The amazing thing about this trip in Nicaragua is that it goes both very slow and very fast at the same time. Very slow in the sense that we stretch every single moment of the day in Nicaragua until the time we crawl into bed at night. By that time we are so delirious from exhaustion that there is usually an awkwardly awesome spike in energy that results in a nonstop stream of laughter until a massive, deep sleep crash. We are running on about 5 hours of sleep a day max and 
We woke up this morning and could not believe camp was coming to an end in just a few short hours. Not to worry, 3 hours of activities here during camp in Nicaragua is equivalent to 3 days of productivity at home. Okay, I know I said I would not write about beans anymore but… 7am, our 12th consecutive bean meal… Need I say more.
There was definitely a mixture of sadness and excitement in the room. Sadness because camp was coming to an end and excitement and excitement because we were about to begin with these semifinal matches! Before anything else we had our morning devotional.
The devotionals are always very beautiful but something really special happened a the end of the devotional today when we “shared the peace” (la Paz). We stood in a circle and then part of the circle started going around hugging each person and sharing the peace. After the last person hugged you then you would become part of the hugging line until you got back to your original spot where you then waitied for everyone to come through and back to their original spot.  |
| Camp Photo |
By the end of La Paz today we had hugged everyone twice! That’s over 150 hugs! Can you imagine sharing the peace to be like that at church in the US. Typically, people just shake hands with those in their immediate area. Before getting ready for the tournament we took a big fun group photo and photo and quick video for More Than Fútbol and then headed out to the soccer field.
The first game of the tournament for the boys and the girls ended in penalty kicks and then in the second game for the
boys Enmanuel (Defending tournament champ) and his brother, Jordy, played against each other. Emanuel’s team beat Jordy’s team to win the whole tournament last year so this was a sweet revenge for Jordy when his team slaughtered Enmanuel’s team 8-1. His team went on to win the Championship in a very exciting and intense game. |
| Enmanuel vs. Jordy Rock, Paper, Scissors |
Every game beforehand they prayed together as a team and really seemed to come together over the course of the week. I am so happy to see the transition because we had an issue with this team not giving enough playing time to some of the younger kids and some attitude problems and other drama also. What a turn around. I spoke to Jordy in the beginning of the tournament about the theme “More Than Fútbol” and how it was his responsibility as an older player to bring his team together. What a turn around. A great example of More Than Fútbol- how soccer can teach so many great life lessons. Conflict resolution, teamwork, problem solving, work ethic, etc. I was so excited to see them experience that success. A great example also for the rest of camp.
On the girls side, Ariel’s team ended up playing Maya’s team in the championship game and after a very hard fought battled, the game went into penalty kicks and Ariel’s team prevailed. After the boys game finished, the boys went over to watch the girls penalty kicks. It was really great to see them show interest and support each other.
We all went into the main hall here one of the youth leaders had already helped us with setting out all of the donated shoes which we used for prizes to the winners. So if you are reading this and you donated a pair of soccer cleats, we probably gave them out to the tournament winners.
Prior to the ceremony I gave a speech about how thankful we are to be able to be here and share this experience with them and how the future of this program is going to be a wonderful thing. When the league begins, they must continue to enforce, teach, and promote the theme of "More Than Fútbol" and that the success of the program is not just in our hands, but in their's as well. We all have a part to play to see the league be successful. I thanked all of the people at home who help make this program a possibility with their support and gear donations. We had a big round of applause and then brought the winning teams, leading goal scores, and sportsmanship recipients up to receive their awards. It was fun helping all of the winners select their shoes and they were so very grateful to receive them. 
We closed out the ceremony and then showered, packed up all of our things, and said our goodbyes. It was so sad to see 
After heading back to Managua, we took up residence in our new room which is much more spacious than our room in the dorms. We dropped our bags off and then spent the rest of the day touring around Managua a little bit. First, we went to the Market to buy some nice little hand-made items and gifts from Nicaragua. Next, we went to the market in Caterina (which oversees all of the lakes of Nicaragua). It is a very nice area to view, shop and explore. Finally, we came back to the main city of Managua and had a delicious dinner and turned in for the night.
Good Night From Nicaragua! Thank you for following along!
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