Organized Chaos

"Organized chaos" is pretty much the perfect term to describe the past 24 hours.

I could've placed my Friday Fiesta grocery list here, and believe me, if you know me, I did start to jot everything down, but what's the point? (so I erased it all) What's more important is that I recognize Alex, our superhero taxi driver, because this man, a former Nicaraguan policeman, was literally a God-send, as he stood on the roof of the van loading bags of oil & milk, melons & pineapples, chicken legs, you name it, enough to feed 130 people. And upon arrival to Hotel Hamacas, our students, like well-oiled machines, unloaded without complaint, because they knew these precious items would serve the greater good the following day.

To the outsider, at Thursday evening's bag & clothing pack sessions, we must have appeared as worker ants, the kind you see here in Nicaragua carrying 100 times their weight, moving to and fro, designating outfits and goodie bags for students amidst the volcanic piles of beans, rice, soap, toothbrushes and and underwear. No matter what the opinion of the other occupants on the premises, we got the job done, and done well, and I must admit, we have a phenomenal assembly line team! (and "The Help") It was our longest day yet, and our student volunteers stuck it out to the end with smiles on their faces-granted, we were all a bit delirious, but this time allowed our sarcasm & fun personalities to shine. I am grateful for this group of student volunteers, as they each have something special to contribute on a daily basis, and we couldn't have done it without them.

I am incredibly proud of my 11 new children. They have surpassed our expectations and have been "good sports" through it all this week-the heat, the disheartening home visits, the bug bites, the sweltering cooking sessions, the emotional breakthroughs, and spending quality time with the students at Escuela Especial. So even in our organized chaos, our students have shown integrity, perseverance, love, and patience-I love them all.

Much love & gratitude...