Day 5

Good morning again from Irene. Today we travel back to Managua in preparation for leaving for home tomorrow. Yesterday was a good day in both Santa Marta and in Santa Celia. We were able to do some more home visits and community assessments and Judy was able to see more of the community which will be very helpful with our data collection. Orling, Nikki, Jolie and I went up to Santa Celia and had a busy fun day doing crocheting with not only the women but also several men and of course as always a huge group of children. Many of the women have developed amazing skills and will be able to sell the things they are making. One of the Rainbow staff will be organizing a regualar Sunday gathering of women to get together and learn and practice with each other. She is also organizing the distribution of the yarn and hooks. They were all amazed at the amount of yarn we brought and even more so by my telling them that I still have that much at home for them!! Thank you so much to all who donated! The small amounts given were just the right size to give to someone learning or to the children who were learning to braid or knot little bracelets and necklaces and it was so nice to hand out full skeins to those who were learning advanced skills. Jolie started teaching a couple of women to knit and they learned within minutes!! So.....how about those Knitting needles you have laying around?

Katie and Cassandra finished in Santa Marta and walked up the hill to Santa Celia and kept the kids busy playing all kinds of fun versions of our childrens games and theirs. They taught them the chicken dance which they thought was hysterical.

Judy and Leah had the chance in the afternoon to see a private pediatric clinic in Matagalpa which was informative also. We all had an early return to the hotel today and a bit of a break from the normal hectic schedule.

Last evening we went into town for dinner to a restaurant we had not yet been to and the power kept going off. We were in an enclosed back room with no air eating seafood. It did get quite hot and stuffy by the time we finished, but the food was good.

This morning we have some things we want to do here in Matagalpa then want to be on the road by 11 to Managua.

Apologies for not posting new pictures yet on this trip, we have amazing ones but time is always fleeting. If you promise to continue to check in with us, I promise to post some after we get back if not before.

As always, thank you for being with us.

peace,

Irene