Campo's Latest Project

The Chanpa Project

http://www.thechanpaproject.com/

Rosa, Campo Alegria's head cook.

Due to the massive amount of rain we have received in Nicaragua thousands of families have been pushed out of their homes. It has recently come to our attention that our neighbors down the beach in Tolas Maydas are in need of help. To see how Campo Alegria could help we decided to go check out the situation.

The road into the village was covered in water and was so deep our truck barely passed through. Water has funneled from the sugar cane fields, across the road and right into the homes. The ground is saturated with the continuous rain and the water levels have risen so high there is no where for it to drain. While some families have felt the effects more than others, most homes have been effected. At some houses the water has rose just high enough to be inconvenient, resulting in walking through a bit of mud to reach the door step. While other houses have become islands, surrounded by water on all sides. In both of these scenarios the families are able to continue living in their homes. However, other families were not so fortunate. For them the water has risen high enough to fill their homes with a couple feet of muddy brown water.

On our way back through the village we visited the school where the families had relocated. About 20 families total where packed tightly together in five classrooms. There was one shared pot for all twenty families to cook in and the mayor graciously donated five days worth of rice and beans. However, after the week is through the families will be own their own. "Where do the kids go to school now that everyone is living here?" we asked. One man explained there hasn't been school since they moved in. Soon though, some classes will start in the church while others will meet in homes.

The situation certainly is not ideal. We wanted to help in a way that would be of long term assistance to the community and find a way to open up the school. After mulling over a couple of ideas, talking with several families in the community and speaking with the mayor we finally settle on this idea: The Chanpa Project

Click here to learn more about what we are doing.

Sydnie's Birthday

June 29th was Sydnie's birthday, she turned two years old and I am finally getting around to posting a few pictures of our fun day.

Three gifts

We decided to fumigate our house because the mosquitoes had gotten so bad since rainy season has started. Every morning the girls would wake up covered in bites and we couldn't even sit down without mosquitoes buzzing around us. So this morning we packed up the girls, dog, turtle, two baby chicks and spent the day at our friends house.

We came home in the late afternoon and the house still stunk like the smoke they had sprayed and our courtyard is now off-limits for three days because of the chemicals sprayed in it. I was busy changing sheets, wiping things down and was worrying about the girls touching or breathing in anything that would hurt them. So needless to say I was a little stressed out and officially give myself an F- for patience with Ashlyn & Sydnie. We finally made it to bed time and after Sydnie fell asleep I went in Ashlyn's room to check on her. She was still awake just lying quietly in bed. I went in, gave her a hug and she pulled my hair back and told me she loved me. Then our conversation went like this:

"Did Jesus give me to you?" "Yes Jesus gave me three daughters." “Did you ask Him for Ashlyn, Sydnie and Payden?” "No, I asked Him for babies and He looked all over and decided that Ashlyn, Sydnie and Payden were special and He would give them to me". “Oh, and you said thank you?” “Yes, I say thank you all the time.”

She is so sweet, I can't believe this is what she is wondering about before she falls asleep. She makes me want to be a better mom, I wish I would never loose my patience with her! All my girls are such a amazing gift from God that He has entrusted to me, it is very a humbling job.

Four months old

Payden will be four months old tomorrow! She is reaching for things and starting to roll over. And hopefully she will make it one of her goals to start sleeping through the night, she's almost there!

29 Years Old!

It was my birthday today and I turned 29 years old! This is my last year in my twenties...I guess I'm getting old. ;)
I had a wonderful, relaxing birthday with my family. It started early this morning around 4am when Payden woke up to eat. I reached for my phone to see what time it was and my hand hit a balloon that was taped to the side of our bed. Then on the way out of our room another balloon taped to the wall and another one taped to Payden's door! When I came back from feeding Payden I went to the bathroom and there was yet another balloon taped to the toilet (how lovely) I guess someone was busy after I went to bed and he knows exactly what I do every night!
In the morning my amazing husband got up with the girls while I laid around in bed which was wonderful!! Then I opened my birthday present...a new digital camera! Our old one officially died a few weeks ago and I really wanted a new one to take pictures of the girls. So now I have a great camera to take lots of pictures with!
We went to Managua for lunch and to get a cheese cake as my birthday cake, yum! Later we had cake and had the girls hit open my birthday pinata. After we got back from Managua Adam watched the girls again while I had a facial. They are very inexpensive here and I've never had one so I thought it would be a nice treat...and it was! Another great thing about today was God answered my birthday wish! Yesterday I prayed that it would please be rainy all day, I get so tired of being hot and sweaty all the time. And today it rained all day!! The sun never came out, it was a cloudy, rainy day...my favorite kind of day in Nicaragua!
I had a great birthday, here are some pictures from today with my new camera.

Ashlyn & Sydnie loved my Tinker Bell pinata!