I love time with the teenagers. Their lives are so hard growing up in Nicaragua. There is so much expected out of them. By the time they are 10 or 11 they become responsible for the same things their mothers are already. By the time they are 14 or 15 they are expected to get a man, get "married" and bring in another income into the family. That's just too much pressure for most of these kids. Having time to treat them like kids is my favorite part of my March trips. Bringing them together to just be teens brings joy to my heart. We talk about girl stuff, we laugh, we act silly and of course eat cookies and drink soda and of course a new craft item. We made slap bracelets from duck tape. The girls love them and are so talented. We don't have to hardly show them how to do anything. They are very creative.
During this trip we had a fun time together talking about their dreams and desires. I was quite amazed at some of them. One wanted to work in an orphanage, another wanted to work with the elderly and another wanted to travel to Paris. It was awesome to hear their about their dreams and talk about God's plan for them to have all those desires and not to just be a housewife at 14 or 15. It was my desire to teach them about Jesus and his love for them and how important it is for them to have a relationship with him.
Here are some pictures of our fun time together.