Schools in El Chonco

     Hello! I'm Olivia Alligood. We are more than halfway through our trip and I am just now introducing myself. Before I begin to share what we did on Friday, I will share a little about why I am here. I love traveling and I believe that one day I will be a missionary. I have a minor in Spanish so I was on board as soon as I heard about this trip. I put the whole trip in the Lord's hands and he was faithful in every step of the way. I am here because I love kids and I love sharing what I have learned with others, especially those that might not have the same resources as I have. Being here in Nicaragua has been incredible. I love the children and the people of Nicaragua. I am looking forward to teaching in the schools this week.
    On Friday, we spent part of the day in El Chonco. This was the first time we were in the classrooms and it was an awesome experience. We saw a lot of different ways of teaching and some really cool ideas that surprised us. I cannot speak for everyone's class because I was only in one class but we were able to talk about what we saw. In the PreK class I was in, the teacher had the students glue on pieces of paper on an "e". I really liked how she reviewed with the students every time there was down time. She had the students repeat the name of the vowel a lot. They went on break for about 30 minutes after they were finished. When we came back from the break, she drew an "e" on the ground with chalk. She had the students "walk" on the "e". The students loved doing this. After they had the chance to walk on the big "e", the student drew their own e's on the ground with chalk. After that it was time for lunch and the students were done with school. The funniest thing that I heard that day was when the teacher was going over the rules for break time with the students. One of the rules was that they could not go home. Only in Nicaragua would that be a rule.
      We ate enchiladas at the feeding center in El Chonco and hung out with the kids until we had to leave. Once we were back at Amigos, we changed into bathing suits and headed to the beach. The beach was a private beach owned by an American women. She moved down here a couple of years ago after her husband died. She bought a ranch right on the beach and has since then opened up a free clinic for the Nicaraguans. The beach was a wonderful way to end the week. It was very relaxing and we were able to watch a gorgeous sunset. This week was a great and exciting week. I have learned so much already and I cannot wait to teach this week.

Lost in Translation

I don't think that I have ever been more nervous in my life. Today, we went to the Escuela de Normal which Chinandega's college for students that want to be educators. We were to go in and teach some of the first year students lessons that they could one day use for their own students. We decided to use Fruit Loops to teach math. I felt that all the students really liked the lesson. They seemed to understand the concept of using something fun, but concrete like Fruit Loops, to teach a hard concept like multiplication, area of a shape, and less than or greater than. We had so much fun working with them and seeing the difference between their schooling and ours. Even though we were nervous about the language barrier we seemed to get along ok with only a few concepts lost in translation.

We also took a tour of their school which is a good bit different than North Georgia, and we ate lunch with the students. We had a great time hanging out with the super sweet students of Escuela de Normal, and as Megan Kelley would say, we made tons of friends.

The rest of the day we had to ourselves. We all decided to go to the market with Casia (an amigos missionary and super sweet girl) as our tour guide/body guard. The market was a very scary place but with luck and fast walking, we went in and out not buying anything. The others stores though were very nice and we all bought some gifts to take home. I am loving our trip so far. I know I have said it before but Nicaraguans are the sweetest people, and I totally love them. Keep us all in your prayers as we walk through this journey not only that we enrich lives but that our own lives are enriched.
Thank you and God bless!
Heather Harkins

Sweet ANGELS and water slides!!!

Well, guess what the weather was like today... HOT!!! But, I think we are getting used to it (maybe). 

Today was absolutely one of the best days of my life. We started the day out by going to the orphanage for children with special needs; Hogar Ninos Angeles. There were about 20 to 25 children and 4 incredible women that took care of these children and the facility. The facility was spotless and the children were on mats on the floor. It was incredible to see their smiles, and although one may think they didn't know we were there, they did! As special education majors, we were able to pick up on children using tennis balls for sensory stimulation, some children were over stimulated and we were able to pick up on the implications from this too. We sat with these children and loved on them unconditionally. As we began to leave, of course I started to cry and thought to my self what more can I do? After realizing we had done what we were there to do, I was able to wipe the tears and continue the day. However, I would like to ask that when you say your prayers, please say a prayer for these special angels and the women that take care of them.

Home of the ANGEL Children

After visiting the orphanage, we got to go to lunch in the city. So... we chose pizza! After taking the taxi, we got in the restaurant, and they had air conditioner! :) This was probably some of the cheapest and best pizza I have ever had! Communication went fairly well, although it did take us 5 to 10 minutes to ask for marinara sauce! 

Now for the even more fun part!!! 

We each paid $5 for us and one child from El Chonco to go to a Nicaraguan water park. Trust me... it is not what you're thinking, but it was a blast! There were three working water slides that did NOT meet US regulations by far. There was also a petting zoo, and by that I mean animals were running around the pool! :) They even had a merry-go-round (see picture below... I can't even explain it); it was so much fun to spin the kids on it! We also celebrated one of the workers birthdays today and her whole family got to come! :) The children played hard, we played hard, and needless to say, the bus ride back to the village had many ninos sleeping! 

Today was such a great day and I can't wait for tomorrow when we go to Escuela de Normal to teach the first year education majors! :) 

P.S. Hello to all my Fowler Drive friends!!! :) Ms. Dove loves you!!!

New Beginnings!

Today was a day full of new faces and new beginnings. We visited two villages.
El Chonco was the first village we visited. We were welcomed by dirty, little smiling faces. The people of El Chonco opened their homes for us.

We visited the school that was built and set up by Amigos for Christ. The school houses 300 students within four classrooms. We were unable to visit with the students because school was cancelled for the day, but we are looking forward to being there during a school day.

We also visited Villa Catalina.  This village was completely built by Amigos as a refuge for the destruction made by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The government came in and promised them temporary housing in the land field outside of Chinandega while new homes were built. After two years of living in the land field, Amigos for Christ stepped in and promised homes as long as the people agreed to live in tents and help build homes while all the houses were constructed. Everyone moved in when the last block was laid. The community was so welcoming, and you could tell immediately a difference in the Villa Catalina and El Chonco. Through the work of Amigos and the people of the Villa, a community is flourishing and it is amazing to see.

Tomorrow we are going to the water hole and to the special needs orphanage!!! Keep us in your prayers.

Love and God Bless, 

Megan Kelley

Heather Marie Harkins

       My name is Heather Marie Harkins and I have lived in Dahlonega my whole life. I will be a junior next year at North Georgia and of course I love my school. I was trying to work on a spanish minor but that didn't work out the way it was suppose to. Even though the minor didn't work, I still really wanted to go abroad. When the trip to Nicaragua came up, it sounded like a gift sent from God. I have always always wanted to go on a mission trip and the fact that I get to now go on one and get college credit for it was amazing. With the support from my family and friends I raised the money to go, and here I am writing to you from Nicaragua.

        We have only had one day so far. We walked around two different villages and have seen first hand how these people live. I have to say that I now want to slap myself for ever complaining about my life. People in the US don't know how lucky we have it. We sit around and complain about our houses, cars, children, and neighbors and look what it has done to us. We have everything and we are still often unhappy. These people barley have a roof over there head and yet they seemed to be the most joyful people I have ever met. They work together as a family and as a community. We have come down here to help them and teach them but really I think it is us that needs the lesson. I hoped to touch lives on this trip but I can already see that it will be my life that will be touched.

All for His name

Hey! My name is Meghan Roemer. I just finished my sophomore year at North Georgia, and I am so excited to continue on through the Education program. I am a ECE/SPED major with a Spanish minor.

Ever since working with missions in Mexico my senior year, the spanish culture has just been a part of my heart. I am humbled by the state some of these families live in, yet they are some of the happiest and joyous people I've ever met. Planning for this trip has had a lot of obstacles through my first two years at North Georgia, and I wasn't even sure if I was going to get my minor after all. By God's grace, my schedule worked out perfectly to fit my spanish classes, and I pulled out an A in my hardest spanish class last semester. When I heard about the change of plans for the study abroad trip and the details of working with Amigos for Christ, I knew that none of that was by chance. It was not by chance that my heart goes out to the spanish culture and language. It was not by chance that the Lord has been sovereign over my schedule. It was not by chance that this trip is more than just school credit. And as confirmation of everything, it was not by chance that the funds for the trip worked out the way they did. I am so blessed and thankful for His guidance.


To me, this trip is just another way to share God's endless love with those around me and to be a light to dark hearts. I pray that the Lord would do His great work through me and use me to impact others' lives. He has blessed me in so many ways and has given me gifts to be used for His glory, so that is what I want to do...all for His name.

We're Almost there!

My name is Taylor Lee, and I am a Senior at North Georgia College & State University.  I plan on graduating in December 2012.  I was born and raised in McDonough, Georgia, and I came to North Georgia to play on the Women's Soccer team.  I have two younger siblings and have always been part of a "team" and something bigger than myself.  It was only fitting that I aspired to become a teacher and change the lives of young children.  I have truly enjoyed every minute of student teaching, and I cannot wait to embark on this amazing journey the next few days. 

When making the decision about coming to Nicaragua, I considered several things.  I asked myself questions like: “Have I ever done anything like this before?” No. “Would coming on a trip like this put me out of my comfort zone?” Absolutely. And lastly, “Would I rather do anything else with my time and talents?” No way.  So here I am, on the way to Nicaragua feeling more nervous, anxious, and excited than ever.  I thank my Mom and Dad for their constant support throughout my life, my sisters for allowing me to be a role model for them, but more importantly to God who has answered my prayers by blessing me far beyond what I could ever imagine. 

Yay!! We’re almost there!! J