a dangerous thing. I start to think of other things that we "could" need, or "could" use.

I ended up buying 12 boxes of crayons, 6 boxes of markers, 12 sissors, and 2 packages of a 150 pages of cardstock, and some balloons to make balloon sculptures.

Of course this has not been my only shopping trip for supplies. Sometimes I have found items to purchase while Christmas gift shopping.

At Target I found these frisbee thingies that can be turned into a ball and then compressed back into a frisbee. They were on clearence in the Christmas stuff. I also got some playdough in small containers at halloween time, bought those on clearence once halloween was over.

I had someone send me nearly 200 beanie babies. I have bought beanie babies. One lady I bought beanie from when she found out where they were going she took my offer of 10.00 but then I went to give it to her and only had 6 dollars she said that is fine! wow generous.

I have bought frisbees, and other play items from salvation army. I can usually get a good price on used items there and have found that sometimes things are NEW!

I found out today that our itinerary includes serving around 200 children away from the child protection center where we will be staying and helping with construction of a new girls dorm for older girls. Then the children at the protection center...around 30-40 I think. We are going to take them to the theater to see a movie! yay!

BTW... the web address for the center is http://www.nicamissions.com/

I hope you enjoy your visit to the above site. The grounds of this center are just so pretty. There are two team houses, the main dormatory for children under 10, a medical clinic, and the directors house. When one looks to the north of the property volcanos can be seen in the distance. There is a range (like a mountain range) of volcanos that can be seen from the property! On a clear day it is interesting to look at.

Why serve in Nicaragua?

-The great need—one of the poorest counties in the Western Hemisphere
-A frontier for ministry due to internal conflicts in the late 70s, throughout the 80s and into the 90s
-Today, statistically the safest country in Central America with León the safest city
-Its warm and gracious people, diverse culture and stunning landscapes
-Only 3 hours of flight time from Houston, Atlanta and Miami
-Historically, a nation which has determined the stability of our Hemisphere

Why serve with El Ayudante?

-Our holistic approach to ministry which allows teams to serve in their areas of passion meeting medical, facility, educational, spiritual, and other humanitarian needs through our on-campus ministries and in our target communities
-Our strategic partnerships/relationships with the Ministry of the Family, MINSA (Ministry of Health), Community Movement, Ministry of Education, National Police, City of Leon and community leaders which facilitate a more effective week of ministry
-Our beautiful, secure facility located on 31 acres near León and professional staff of 60 nationals including administrators, accountants, cooks, an architect, gardeners, drivers, legal counsel, security personnel, and translators
-Our legal standing, 501(c)3 in the US and NGO status in Nicaragua with a contract through its Foreign Relations Department
-Our low team fees, among the lowest considering organizations serving in Nicaragua
-Our experience in hosting/coordinating mission teams since 2002—in 2008 alone, 75 teams with 1500 members

We invite you to join us and the Nicaraguan people in our quest to bring change to lives, communities, and a nation!

9 days and counting.