Day 4

Hola chicos!

Another day, another slay!

Day 4 went by fairly quick! It is hard to believe we have only one full day left in this unique and beautiful country.

The strong friendships that have been built over the past couple of days are like no other. We have surely grown closer in not only our friendships, but in our faith. Today, we attended a local church that was nothing near anything we are used to. From the passionate singing and dancing to the peculiar message that was preached. Later we returned to the complex to have lunch and proceeded to pack all of the clothing donated by Westminster families. At around 3:00 p.m, the children from Casa Havila and Casa Robles came by the complex for a pool party and yummy ice cream. We were thrilled to see their genuine smiles and laughter as they slid down the slide into the pool. A little girl we met, Allison, seemed to have an abundant amount of energy as she continually hit Kelli Salas, Anthony Pino in the head with a noodle. Gaby Zelhof, Dani Perez and Maddie TeRiele entertained some of the girls and boys that chose not to go in the pool. These three grew not only closer to the children, but also grew closer to each other! Yet another aspect that makes our trip to Nicaragua so unforgettable: the lifelong friendships created. 

Another cool experience today was when Kelly Rico, Chrissy Stech, and Ilse Brenner were given a tour of the Farrington home (owners/directors of complex). They got to climb a tree house  built by Chris Farrington and got to see an amazing volcano from there. When the kids departed, the farewell was very emotional as Kelly, Chrissy, Gaby, and Ilse said their last good byes to the kids they've been visiting for the past three years in a row. Finally, we concluded the day with a yummy dinner, awesome worship songs sang by Landon and Gaby, and a devotion by Chrissy.

We cant wait for tomorrow, when we will see the result of our hard work as we dedicate  the house we built to the family.

Catch us tomorrow, xoxox

Kelly and Chrissy

Day 3

Hello from Nicaragua!

Our long night of sharing scary stories led to a rough morning wake up. Even though it was early, the pancakes we had for breakfast were well worth it. When we arrived to the house, Michele was ready to play with us.
Many batches of cement were made giving us a short break for lunch. After lunch, it only took three more batches of concrete to complete the job. The "Senior's last batch" tradition was fulfilled while Bobby, Ilse, Kyle, Chrissy, Kelly, Mikki, Dani and Gaby hoed away. It was a very rewarding feeling to finish the house, but also sad closing this chapter of our trip. To finish the final day working, Maria Ester, the seven year old daughter, drew us a picture, thanking us all for building her a new home.

On the way back to the ranch, we were able to stop by the home the 2015 Nica Crew built. It was gratifying to see the progress on the house since last years trip. The house was divided into two bedrooms and electricity was being installed.

We are all proud to say that the 2016 Nica Crew completed this home in two and a half days! After taking nice and moist showers, we are now taking a much needed rest and can't wait for dinner and devotions.

Until tomorrow,
Dani, Landon, and Gaby :)

Day 2

Hi!

The second day was filled with nonstop hoeing to create more "nice and moist" concrete. Our goal was to get all the walls up and to cement the floor. In order to accomplish this goal, we split up into two teams, one batch of concrete at a time. After each batch was completed, everyone joined in to create an assembly line that carried the buckets of cement to the house. To keep us all entertained, we broke out into old TV show theme songs. After plenty of thought, Landon and Maria finally remembered the intros to "Drake and Josh" and "Suite Life of Zack and Cody".
We then continued with "Guess the Hum" game. Of course, Mikki knew every Disney song, while Gaby guessed every High School Musical tune in less than 5 seconds. When Kelly and Dani said "only 80's and 90's songs!", they were the only ones left playing.
As the long day went on, most of us started getting tired... except for one. Tyler continued to give 100% all day and it showed. "This bucket is too heavy...TYLER!!!"
Although a few people in the Nica crew don't speak Spanish, the language barrier did not limit them. Maddie, Sabrina, Charles, and Kyle continued to create relationships with the family we are building the home for. Michele, the four year old daughter never fails to put a smile on each and every one of our faces.
After a long day at work, we all ran to the showers to get ready for dinner and devotions. Maria, the cook made another killer meal for us that was much needed after all the hard work. Devos was then led by Tyler, who opened up about his testimony, which brought us all closer as a crew. We were all reminded about why we are here and can't be more grateful.

So excited for tomorrow!
Dani and Gaby :)

day 1

Hello from Nicaragua!!!!

We are thrilled to say that we have arrived safe and well to Nicaragua. We have completed one full day of work today and we are all tired, sore, sunburned, and with paint still covering our arms and face. But most importantly we are thrilled, excited, blessed, and humbled by those we have met today, including the family we are building the house for. The family includes two little girls, Michelle (age 4) and Maria Estelle (age 7) and their loving parents. We were so happy when we met the family and saw that they had just as much enthusiasm as we did. The two girls went straight to work with us and helped us paint the roof where most of the paint just ended up on their clothes. We then had a little dance party inside the house as we stomped and jumped to level the floor. 

Although Nica Crew has been involved in building houses for 6 years now, we only have 5 returning students and thirteen newcomers. We are definitely a fresh group of people and with that comes a desire and craving to want to work, work, and work. Erica Brenner and Chrissy Stech were the hoeing queens as they worked on every single batch of cement. Erica has a great farmers tan to prove it. Anthony Pino was the leader and the translator between us and the four construction workers. Sabrina Apple and Mikki Riviera are the new PB&J Divas. Maria Gonzales and Kelli Salas are the Picasso's of the group and still have paint on their hair and face just as any artiste would. Maddie Te Riele worked diligently while everyone else was covered in dirt and she just glistened. The children showed their beautiful smiles and dabbing skills to cameramen, A.KA Landon Scherr and Charles Gonzales. The three musketeers, Gaby, Kelly, and Dani were just living their lives and made an amazing beat/bar to keep us entertained and just in case you didn't know, on Thursday they wear pink. Also, Dani fell inside a pit of cement. Kyle, Tyler, and Bobbie all came out of their shells and helped with everything whether it be hoeing, painting, or playing with the kids. Most importantly we had Wildman, Tick Nolander, back with us. 

Now we are about to start our devos and reminisce on our day. As I sit and listen to Tia Jessie sing along to the angelic voices of Landon and Gaby I can say from the bottom of my heart that today was a great day. We now know that we aren't just building a house but a home for this family. 

With much love and eagerness to see what else is ahead we say goodbye... Until tomorrow!

Blessings from Nica 

 Ilse 

Good morning! 

The Nica Crew is all packed up and ready to take off to Nicaragua! We are all so excited to arrive and can't wait to meet the family we are building a house for. This upcoming week will be filled with many memories that will never be forgotten. 

This blog will be student ran all week. A post will be uploaded every day to keep you all in the loop. We can't wait to get started and keep everyone updated on how the house is coming along and all the stories along the way. 

We are pleased to take you guys along with us. Stay tuned.

-Gaby Zelhof :)