Our days in El Crucero have been filled with endless work and many blessings; therefore we have been very delayed to updating our status on the blog. Each night we return to our hotel hungry and exhausted with energy only to eat and go to bed. We are thankful for the opportunity to serve.

Over the last several days we have completed a great deal of renovation that is required for the medical license necessary to run the medical clinic. We have also had numerous challenges with the roof. It is currently the rainy season which brings strong winds and torrential down pour to the area. Our clinic sits quite high and powerful wind gusts and the roofing material is in sheets makes for a ongoing problem with large sections of the roof coming off and leaving holes allowing substantial rain damage to the inside of the clinic.

The first ever “Copa Nica” (“Nica Cup”) was held on Thursday. Six local teams signed up to play and numerous spectators were on hand to cheer for their favorite teams. The American kids played two games and faired about as well as the US team did in the world cup. After several games, the team from Casa De Ozgo (a local youth center) was the champion of the first ever Nica Cup in El Crucero. We served Gatorade to all of the teams and presented the winning team a replica of the World Cup trophy and t-shirts for all the players on the team as a prize.

We were surprised three days ago by the arrival of the Project Cure container of medical supplies and equipment. The container arrived one week earlier than expected to the port in Honduras and we expect it to clear customs here in Managua by July 16^th. Because we are still completing renovations to the clinic we will not be able to deliver the container directly to the clinic when it arrives on the 16th. It has been necessary for us to find a place to store the container until middle of August so that the renovations will be complete and we can arrange for a team from Colorado to return to assist with the set up of the contents of the container as well as be part of a large celebration for the arrival. Through a relationship and partnership with the Rotary Club in Managua we have located a very large home just two kilometers from the clinic that we will be able to store the contents of the container at no charge. In addition the owner of the house has offered to arrange for 10 workers from his coffee plantation to help with the unloading of the container into the house for storage. We are thankful for this storage opportunity and are amazed by the continuous blessings God is providing for our ministry in El Crucero.

Several visits to local orphanages have provided our team the opportunity to play and love the many children in El Crucero who are in desperate situations. Both the adults and the kids on our team have enjoyed playing duck duck goose, doing crafts, playing soccer and simply hugging and loving the endless amounts of kids in the El Crucero area who are either voluntarily placed in orphanages by their parents or have been abandoned. It is amazing to see the instant interaction and formation of friendships despite the language barrier and difference in background. It takes only moments after arrival to an orphanage to hear laughter and see smiles amongst all of the children, both American and Nicaraguan.

Seven team members departed Nicaragua on Friday and returned safely to Colorado. That same day, three new team members arrived from Texas to join us for the remainder of our time here. It is amazing to witness the hard work and dedication of each and every team member. Our days our long and our work is challenging, but the strength and energy of our team seems to flow endlessly.

The next few days will bring a milk handout outreach, several craft camps for the local children, more construction and one last visit to an orphanage. We are excited for our last few days here in Nicaragua but are sad to see the end of our trip coming so quickly.